APPLESOX BOLSTER ROSTER WITH PAC-12, WAC TALENT

The AppleSox latest roster addition features names from Pac-12, WAC schools.

WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox will welcome four Pac-12 student-athletes, and three Seattle U Redhawks to the 2017 squad, head coach Kyle Krustangel announced Monday.

Washington State will send two players to Wenatchee for the first time since 2014, and UCLA offers one current and future Bruin to the Sox roster. All three of Seattle U’s incoming players will have at least two years of collegiate playing experience.

“It’s been really nice to personally get to know Coach [Marty] Lees over the last year, and to see what he and his guys are doing at WSU,” said AppleSox head coach Kyle Krustangel. “Obviously, the players that Coach [John] Savage is sending from UCLA will also be tremendous additions to our club. Not only are the Cougars and Bruins bringing us talented Pac-12 players, but also great individuals. It was important for us, as an Eastern Washington WCL team, to have a strong connection with Division I teams in our area, and with Pac-12 powerhouses, like UCLA, who have helped shape the AppleSox championship tradition.”

Among the Pac-12 signings are conference veterans Colby Nealy and Reagan Teegarden from WSU, along with Jordan Prendiz from UCLA.

Nealy, the first of eight seniors-to-be on the 2017 AppleSox roster, is pitching his junior season for the Cougars. The former Bothell High School right-hander has already picked up four wins for WSU this spring.

Prendiz, currently a freshman outfielder, was a three-year letterwinner from Mt. Whitney High School at Visalia, Calif. He was rated the 44th-best prospect from the state of California in 2016, by Perfect Game USA.

Teegarden, another Cougar, formerly from Bellevue HS, has been used minimally during his freshman campaign on the Palouse. The infielder was a KingCo 3A First Team shortstop and was voted Second Team All-State after hitting .431 as a senior.

Incoming-UCLA freshman Michael Townsend will also pitch for Wenatchee this summer. The fiery right-hander features a low-90s fastball and also has been tabbed an all-league outfielder during his high school career. Townsend is from Los Alamitos, Calif.

Fresh-off runner up finishes in the WAC in 2015 and 2016, Seattle U is slated to send three experienced players to Wenatchee. Jack Reisinger, a senior-to-be, and Jeffrey Morgan and Jake Taylor, who will be juniors next season, all will don red, white and blue for the Sox this summer.

“The Cougar and UCLA players are experienced guys, and we are excited to receive the same brand of player from Donny Harrel and Seattle U,” Krustangel said. “It will be great to continue the tradition of having Redhawks on the AppleSox. We are fortunate that the three guys we got from Seattle U are all getting a lot of playing time. They are guys who have started a majority of the team’s games, and as a whole, we’re excited to be bringing in D-I experienced talent. That, in my eyes, is a recipe for success.”

Reisinger, an experienced backstop and native of San Clemente, Calif., is one of the top hitters for the Redhawks this spring. He has an above-.300 average and has already smashed three homers.

Morgan, an outfielder from Auburn, Wash., has already amassed two years of collegiate experience after playing at Auburn Mountainview High School, where he helped the Lions to the state tournament in each of his four seasons. He was a three-time all-league selection.

Taylor, a third baseman from Boise, Idaho, will reunite with former high school teammate and current AppleSox infielder Parker Price. The Timberline High School product has had a steady 2017 campaign at Seattle U. He won an American Legion Championship in 2014.

The Wenatchee AppleSox open their 18th season of play June 2, 2017 at Walla Walla, and play their home opener in Wenatchee Thursday, June 8, 2017. For more information, fans can visit www.applesox.com.