PORT ANGELES — Four Port Angeles Lefties will enjoy double duties as hosts and players after being named to the North Division roster for the West Coast League’s 2018 All-Star Game.
The All-Star game will be held Tuesday at Civic Field in Port Angeles with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.
Port Angeles players on the North Division squad are first baseman Kyle Schimpf of Southeastern Lousiana, second baseman Jason Dicochea of Santa Clara, outfielder Dalton Harum who will play for Virginia Tech and pitcher Triston Busse of Western Texas College.
Schimpf, a left-handed power hitter, is batting .325 with five home runs, five doubles and 16 RBIs in 27 games.
“Kyle has brought some senior leadership,” Lefties manager Darren Westergard said. “He’s a little more advanced as a hitter than some of these guys. And Kyle plays the game right. He plays hard and keeps it light in the dugout. He’s enjoying his summer.”
Dicochea’s (Santa Clara) batting average is .348, which would be good enough for second in the WCL provided he had the requisite number of at-bats to qualify. In WCL action, has hit five home runs and eight doubles in just 66 at-bats with 12 RBIs and 17 runs.
“He can play,” Westergard said. “He’s been a big part of our success offensively and defensively at up the middle. And he’s showing some pop. He’s one of our leaders in home runs as well.”
Harum (Virginia Tech) is the WCL Offensive Player of the Week for July 2-8. He’s third in the WCL in batting average (.333), with 12 extra-base hits — seven doubles and five home runs.
“Dalton has something to prove,” Westergard said. “He has legitimate talent. It’s right there for him, and when you have a guy with all the talent combined with something to prove it’s something special.”
Busse is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 28 innings in a league-high 13 appearances coming out of the bullpen for Port Angeles.
“Triston has been outstanding for us,” Westergard said. “He’s a player that gets his teammates pumped up when he comes into a game, so it will be fun to see him and the rest of the guys get after it.”
Lefties manager Darren Westergard, hitting coach Trevor Podratz and pitching coach Bryan Daly will coach the North All-Stars.
West Coast League Commissioner Rob Neyer announced the selections.
“In my professional life as a columnist and blogger, I second-guessed dozens of All-Star teams over the years, while never imagining that someday I would actually be involved in putting together All-Star teams,” Neyer said.
“It’s not easy. But with great help from every West Coach League head coach and a big assist from Baseball America, I’m confident that our 2018 All-Stars represent a tremendous mix of performance and potential, and that the scouts at our All-Star Game will love what they see on the field.”
In addition to the Lefties’ All-Stars, here are some North Division names to watch:
Marysville’s Trent Tinglestad, a Kelowna outfielder who will play for Lousiana-Monroe next season, leads the WCL in batting average (.393) and RBIs (27) and is tied for first in home runs (seven) and doubles (eight).
Jake Moberg, an infielder and pitcher with Yakima Valley, played travel ball with Dicochea in Southern California. A UCLA commit, Moberg was drafted in the 34th round of the MLB Draft in June, but will head to Westwood this fall to begin his college career. He’s hitting .328 this summer for the Pippins.
The South squad will be coached by five-time WCL Coach of the Year Brooke Knight of the Corvallis Knights.
South Division names to watch include:
UC-San Diego’s Zander Clarke, who in just 17 games, has hit .397 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs for the Portland Pickles, the South Division’s first-half champions.
Corvallis pitcher Landen Bourassa (San Francisco) who is 4-1 in five starts with a 2.56 ERA in 31.2 innings.
Combined, the North and South rosters feature 13 West Coast Conference players.
Derby Monday
On Monday, the night before the All-Star Game, the Lefties will hold the first Saltwater Splashdown home run derby. Rather than holding a traditional home run derby at Civic Field, these home run derby participants will swing away from a raised platform on Hollywood Beach, launching baseballs over the saltwater and a rope connected to anchors more than 300 feet offshore in Port Angeles Harbor.
The derby will feature a beer garden, and music before and after the event by Port Angeles bands The Terps and Crushwater. The derby is free and open to the public and will start at 6:35 p.m.
Saltwater Splashdown representatives for each team will be announced later this week.
North Division All-Stars
• North Coaches: Port Angeles Lefties
• C: Cory Meyer, Wenatchee (Boise State)
• C: Matt James, Bellingham (Notre Dame)
• 1B: Kyle Schimpf, Port Angeles (Southeastern Lousiana)
• 2B: Jason Dicochea, Port Angeles (Santa Clara)
• SS: Ernie Yake, Bellingham (Gonzaga)
• Inf: Mason Marenco, Wenatchee (Gonzaga)
• 3B: Jake Moberg, Yakima Valley (UCLA)
• OF: Dalton Harum, Port Angeles (Virginia Tech)
• OF: Trent Tinglestad, Kelowna (Lousiana-Monroe)
• OF: Cole Pofek, Yakima Valley (UC-Riverside)
• OF: Jeddediah Fagg, Victoria (Georgia Southern)
• OF: Dan Pruitt, Kelowna (Seminole State)
• P: Justin Armbruester, Bellingham (Pacific Lutheran)
• P: Taylor Davis, Bellingham (Gonzaga)
• P: Cal Hehnke, Kelowna (Nebraska-Omaha)
• P: Triston Busse, Port Angeles (Western Texas)
• P: Garrett Goodall, Victoria (Embry-Riddle)
• P: Tyler Yoshihara, Victoria (Pomona-Pitzer)
• P: Curtis Bafus, Wenatchee (Virginia Commonwealth)
• P: Jeremy Yelland, Wenatchee (Hawaii)
• P: Chase Farrell, Yakima Valley (UCLA)
South Division All-Stars
South Coaches: Corvallis Knights
• C: Dutton Elske, Cowlitz (Portland)
• C: Cole Hamilton, Corvallis (Linn-Benton)
• INF: Nick Nyquist, Walla Walla (Gonzaga)
• INF: Chad Stevens, Corvallis (Portland)
• INF: Gio Diaz, Portland (Saint Mary’s)
• INF: Collin Runge, Bend (Portland)
• INF: Tristen Alvarez, Bend (Fresno Pacific)
• OF: Joey Cooper, Portland (Cal-State Northridge)
• OF: Zander Clarke, Portland (UC-San Diego)
• OF: Chandler Anderson, Corvallis (Utah)
• OF: Cesar Loper, Walla Walla (Cal Poly Pomona)
• OF: Ryan Kim, Cowlitz (Portland)
• P: Landen Bourassa, Corvallis (San Francisco)
• P: Daniel Slominski, Corvallis (San Francisco)
• P: Zach Heaton, Cowlitz (Dallas Baptist)
• P: Darius Vines, Walla Walla (Arizona State)
• P: Zack Penrod, Walla Walla (Northwest Nazarene)
• P: Brad McVay, Portland (Portland)
• P: Connor Pellerin, Portland (Tulane)
• P: Michael Newstrom, Portland (Washington State)
• P: Bradley Gonzales, Bend (Dallas Baptist)