Courtesy of PGCBL.com
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is pleased to announce the roster for the West Division for the upcoming 2017 PGCBL All-Star Game, which will be hosted by the Amsterdam Mohawks at Shuttleworth Park on Tuesday, July 18.
The six-team West Division is made up by the Adirondack Trail Blazers, Elmira Pioneers, Geneva Red Wings, Jamestown Jammers, Onondaga Flames and Newark Pilots. In the previous five PGCBL All-Star Games played in an East vs. West format, the West has been unable to secure a victory over its counterparts from the East, a trend they’ll be looking to break this summer.
The West will be managed by Elmira’s first-year head coach, Brian Hill. His Pioneers have seven selections in the 2017 PGCBL All-Star Game, headlined by infielder Troy Dixon (Samford), who was the starter at third base in the 2016 Midsummer Classic. Houston Roth (Ole Miss), the right-hander who established a new league record with 20 strikeouts in a complete-game victory in June, is one of the two Elmira pitchers included on the team.
The league-leading Jamestown Jammers rightfully have the most All-Star honorees from either division with nine. Of those nine, four were also elected last summer, too. Catcher Christ Conley (Canisius), first baseman Ben Brookover (UTSA), outfielder Skyler Valentine (UTSA) and right-handed pitcher Cory Blessing (Ohio) are all representing the West for the second consecutive season.
The PGCBL’s newest franchise, the Onondaga Flames, earned five All-Star nods: middle infielder Alex Canty (Southeast Missouri), outfielders Gage Lanning (Canisius) and Kyle Gallagher (Cornell), and pitchers Matthew Bowman (SUNY Broome C.C.) and Trent Schulte (Gonzaga).
Representatives from both divisions were voted on by the league’s head coaches.
2017 West Division All-Stars
C – Christ Conley (Canisius) – Jamestown Jammers
C – Marshall Gilbert (John A. Logan) – Elmira Pioneers
1B – Ben Brookover (UTSA) – Jamestown Jammers
INF – Chris Estrada (UTSA) – Jamestown Jammers
INF – Jimmy Standohar (Mercyhurst) – Jamestown Jammers
INF – Brett Rodriguez (Wofford) – Elmira Pioneers
INF – Troy Dixon (Samford) – Elmira Pioneers
INF – Joseph Tassin (Bossier Parish C.C.) – Geneva Red Wings
INF – Alex Canty (Southeast Missouri/Monroe C.C./Batavia) – Onondaga Flames
INF – Hunter Wells (Tyler J.C.) – Newark Pilots
OF – Gage Lanning (Canisius) – Onondaga Flames
OF – Ayrton Schafer (Samford) – Elmira Pioneers
OF – Collin Stack (UMBC/Monroe C.C.) – Jamestown Jammers
OF – Skyler Valentine (UTSA) – Jamestown Jammers
OF – Kyle Gallagher (Cornell) – Onondaga Flames
OF – Mikey Arman (Kenyone) – Geneva Red Wings
UTL – Connor Grammes (Xavier) – Elmira Pioneers
RHP – Colin Johnston (Monroe C.C./Greece Athena) – Jamestown Jammers
RHP – Jonathan Hardy (Mohawk Valley C.C.) – Adirondack Trail Blazers
RHP – Houston Roth (Ole Miss) – Elmira Pioneers
RHP – Grant Donahue (Virginia) – Elmira Pioneers
RHP – Alex Bellardini (Youngstown State/Monroe C.C.) – Geneva Red Wings
RHP – Matthew Bowman (SUNY Broome C.C.) – Onondaga Flames
RHP – Cory Blessing (Ohio) – Jamestown Jammers
RHP – Henry Martinez (Cypress) – Newark Pilots
LHP – David Lyskawa (Niagara County C.C.) – Jamestown Jammers
LHP – Trent Schulte (Gonzaga) – Onondaga Flames
LHP – Jake Walker (Rhode Island) – Adirondack Trail Blazers
In addition to the annual All-Star Game, this year’s festivities will include the first-ever PGCBL Prospect Game, which is designed to showcase players who were not elected to the All-Star Game but are among the best professional prospects on their respective teams. The 2017 PGCBL Prospect game will kick-off the events on Tuesday, July 18, beginning promptly at 12:30 p.m. at Shuttleworth Park.
The West Division Prospect team boasts yet another UTSA product playing for the Jamestown Jammers in southpaw Bradley Griggs (UTSA). Second-year Newark Pilot Will Allocca (Virginia) will see time behind the plate and share catching duties with Jamestown backstop Connor Rule (Kansas State). Of all the major Division I programs represented on the Prospect Team, it is in fact Ithaca College, a Division III institution that qualified for the NCAA Tournament out of the Empire 8 Conference this spring, who leads all schools with two selections on the West Division Prospect Team. Onondaga teammates and brothers Sam and Webb Little (Ithaca) will each have a chance to show off their tools next Tuesday.
West Division Prospect Team
C – Will Allocca (Virginia) – Newark Pilots
C – Connor Rule (Kansas State) – Jamestown Jammers
1B – Peter Battaglia (Niagara) – Newark Pilots
1B – John Michael Boswell (Furman) – Adirondack Trail Blazers
1B – Brayden Combs (Kentucky) – Elmira Pioneers
INF – Dominic Toso (Bucknell) – Geneva Red Wings
INF – Webb Little (Ithaca) – Onondaga Flames
INF – Stephen Bennett (Canisius) – Onondaga Flames
INF – Justin Barr (Central Alabama C.C.) – Geneva Red Wings
INF – Tyler Bruno (Iona) – Adirondack Trail Blazers
OF – Matt Chamberlain (New Haven) – Geneva Red Wings
OF – Sam Little (Ithaca) – Onondaga Flames
OF – Allbry Major (Xavier) – Elmira Pioneers
OF – Colton Evans (UC Davis) – Elmira Pioneers
OF – Anthony Nucerino (UConn) – Elmira Pioneers
RHP – T.J. Stuart (Manhattan) – Elmira Pioneers
RHP – Parker Ford (Mississippi State) – Elmira Pioneers
RHP – Ben Terwilliger (Maine) – Geneva Red Wings
RHP – Zac Bygum (Dartmouth) – Adirondack Trail Blazers
RHP – Ryan Marketell (Monroe C.C./Webster Thomas) – Onondaga Flames
RHP – Chase Hagerty (Southeast Missouri) – Onondaga Flames
RHP – Colby Mullins (Andrew) – Geneva Red Wings
RHP – Chris Vallimont (Mercyhurst) – Jamestown Jammers
LHP – Bradley Griggs (UTSA) – Jamestown Jammers
LHP – Josh Smith (Kentucky) – Elmira Pioneers
Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the 2017 PGCBL All-Star Game should contact Amsterdam Mohawks President and General Manager Brian Spagnola at gm@amsterdammohawks.com.
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