California Smoke Baseball Club (smokebaseball.com): Smoke History 2007-2009
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Thursday, September 6
2 Highlights of San Diego Tournament
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Tuesday, September 11
SMOKE CATCHER MARK NESBIT MAKES SAN DIEGO STATE ROSTER
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| Our Leader Behind the Plate |
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SUMMER MVP DAVID BUSCOVICH TO BE A CAL BEAR IN 2009
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| From One California to another |
Tuesday, July 24
COLT 45'S FIRE BLANKS AT SMOKE....SMOKE BATS HOT IN 15-5 ROUT
Every hitter seemed to get on base as the Smoke built a 5-0 first inning lead and cruised to a 15-5 victory behind the pitching of David Hurlbut, Ian Ocon and J.R. Graham. The game ball went to Ryan Moura who had a multi-hit game and several walks.
Saturday, July 21
SMOKE FINISH 3-2 IN NORCAL PLAYOFFS....3 COMEBACKS HIGHLIGHT TOURNAMENT
SEMI-FINAL RECAP:
In one of the top games of the year, the Smoke gave the Hoots all they could handle as Mike DeGroot had the Hoots in check with a 4 - 1 lead. The Hoots battled back to tie the game at 4-4 and then took a 5-4 lead into the 7th inning. The Smoke then rallied back to take a 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. The Hoots then with 2 outs rallied to tie it a 7-7. In extra innings with 2 outs, the Hoots squibbed a grounder through the infield for the winning run. It was a fantastic baseball game. Great job Smoke!
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| Is it a bird, is it a plane, no it is just J.R. |
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| Coach helping out the ump on Brett's bases loaded triple | |
Thurs 7/19 Round #2 Playoffs: FINAL SCORE>>>>SONOMA COUNTY REBELS 6 CAL SMOKE 1
Friday 7/20 Round #3 Playoffs: FINAL SCORE>>>> CAL SMOKE 13 GOLDEN ERA 12
Sat 7/21 Round #4 Playoffs: FINAL SCORE>>>> CAL SMOKE 6 OAKLAND 5
Sat 7/21 Round #5 Playoffs: SEMI FINALS>>>> HOOTS 8 SMOKE 7 (8 INNINGS)
Handout: 2007 NORCAL SECTIONAL PLAYOFFS
Saturday, July 21
Smoke's David Buscovich's Dramatic 3 Run Homer in 7th Knocks off Oakland
7th Inning, 2 outs, tying runs on base, winning run comes to the plate. David Buscovich belts the game winner in walk-off fashion to the 380 foot mark of centerfield to lead the Smoke to an exciting 6-5 win over the Oakland Baseball Club.
Friday, July 20
7 UNANSWERED RUNS LEAD DRAMATIC COMEBACK FOR 13-12 WIN OVER GOLDEN ERA
Down 12-6, the Smoke put together rallies in 3 separate innings to pull off a dramatic 13-12 win over Golden Era in the quarterfinals of the Northern California Connie Mack Playoffs. Mark Nesbit keyed the 2 scoring innings by getting on to lead the innings. Tommy Gale followed in the 7th and the Smoke had the tying runs on base down 12-10. Aaron Headrick then followed with a double to close the gap to 12-11 with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. David Buscovich then followed with a base clearing triple to win the playoff game in walkoff fashion. A special kudo to Mark Nesbit who took an errant throw into the mouth while sliding into 3rd yet stayed in the game to play a key role in the Smoke comeback.
Wednesday, July 18
Bats Come Alive in Doubleheader Sweep of Sonoma County Rebels
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| Aaron Headrick being congratulated after 3 run homer |
Earlier in the week, the Smoke bats were starting to heat up, but many well hit balls were caught as the Smoke lost a 6-4 game to the Santa Rosa Connie Mack team. It was the first game at home in nearly 3 weeks after road trips across the country. The energy level of the team seems to be rising after a few days of rest and home cooking.
Thursday, July 12
SMOKE'S GALE AND HOLMSTROM HAVE STRONG TOURNAMENTS
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Thursday, July 12
Graham Rodriguez leads Strong Pitching Staff into Norcal Playoffs
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Friday, June 29
Smoke Head to Georgia for Perfect Game Championships
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7/3 CA SMOKE (V) VS FLORIDA MAGIC 11:30 A.M. EAST COBB FIELD #2
7/4 CA SMOKE (H) VS UCB CLIPPERS 2:00 P.M. CHEROKEE HIGH SCHOOL
7/5 CA SMOKE (V) VS DALLAS BLUE SOX 2:00 P.M. SPRAYBERRY HIGH SCHOOL
7/6-7/8 PLAYOFFS (TOP 40 INTO CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET, LOWER 80 INTO 3 GAME ROUND-ROBIN)
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| T.J. pitches 3 strong games in relief |
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Smoke pitched to SWEET victory over EJ SPORTS
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| Winning PItcher Stew Sweet | |
Monday, June 18
SMOKE PROFILE: CF BRETT CHRISTOPHER
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| The swing that turned around a tournament | |
What player seems to hit the ball hard in practically every at bat? What player does the Smoke want at the plate with the game on the line?
The answer...Brett Christopher
The junior outfielder in his first full-time year with the Smoke (played part-time last summer) is leading the Smoke in every offensive category: batting average, on base percentage, RBI's, runs scored, stolen bases, and home runs. Coach Joel calls Brett "possibly the best outfielder I have ever had...and that includes a few that played Division I and minor league baseball...and he still has another two years of Smoke eligibility. He has that uncanny ability to read my mind when I want him to steal a base. He has taken well to the move to the Smoke leadoff spot putting immense pressure on opposing teams. I can't even count the number of balls he has hit over outfielder's heads this season."
