So Cal Premier took the lead and ran with it! The 2014 season of the ABCL D-1 Spring League is sponsored by Victory Custom Athletic. The season is coming to a close this weekend when the final 4 teams will battle for a spot in the championship game on Saturday May 17th at the beautiful and historic Jay Littleton Field in Ontario. First game starts at 4:00 pm, followed by the championship game at 7:00 pm. Good luck to all the players and teams.

So Cal Premier, coached by Rob Vasquez, goes into the final weekend of playoffs still in the #1 position with a record of 22-6. Are they ready for the challenge? Jake Pulcheon says he's ready. "I'm excited! I'm always excited before a big game, I can never sleep the night before" he says. "We are playing very good teams and facing very good pitching, so it's gonna be a tough day, hopefully we can stay focused, work hard and come out on top."

Jake Pulcheon #24, 2014 C/I, 6' 3" - 209 lb., He is the captain of So Cal Premier and has led his team through a winning season. Pulcheon finished off the season with a .450 BA, .552 OBP, .661 Slg, 1.213 OPS. Since my last post, Pulcheon picked up 2 HR, 1 T, 5 Dbls, 10 s, 9 BB, 3 HBP, 14 R and 19 RBI. One reason Jake played spring league is the number of games. He played 33 games, had 139 plate appearances and 109 at bats. He finishes the season with 49 hits.

Keoni Mortenson #50, 2014 Of. His bat is on on fire! He has added 1 HR, 6 Dbls, 15 s, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 14 RBI and 16 R to his season totals, and they are .391 BA, .440 OBP, .500 Slg, and .940 OPS. Mortenson has accepted a scholorship to Iowa Lakes Community College, where he will be playing outfield. He's looking forward to the 2015 season. "Good team mate, Iowa Lakes is gonna love him, he can chase down a ball in center field,  good arm and he can hit the ball hard" says Jake.

Chase Sisco #11, 2014 3B, finishes off the season with a .348 BA, .430 OBP, .379 Slg and .809 OPS. The third baseman has been hitting the ball hard and climbing up the stat ladder. With a record of 2-1, he pitched 17 innings and struck out 29.

Andrew Frank #25, RSC, P/U, finished very well considering a pinched nerve had him side lined for a couple weeks, but he's back and swinging the bat well. BA .343, OBP .412, Slg ..414 and OPS .826. He finishes off the season with a total of 34 hits. "He always comes through in a clutch situation when you need him to" says Pulcheon.  With a record of 4-1 and an ERA of 2.80 with 1 SHO,  he pitched very well this season throwing 321 strikes and striking out 44 batters. Frank is looking forward to a successful season at Orange Coast College.

Cole Millerd #10, RSC, P/U, has been tearing it up, both hitting and pitching. He finishes the season with a record of 5-1 and an ERA of 2.29 with 1 SHO.  Millerd faced 153 batters, threw 353 strikes, and struck out 46. He's also been swinging the bat real well, hitting one HR and leading the team in doubles. He ends it with a .330 BA, .400 OBP, .516 Slg and .916 OPS. "Cole is an awesome team mate, a funny guy who lifts everyone up" says Jake Pulcheon. "He's awesome on the mound, hard worker, good character and the type of team mate you want on your team, he's the best hitter I know."

Jacob Boney #99, P/1b finished well with a BA of .304, OBP .413, Slg .380 and OPS .793. He came through on the mound when his team needed him, going 5 - 1 on the season and an ERA of 2.78

Austin Vasquez #9, 2015 SS, finished the season with a .303 BA, .427 OBP, .354 Slg and .781 OPS. Vasquez is a 2015 shortstop who has great footwork and a strong accurate arm. "He always comes through and makes the plays and he's a great team mate" says Jake. "He's quiet and leads by example, never gets upset and is a good hitter and good defensive player."

Tony Rogari #21, 2014 C/1B also finished the season with a .303 BA, .476 OBP, .316 Slg and .792 OPS. Toughing it out through some long hard innings he did his job well. A much improved player since last year shows he's been working hard to better his game.

Caleb Meyer #3, 2014 OF, was sidelined for a short time due to a pulled hamstring, but he made it back into the line up and has been swinging it well, well enough to tack on a HR to his stats, along with 1 T, 3 Dbls, 3 s, 8 R and 7 RBI. Finishing the season with a BA of .286, OBP .410, Slg .405 and OPS .814. Meyer is a senior at Murrieta Valley HS.

Cole Bacon #18, U/P, suffered a back injury, but it didn't keep him down, he will be back to play in the playoffs. "Good thing" says Pulcheon, "we really need him, he's fast, hits the ball hard and plays great defense, both infield and outfield." Bacon ends his season with a .284 BA, .378 OBP, .421 Slg and .799 OPS. He finishes with 27 hits, including 2 homeruns.

Ryan McConnell #22, 2015 2B/O, has came alive with the bat towards the end of the season, picking up 2 Dbls, 8 s, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 4 RBI and 13 R since our last post. He finishes the season with a BA of .257, OBP .388, Slg .314 and OPS .703. "Ryan is a great team mate, hard working with a great attitude." says Pulcheon. "He plays good at 2b and in the outfield."

Nate Dewsnap #2, RSC, RHP, Record on the season 5 - 0, with an ERA of 3.27. Striking out 57 batters by doing what he does best, mixing it up and keeping batters off balance is his specialty. Dewsnap faced 203 batters and is the stat leader with 476 strikes thrown. "He reminds me of Jered Weaver" says Jake, "exactly like Weaver." "He's an awesome pitcher and team mate, and nothing rattles him on the mound."

Justin Lawler #48 RSC, RHP, Started the year off strong but due to an injury has been sidelined and will not be pitching this weekend. "My cousin Justin throws hard" says Jake, "real hard, and when he's feeling good he's pretty much unhittable, he's got great stuff."

Darren Preece RSC, RHP, pitched 21 innings, striking out 21 batters, and has a W-L % record of .500. Preece, who throws hard, pitched in 7 games for So Cal Premier. His best outing was against the ATH Grizzlies, going 5 innings for the win.

Drew Greenlee #15, 2014 RHP finishes the season with a 2.00 ERA and 6 saves. Hitting a 3 run HR and putting Premier on top against PlayHard BB was a highlight on the season, Premier won the game 11-8, thanks to Greenlee. He finishes the season with a .182 BA, .308 OBP, .318 Slg and .626 OPS.

Kyle Faret #00, RSC, C, only has 11 PA but he ends the season with a .444 BA, .545 OBP, .444 Slg, and .990 OPS. Swings the bat well and hits the ball hard. Big strong back-up catcher for Premier who is appreciated when needed. Can move his feet and gets the job done well.

Congratulations to the entire So Cal Premier team on a very successful season. Good luck to you all as you venture on with your future and may you all find success in all that you do.

Premier Writer