Matador Baseball Summer Wrap Up

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Once again the summer league baseball season has drawn to a close, and with it, the Matadors have returned back home to prepare for the 2018-19 year. The summer season proved to be another successful one for a number of Matador returners and newcomers. Many traveled out of state while some stayed close to home over the last eight weeks in an effort to hone their skills against top-notch competition.

Matador sophomore Brandon Bohning enjoyed an outstanding summer with the Western Nebraska Pioneers of the Expedition League. Bohning helped lead the Pioneers to a league title, hitting a home run in the championship series. Batting .316 this summer, Bohning tallied 51 runs, 68 hits, 17 doubles, three home runs and 45 RBI in 58 ballgames.

Elsewhere in the Expedition League, a pair of Matador newcomers Austin Elder and Kolby Force spent the summer competing for the Hastings Sodbusters in Nebraska. A graduate of De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., Elder spent time behind the plate and hit a robust .423 in 44 games. Elder also registered 66 hits, 38 RBI, 33 runs and two home runs. Transferring to the Matadors from Edmonds Community College (Lynwood, Wash.), Force played in the first phase of the summer season as he hit .258 with 16 RBI and 10 runs in 26 games.

In the Northwoods League, senior two-way player Jayson Newman once again completed an unforgettable summer season. After setting a Coastal Plain League RBI record last summer, Newman finished with a .289 batting average, 31 RBI, 25 runs, 41 hits and eight home runs for the Willmar Stingers in Minnesota this year. Transitioning into a relief-pitching role this past year with CSUN, Newman would post a 1.98 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 10 saves in 22 appearances for the Stingers.

An incoming junior left hander, Michael Cartwright joined Newman on the Stingers this summer. Cartwright, who comes to CSUN from Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., competed in 18 games and collected 21 strikeouts along with a victory. Newman and Cartwright helped the Stingers win 30 games and advance to the postseason.

Also in the Northwoods League, senior Walker Armstrong and junior Cruz Daddario earned time on the mound for the Bismarck Larks in North Dakota. Armstrong saw action in five games for the Larks in July as he racked up 10 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. Daddario started nine games this summer, picking up four wins and 29 strikeouts over 53 innings.

Redshirt sophomore Blake Schriever made the trek to North Carolina to compete with the Fayetteville SwampDogs of the Coastal Plain League this summer. Schriever's work on the mound was rewarded with an All-Star nod last month. Enjoying a playoff run with the SwampDogs, Schriever went 5-4 with a 2.54 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 46 innings.

Playing in New York, a trio of freshmen spent the summer with the Jamestown Jammers of the Perfect Game Collegiate League. A redshirt freshman, outfielder Rane Pfeifer competed in 28 games, helping the Jammers win the league championship. Right-handed pitchers, Jeremy Hassel (Tesoro High School) and Dalton Chandler (Lamar High School) received work in the early portion of the summer with the Jammers. Hassel saw action in eight games at the plate, hitting .273 while he posted a 3.85 ERA in two appearances. Chandler tossed 1.1 innings, striking out two batters in June.

Several Matadors spent their summer in the West Coast League as hurlers Theron Kay and Wesley Moore competed with the Bellingham Bells in Washington. A sophomore left hander, Moore racked up 44 strikeouts and registered a 3.26 ERA while senior right hander Kay posted an astonishing 1.33 ERA and 39 strikeouts to go with a 3-1 record. The Matador duo helped the Bells finish atop the league standings as well.

Senior outfielder Joey Cooper was named a West Coast League All-Star this summer as he finished with 28 runs, 23 RBI and eight home runs for the Portland Pickles. A teammate of Cooper, freshman right hander Joel Casillas dazzled on the mound with a 3.12 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 30 innings of work. Playing for the Yakima Valley Pippins in Washington, sophomore catcher Victor Cerny saw action in 40 games and hit .265 at the plate with 20 runs and 15 RBI.

Back home in the California Collegiate League, freshman outfielder Andrew Lucas (Camarillo High School) was named an All-Star earlier in the summer. Lucas would finish with 16 runs scored, 14 RBI, seven doubles and two home runs in 26 games for the Conejo Oaks. Elsewhere in the league, senior right hander Cassius Hamm posted a 3.03 ERA and 38 strikeouts in eight appearances with the Orange County Riptide. Senior infielder Kyle Barret spent time with the Healdsburg Prune Packers where he hit .327 with 16 runs scored and two homers.

Finally, in the Far West League, senior infielder Wesley Ghan-Gibson hit with regularity for the Humboldt Crabs. Helping the Crabs win 37 games, Ghan-Gibson batted .328 at the plate with 28 runs, 26 RBI and 14 doubles.

Matador Baseball Summer Wrap Up

Players Mentioned

Walker Armstrong

Kyle Barret

Brandon Bohning

Joel Casillas

Victor Cerny

Joey Cooper

Cruz Daddario

Wesley Ghan-Gibson

Cassius Hamm

Theron Kay

Wesley Moore

Jayson Newman

Rane Pfeifer

Blake Schriever

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