By Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
PORTLAND, Ore. — West Coast League leading home run hitter Matthew Christian of the Port Angeles Lefties was named to the all-WCL first team Monday.
Christian, a first baseman and DH, was the only Lefty named to the first or second teams. Port Angeles pitcher Dwayne Angebrandt and outfielder/infielder Damiano Palmegiani earned honorable mention.
This was Christian’s second year with the Lefties. The Campbell University senior from Opelika, Ala., who also played quarterback at Murray State, led the WCL with 12 home runs despite only having 121 at-bats (a home run rate of one every 10 at-bats).
Christian also led the WCL in slugging percentage at .711 and in OPS (on-base plus slugging) at 1.111. He had 38 hits and 23 of them went for extra bases.
Christian had a batting average of .314 and despite having a limited number at-bats, was eighth in the WCL with 31 RBIs. He also stole 13 bases, had 10 doubles and scored 25 runs. He also won the WCL Home Run Derby during the league’s All-Star Break in July.
Palmegiani, a Cal-State Northridge freshman who played in the outfield and infield for the Lefties, is from Surrey, B.C. He hit .190 with five home runs and six doubles. He drove in 20 runs and scored 18.
Angebrandt, also a Cal-State Northridge freshman, is from Santa Ana, Calif. He was 4-3 for the Lefties, with an ERA of 3.52 in eight starts. He struck out 37 batters in 46 innings and walked only 12.
Corvallis, which dominated the WCL en route to winning a fourth-straight championship, also dominated the league’s major awards.
University of Utah slugger Briley Knight of the Corvallis Knights was picked as the WCL’s MVP. He hit .357, had eight home runs and 42 RBIs. He also led the league in on-base percentage .460, most total bases (113) and extra base hits (29).
Corvallis hurler Tevita Gerber from Dixie State in Utah captured the WCL Pitcher of the Year Award. Gerber compiled a 7-1 record with a 2.20 ERA. He led the league in wins and his ERA was second lowest in the WCL.
Brooks Lee of Corvallis was tabbed as the winner of the league’s Top Prospect Award. Lee was ranked by MLB.com as the No. 37 overall prospect going into this year’s MLB Draft. Despite being selected by the San Francisco Giants, the incoming freshman decided to head to college and play for his dad at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Lee hit .342 with 30 RBIs.
Coach of the Year honors went to Brooke Knight , father of Briley, of the Corvallis Knights. It is his sixth Coach of the Year honor for Knight, who is the winningest coach in the history of the WCL. He guided Corvallis this summer to its fourth straight WCL title and its seventh overall.
Alan Miller of the Portland Pickles was selected as the WCL Executive of the Year.
In their inaugural season the Ridgefield Raptors were selection as the recipient of the Jim Dietz Team Sportsmanship Award.
The Corvallis Knights were the most represented squad on the All-WCL first team with eight selections.
For a complete list of WCL All-Star selections, turn to page B2.
