Summer Recap: Cushing, London, Jordan Help Teams to Championships
August 20, 2015 | Baseball
SEATTLE — Having recently wrapped up summer league play, Washington baseball players have made quite the impact around the country this summer for their respective teams.
Infielder Josh Cushing, helped the Strasburg Express become the 2015 Valley League Champions. In the championship game, the Express rallied from a three-run deficit to clinch the league title with Cushing scoring in the eighth to tie the game. He played in all eight games of the playoffs, recording a .242 batting average with nine RBI. Cushing finished the season with an overall .255 batting average, appearing in 40 games for the Express.
In the Great Lakes League, sophomore Kyle London was the walk-off run for the Lima Locos in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the 2015 GLSCL championship. The Lima Locos captured game three of a best-of-three series 5-4 in the bottom of the 10th inning. London finished the summer with a .264 average over 19 game appearances.
Levi Jordan ended the summer with a .333 batting average for the Seattle Cheney Studs in the Pacific International League. He played in 19 games and knocked in eight runs for the Studs. The Studs went on to win the NBC (National Baseball Congress) Championship.
Jack Meggs continued to shine throughout the remainder of the season for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League, finishing the season with a .313 batting average over 38 game appearances. He knocked in 14 runs for the Whitecaps and recorded seven doubles over the summer.
Husky catcher, Andy Cosgrove finished the season having played in 35 games with a .271 batting average for the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League. Pitcher and teammate Alex Nesbitt, ended the season with a 3-3 record for the Knights with nine game appearances and a 2.77 ERA.
In the Northwoods League, Husky infielder Chris Baker saw a lot of action for the LaCrosse Loggers. Appearing in 43 games, Baker recorded a.226 average with 29 RBI, four home runs and 10 doubles.
Sophomore KJ Brady performed well in the West Coast League, hitting .261 on the season for the Bellingham Bells. Playing in 42 games, Brady knocked in 12 runs and hit eight doubles. Teammate, Channing Nesbitt finished the season with a 1-1 record and a 3.42 ERA, pitching in 14 games for the Bells. Incoming freshman, Alex Galgano also saw action for the Bells this summer with 34 game appearances and a .188 average.
Up north in the Alaska League, Nyles Nygaard played in 37 games for the Matsu Miners and recorded a .230 average with 14 RBI and ten doubles on the summer.
Shane Olson finished the season in the Rocky Mountain League with an impressive .337 batting average in 28 game appearances. He knocked in 20 runs for the Boulder Collegians over the summer.
Incoming Husky freshman finished the summer strong in the Pacific Northwest for their respective teams. AJ Graffanino hit an even .300 on the season appearing in 30 games for the Cowlitz Blackbears of the West Coast League. For the Walla Walla Sweets Willie MacIver played in 32 games and hit .215 while teammate Joe Demers finished the season with a 1-1 record and a 2.07 ERA.
Both Graffanino and Demers were singled out by d1baseball.com as two of the top prospects in the WCL. “Two incoming freshman for the Washington Huskies acquitted themselves very well against older competition in the WCL,” the article said. The report by Aaron Fitt went on to say that Demers was the best pitching prospect in the entire league, while Graffanino “could blossom into a marquee prospect in three years at UW.” Read article ... here.
In the NW Collegiate League, incoming freshman Peyton Lacoste, Blake Burton and Karl Kani all contributed for the Rainier Snowcaps over the summer. Lacoste finished the season with an impressive .370 batting average over 17 appearances. Burton played in 19 games and hit .156, while Kani hit .286 and saw action in 10 games for the Snowcaps.
With another summer ball season under wraps, the Huskies have gained more experience while representing the Washington program well from the Pacific Northwest all the way to the East Coast in preparation for the upcoming 2016 season.
Here is a recap of returners and incoming players and where they played:
Returners:
Chris Baker – LaCrosse Loggers (Northwoods League)
KJ Brady – Bellingham Bells (West Coast League)
Andy Cosgrove – Corvallis Knights (West Coast League)
Josh Cushing – Strasburg Express (Valley League)
Levi Jordan - Cheney Studs (Pacific International League)
Kyle London – Lima Locos (Great Lakes)
Jack Meggs – Brewster Whitecaps (Cape Cod League)
Alex Nesbitt – Corvallis Knights (West Coast League)
Channing Nesbitt – Bellingham Bells (West Coast League)
Nyles Nygaard – Matsu Miners (Alaska League)
Shane Olson – Boulder Collegians (Rocky Mountain League)
Ryan Schmitten - Cheney Studs (Pacific International League)
Incoming players:
AJ Graffanino (Fr.) – Cowlitz Black Bears (West Coast League)
Peyton Lacoste (Fr.) – Rainier Snowcaps (NW Collegiate League)
Blake Burton (Fr.) - Rainier Snowcaps (NW Collegiate League)
Karl Kani (Fr.) - Rainier Snowcaps (NW Collegiate League)
Alex Galgano (Jr.) – Bellingham Bells (West Coast League)
Dallas Tessar (Fr.) – Santa Paula Halos (California Collegiate League)
Willie MacIver (Fr.) – Walla Walla Sweets (West Coast League)
Joe DeMers (Fr.) - Walla Walla Sweets (West Coast League)
