AppleSox Add Six Players From California Schools

The Wenatchee AppleSox have signed six players from California colleges to join their 2022 roster. Joichiro Oyama, Matt Halbach, Joel Tornero, Roger Thomas, Michael Davinni and Ryan Mullan will suit up for the AppleSox this summer.

Some of the best AppleSox alumni have come from California. Keston Hiura (UC Irvine) and Pat Valaika (UCLA) are just two examples of AppleSox players to come from California schools who then went on to play in MLB. 

“California undoubtedly is a hot bed for baseball talent,” Darlington said. “Having strong  connections with some of the great programs in California will be critical for our organization going forward.”

Michael Davinni becomes the second member of Saddleback College to join the AppleSox alongside returning first baseman Luc Stuka. Davinni originally committed to the University of San Diego but did not play in 2021 and transferred to Saddleback.

Through his first nine games Davinni is off to a strong start, batting .417 with one home run and 16 RBI. He also has collected at least one hit in all but one game. 

“We have big expectations for Mike Davinni,” Darlington said. “Mike brings big time juice to our lineup. He’s a Coastal Carolina commit that is just a pure hitter. We are looking for him to lock down third and be a middle of the order bat for us. 

UC San Diego outfielder Matt Halbach will join the AppleSox after his first season with the Tritons. The Los Gatos, Calif. native is hitting .254 with five multi-hit efforts through his first 17 games of the season.

Halbach recorded a phenomenal senior year of high school in 2021 after only playing five games in 2020. The outfielder hit .366 with 13 extra-base hits and 28 RBI for Archbishop Mitty High School in their second-place finish season.

“Halbach can play all three outfield spots as well as first base,” Darlington said. “His bat will be tough to keep out of the lineup.”

Ryan Mullan is the only player in this week’s roster announcements still in high school. He will graduate from Damien High School in California this spring before joining Loyola Marymount in the fall. The right-hander is hoping to wrap up his high school career on a strong note after being part of a Damien team that made it to the second round of state playoffs last year.

“Mullan is a power arm that we are really excited to have on our staff,” Darlington said. “He will be able to be used in a variety of roles for us.”

Joichiro Oyama will join UC Irvine this fall after playing for the AppleSox. Oyama is in his third year at Merced College thanks to an additional year granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He leads the Blue Devils with a .375 average through his first 23 games. The infielder from Okinawa, Japan, has improved his batting average each season. Oyama hit .274 in 20 games in 2020 before following up with a .327 average in 2021.  

“Joichiro brings a ton of speed to our lineup and can really defend,” Darlington said.

Joel Tornero will join his UC San Diego teammate Halbach in the Wenatchee this June. The southpaw is looking to make his debut with the Tritons this spring.

The Covina, Calif. native began his career at Northwest Nazarene in 2020 but only pitched in one game before transferring to Chaffey College in California. The Panthers did not compete in the 2021 season but Tornero did pitch in 10 games for the Ventura County Pirates in the Sunset Baseball League last summer.

“Tornero will bring an electric fastball to our staff,” Darlington said. “He can run it up to 94 miles per hour and should see a sizable workload this summer.” 

Roger Thomas is looking to make his debut with UC Irvine this season. The southpaw redshirted last year and spent the summer in the Northwoods League with the Kokomo Jackrabbits, whom he pitched in 10 games for. 

Thomas, a Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif. native, recorded a lights-out 0.28 ERA in six games as a senior at Santa Margarita High School in 2020. He also excelled at the plate, batting .382. 

“Roger Thomas will be a fantastic lefty to have in our bullpen,” Darlington said. “His slider is the type of pitch that can come in and get you out of any situation.”

Stay tuned to AppleSox social media for next week’s player announcements