The California Collegiate League announced its 2013 All-Stars this past weekend. Of the 36 players named to the North Division team, 11 come from the Santa Barbara Foresters. The CCL All-Star game is played on Wednesday July 17, during the MLB All-Star break. Fox Sports West will broadcast the game live at 7 p.m.
Before the game, all 60 of the selected players will participate in a scouting combine for scouts and college coaches at the MLB Academy Barons home stadium in Compton, Calif.
Four pitchers and seven position players make up the Foresters’ contingent headed to Compton with four of them having previously been drafted.
Duke’s Drew Van Orden unsurprisingly earned an All-Star nod thanks to his 5-0 record and 45 strikeouts. His wins and strikeouts lead the CCL and his 1.09 ERA is the best among pitchers with as many innings pitched as Van Orden. His WHIP of 0.909 is the best among Forester starters, the only one with a WHIP under 1.000 and he holds a .169 batting average against.
Joining Van Orden from the Forester staff is lead reliever Patrick Weigel. Just having finished his freshman year at the University of the Pacific, Weigel has shined in his 14 appearances. Weigel has struck out 28, tied for third on the Forester staff, in his 22 and two thirds innings. The right hander has compiled an 11.1 K/9 and a 7.00 K/BB.
TCU’s Tejay Antone, also coming off of his freshman year, has appeared in 10 games. Having started and now relieved so far this season, Antone has pitched 25 and a third innings. He has struck out 27 on his way to a 2.13 ERA and 1.184 WHIP. Prior to enrolling at TCU, Antone had been drafted in 2012 by the New York Mets in the 23rd round out of high school.
Wrapping up the pitcher invites is Texas rigthy Parker French. French has struggled a bit at times, with a 5.68 ERA and 1.579 WHIP. He shined in his June 26 start against the San Luis Obispo Blues, pitching four innings and striking out four on 58 pitches.
On the offensive side, the Forester All-Stars include the entire primary starting outfield.
Louie Lechich of the University of San Diego earned a spot on the North Division’s team, thanks to a team-high 22 RBIs and four home runs. His .366 batting average and .400 on base percentage in 20 games are among the team leaders. Lechich has actually taken to the mound a few times as well, pitching five innings in three appearances and striking out five. The lefty was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 42nd round of the 2010 draft.
Fellow outfielders Colt Atwood, Ben Johnson and Joey Epperson all will join Lechich in Compton. Atwood has hit .307, totalled a .402 on base percentage and driven in a surprising 13 runs given his location in the order as the leadoff man. The Sam Houston State Bearkat’s greatest asset is his speed, having stolen 10-of-13 in his 22 games played.
Johnson, tied for the team lead in games played with 30, currently sits with a .465 on base percentage while having totalled the second most plate appearances this season for the Foresters. Johnson currently has a .322 batting average and has struck out the same amount of times he has walked, 18. The Texas native also leads the Foresters in stolen bases with 14, having been caught three times. Johnson was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 34th round of the 2012 MLB draft.
Epperson, who only joined the Foresters on June 23, leads the team among qualified batters with a .422 batting average and a .500 on base percentage. During his first 12 games, the UCSB Gaucho has driven in 11 runs, scored eight and walked more than he has struck out.
Garrett Mattlage, who has spent time at many positions for the Foresters this season, is tied for second on the team with nine extra base hits. His four triples and five doubles have contributed to .415 slugging percentage, currently fourth best among players with at least 50 at bats. Mattlage, from Texas State, has also scored 14 while driving in 13 and was drafted by Kansas City in the 39th round of the 2011 draft.
The last two Foresters who will represent the North Division are catchers Jacob Felts and Jerry McClanahan. Felts, who arrived on June 21, missed eight straight games with a shoulder injury before returning Friday against Tri-Valley Bercovich. In his six games played, Felts hit four doubles, a triple and a home run. The Texas catcher scored four runs and drove in seven, while holding on OPS of 1.447.
McClanahan, from UC Irvine, has played in 17 games and scored 11 runs while driving in seven.
