The Inland Valley Baseball Association earned 10 combined all-star elections for the All-Star game on Saturday night at Palm Springs Stadium.
The home run derby will get underway at 6 pm with the all-star game beginning at 7:05.
The Pirates, who finished as the c0-champions of the SCCBL regular season had seven players earn the nod.
Christian Kelley is the first and only Pirate in the two-year history of the team to reach the ASG twice. Kelley’s defense prowess was on display all season long and by the end of the year, teams wouldn’t even risk a stolen base attempt on the cannon right arm of Kelley. He finished the season with a .284 BA, 11 RBI and 11 runs.
Andrew Alvarez, who earned pitcher of the month honors in June, was an easy selection for the SCCBL media and coaches. Alvarez (5-0) dominated the opposition all summer. He notched the most career innings (44.2) in Inland Valley history and the second most strike outs (38). Alvarez also posted a 2.42 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. In addition to the pitching, at the dish, Alvarez set a new Pirate record for hits in a season (31). The Houston Baptist commit scored 14 runs, which was second on the team and his .341 BA was good for third on the Pirates.
Greg Espinosa and Jonny Reynoso each set the mark for a single season batting average in Inland Valley history finishing with a .380 clip each. In fact the two, ended an identical 27-for-81 on the season. Espinosa led the team with an astounding .463 OBP. Espinosa also led the teams in runs scored (19). Reynoso’s .887 OPS was second best on the Pirates.
Michael Koval (2-0) dealt a ridiculous 46 strikeouts in only 32 innings of work, another Pirate record. The Cal Poly Pomona Bronco ended with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.
Both Virgen brothers have earned spots on the all-star roster as well. Anthony was the big slugger leading the team in power categories like RBI (17), SLG (.526), OPS (.961), while also posting a .333 BA. Nathan finished second on the team with a .444 OBP. He finished first on the Pirates with seven stolen bases. The Cal State Monterrey Bay commit’s final batting average was .316.
Kevin Riley was a no-brainer from the Buccaneers. He tallied the most hits (32) of any Inland Valley baseball player this season and was a very clutch performer at the dish. He led his team with a .368 BA, .461 OBP, .483 SLG, .944 OPS and 14 runs scored. He also had the second most RBI on the Bucs with 10.
Miles Ryan, who earned player of the week honors in the final week of the season, was selected to the all-star team as well. Ryan finished second on the team with a .350 BA. He knocked in the most RBI with 11. The Citrus College Owl swiped the most bases on the team with six.
Gerardo Ramirez (3-2) became the ace of the staff as the season went along. He led the Bucs with innings pitched (42). Ramirez ended with a 3.43 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and struck out 32.
The Pirates will also send A.J. David to participate in the Home Run Derby. David is competing in his second derby.
All-Stars by the Numbers:
Inland Valley Pirates (7)
Palm Springs Power (7)
Team San Diego (6)
High Desert Heat (5)
Inland Valley Bucs (3)