Pac-10 Players Help Power Bells Roster
The Bellingham Bells have added five players to their roster from one of the best collegiate baseball conferences in the country. Pac-10 players Steve Rodriguez, Scott Griggs, and Chase Brewer from UCLA, Tony Bryant from Oregon State, and James Wise from Washington State will all suit up for the Bells as they kick off their 12th season this summer.
Rodriguez, UCLA’s top catcher, is currently hitting .375 for the nation’s 12th-ranked Bruins. The sophomore backstop leads both his team and the Pac-10 with five home runs and has a team-leading .850 slugging percentage.
Griggs, a freshman out of Alamo, Calif., was selected in the 34th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, but opted to attend UCLA. He was ranked the No. 11 top high school prospected and No. 24 overall 2009 MLB Draft prospect by Baseball America.
Brewer was a redshirt during his first year at UCLA and pitched last summer for the Holyoke Blue Sox of the New England Collegiate League. In five starts with the Blue Sox, Brewer recorded a 2-1 record with a 1.69 ERA and was selected to pitch in the league’s all-star game.
Bryant was selected in the 25th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, but did not sign. Rated the No. 2 high school prospect out of the state of Washington, Bryant is now in the bullpen for the 18th-ranked Beavers. The 6-foot-7 freshman made his collegiate debut in Oregon State’s season opener against Hawaii. In 2 1/3 innings of relief work, Bryant struck out three batters.
Wise is currently a starter for Washington State where he is 1-0 on the season two appearances on the mound. Now in his third season with the Cougars, Wise has served as both a starter and a reliever. The Boise, Idaho, native pitched for the Mankato MoonDogs of the Northwoods League last summer. With the MoonDogs, Wise was 5-1 with a 2.37 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 11 games—nine starts.
The five Pac-10 players join fellow Pac-10 first baseman Beau Brett from USC on the Bells roster.
“The Pac-10 is one of the most talented baseball conferences in America and we’re fortunate enough to have it right in our backyard,” said Bells general manager Justin Stottlemyre. “We’ve had a number of outstanding Pac-10 players play for us in the past and being able to continue our relationship with the conference and its teams is vitally important to our success on the field.”
The Bellingham Bells kick off their 12th season June 4, 2010 at Joe Martin Field against the Kelowna Falcons. Great group and single-game tickets are still available for the 2010 season by calling the Bells Ticket Office at 360-746-0406.
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