The Oakland Athletics announced their teams to represent the Northern California region at the Area Code Baseball Games, sponsored by Student Sports. The games will take in Long Beach, August 6-10, and feature players from throughout the North Coast Section, Central Coast Section, and Sac-Joaquin Section, with some Central Section representation added in the mix as well.
Vacaville and Buchanan-Clovis lead the way with three players each on the 2016 squad. It’s no surprise for Buchanan after they won the Central Section Division I crown and also the title of mythical state champion this spring. For Vacaville, meanwhile, the selections could bring optimism to the Bulldogs after getting bounced in the first round of the section playoffs by Davis this spring.
Shortstop Tyler Bosetti, a Nevada commit, leads the selections from Vacaville, after he hit .386 with three home runs this season. Catchers Troy Claunch and Braydon Altorfer also made the roster. Claunch hit .316 with 21 RBI this spring, is an Oregon State commit, and also plays quarterback for the Bulldogs’ football team. Altorfer is committed to Air Force.
Catcher Zach Presno and third baseman Quentin Selma lead the selections for the Bears, along with shortstop Jamal O’Guinn. Presno had six home runs and 25 RBI this spring, while Selma led Buchanan with 19 extra-base hits and 29 RBI. Selma and Presno are both committed to Fresno State.
The North Coast Section saw three athletes selected to the team. Casa Grande’s Spencer Torkelson, an Arizona State commit and standout running back and linebacker for the Gauchos’ football team, made the team as an outfielder, and is joined by College Park pitcher Ian MacIver and Hayward pitcher/outfielder Nikoh Mitchell. Mitchell hit .328 in the spring, but figures to be valuable as a lefty on the mound, after posting a 2.06 ERA while striking 66 batters in 51 innings pitched last season.
The Central Coast Section saw five athletes selected to the team, including representatives from both of the CCS Open Division finalists, St Francis and San Benito. Outfielder Daniel Ydens represents St. Francis, while shortstop Drew Williams, a UC Santa Barbara commit, represents the Haybalers.
Other CCS athletes who will be playing in Long Beach include Menlo School pitcher Griff McGarry, Archbishop Mitty pitcher Haydn King, and Carlmont outfielder Vince Bologna. King, a University of San Francisco commit, should be another valuable left-handed arm for the team, after posting a 6-2 record with a 0.58 ERA for the Monarchs, while McGarry, the Virginia commit, should be another strong right-handed arm.
15 athletes represent the Sac-Joaquin Section on the A’s team, including the trio from Vacaville. Turlock had two athletes make the roster, with pitcher Damon Treadwell, a University of Pacific commit, and first baseman Tate Soderstrom, an Arizona commit, headed south for the games. Granite Bay also has a pair on the roster, with left-handed pitcher Chris Daniels, a UCLA commit, and towering first baseman/pitcher Darren Nelson, who stands six-foot, eight-inches tall, and is committed to Cal Poly.
Jesuit-Carmichael second baseman and outfielder Darren Baker, son of legendary manager Dusty Baker, is another notable name on the roster. Baker is committed to Cal, and hit .386 with 16 stolen bases this spring.
Other selections include Jaime Arias (Woodland, RHP), Cody Bolton (Tracy, RHP), Trent Denholm (Oak Ridge, RHP), Ryan Holgate (Davis, OF), Riley Lamb (Elk Grove, RHP), Nathan Himjohn (Franklin-Elk Grove, OF), and Miles Tomczak (Argonaut-Jackson, OF).
Notable college commitments among the Sac-Joaquin contingent include Bolton (Michigan), Denholm (UC Irvine), Holgate (Cal), and Lamb (USC).
The Athletics also announced their underclass roster, for games to be played August 10-12 in Cerritos and Long Beach.
Valley Christian-San Jose was the lone school with multiple representatives on the underclass team, with both shortstop Dawson Brigman and outfielder Coleman Brigman selected to the team. Coleman Brigman was one of just four players from the Class of 2019 selected for the roster, and hit .309 for the Warriors last spring.
The rest of the underclass roster is littered with players who have verbally committed to Pac-12 schools. Ian Villers (Northgate) and Dominic Pipkin (Pinole Valley) are both Cal commits, Casa Grande’s AJ Miller is a verbal to Oregon, Jack Filby (McClatchy-Sacramento) is committed to UCLA, Jesuit-Carmichael pitcher Cody Jensen is a Stanford commit, and San Ramon Valley pitcher Bret Soulages is an Oregon State commit.
“Coming into the Area Code tryouts, I noticed that everyone there was an amazing player and I was very nervous,” said Villers, who was a Prep2Prep All-NCS selection this spring. “I knew I had to try my hardest while on the mound, so that’s exactly what I did. I came out a little shaky, but I kept battling through it until my turn to show my stuff was up.”
The other Class of 2019 athletes to join Brigman on the roster, as the youngest set of players headed to the Area Code Games, include Freedom-Oakley shortstop Kyren Paris, Argonaut-Jackson pitcher Seth Tomczak, and Horizon-Scottsdale (AZ) catcher Kody Huff.
“I was very excited and proud to hear Kyren was selected to this year’s underclass team,” said Freedom coach Francisco Zelaya. “He is well deserving of this recognition, as a kid with both high character and tremendous talent. I am confident he will represent Freedom well, as well as the city of Oakley and the Bay Valley Athletic League.”
Other NorCal players selected include Serra-San Mateo catcher Cameron Barstad, Vintage-Napa outfielder Jason Brandow, Yuba City catcher Matt Clayton, Vacaville third baseman Cole Elvis, Encinal shortstop Osiris Johnson, and Central Catholic-Modesto pitcher Joseph Mundt.
The upperclass team opens play in the eight-team tournament on the evening August 6, facing a team selected to represent the Cincinnati Reds. They also have scheduled games against teams representing the Yankees, White Sox, Nationals, and Royals. All games are at Blair Field in Long Beach.
The underclass team takes part in a five-team tournament, played at both Blair Field and Cerritos College. They have scheduled games against teams representing the Nationals, Rangers, White Sox, and Brewers.