Sunday, June 17
CA SMOKE WIN SILVER BRACKET CHAMPIONSHIP IN OMAHA
The CA Smoke managed to win four straight games in the consolation bracket behind strong starting pitching to win the Silver Bracket of the Omaha tournament. David Buscovich's game tying grand slam in the 7th inning of the semi-finals paced the 7 runs scored in the final inning to win the game 9-8. All the Smoke pitchers did an outstanding job during the tournament and the bats finally came alive with a 12-1 win in the championship.
It was quite the team effort to win two doubleheaders in two days. Kyle Holmstrom led the offensive attack with a stellar .522 batting average (23 at bats, 12 hits, 2 doubles, 1 homer and 8 RBI's). David Buscovich's 12 RBI's led the team this tournament.
The Smoke now head off to East Cobb, Georgia for the 18U Worldwoodbat Perfect Game championships.
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| GAME TYING GRAND SLAM |
Sunday, June 17
SMOKE FINISH 4-1 IN TOURNAMENT BY SHUTTING OUT HOOTS 3-0
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| Biggest At Bat of Tournament...Brett Christopher HOMERS! |
(The Vipers were awarded the championship based on the head to head tie-breaker)
Kyle Lawton pitched 6 innings allowing only one Hoot hit. The Smoke were paced by hitting up and down the lineup including key hits by Tommy Gale (4 hits on day and 2 saves on the mound), Kyle Holmstrom, Mark Nesbit, Andy Hennessey and Ryan Moura to name a few. Every time you looked up Smoke runners were on base and Hoot outfielders were running to the fences to throw in extra base hits. The 3-0 win evened the season series between these arch-rivals at two wins apiece with the Smoke taking the last two games. (Special kudos to Mark Nesbit who caught this game while ill).
In the earlier game, the Smoke came from behind to defeat Golden Era 7-4 on Brett Christopher's game tying double. Kyle Holmstrom homered to supply the cushion for the win. David Buscovich provided several key hits and RBI's in this game.
The name of the game this tournament was the Smoke pitching which only allowed 10 runs in 5 games (2.0 average). The Smoke have now won 8 of their last 11 games.
Sunday, June 17
Smoke Steal One from Santa Rosa Connie Mack
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| Michael Miller's Steal of Home |
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| Michael DeGroot with 4 strong innings |
Saturday, June 16
Smoke Extinguish Bay Area Baseball 4-0 , Lose to Vipers in 7th 2-1
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| Graham Rodriguez picked up the win in Game #3 |
In the nightcap, the Smoke rallied from behind to tie the game 1-1 in the sixth only to lose with 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh. It was the best played game of the year as Dylan Rath dueled the Vipers #1 pitcher headed to UC Irvine. Brett Christopher's clutch double scored Michael Baldacci with the tying run in the sixth but that was all the Smoke could tally against a very dominant pitcher. Dylan Rath picked off two runners and Mark Nesbit threw out one against the aggressive Viper team.
The improved play of Michael Baldacci should be noted as he has gotten on base in some key parts of this tournament and thrown out several top base stealers of our opponents.
The Smoke square off against Sonoma on Saturday followed by a Sunday DH against Golden Era and the Danville Hoots.
Wednesday, June 13
Smoke Split Series with Union City
The Smoke stormed back with a vengeance after a gifting game on Tuesday to demolish Union City. The Smoke were leading 8-0 after 4 innings and finished with an easy 10-6 win. Nick Scibetta and Brett Christopher each homered at Chabot field. The defensive play of the game was by Christopher who dove for the 2nd out and came up firing from centerfield to the plate on one bounce for the 3rd out of the inning.
The Smoke now move on to the 19U Sonoma Tournament this weekend.
Sunday, June 10
A Solid Weekend: Smoke take 3 of 4 ...Rath shuts down Hoots
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| Andy Hennessey, the Player of the Day | |
Andy Hennessey pitched outstanding in a hard luck first game against the Hoots allowing only one unearned run in a 1-0 loss.
He carried his contribution into the 2nd game with a bases clearing double for the game winning hit. Dylan Rath pitched a complete game for the Smoke in the 6-3 win over the Hoots.
In Saturday's game, Michael De Groot's complete game shutout over the Blacksox paced the Smoke to a 4-0 win.
In the nightcap, Michael Garcia was the winning pitcher in the 13-4 win. Aaron Headrick was the offensive player of the day with 7 hits (3 singles, 2 doubles, 1 triple , 1 homer).
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| David Buscovich, offensive weapon |
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Smoke Open Season with 5-4 Dramatic Win in Bottom of 7th
In a well pitched game, the California Smoke scored on a steal of home by Brett Christopher to win 5-4 in the botom of the 7th against the Oakland Baseball Club. Starting pitcher Kyle Lawton pitched 6 1/3 innings allowing only a couple hits. He had 3 pitches working as he mowed down the OBC batters. OBC rallied in the 7th against Smoke relief pitchers but could only mount a temporary tie. In the Smoke bottom of the 7th with runners on 1st and 3rd, Mark Nesbit broke for 2nd, stopped and avoided the tag as Brett dove headfirst into home with the winning run.
Highlights from the game included two throwouts by Catcher Mark Nesbit, excellent baserunning by Brett Christopher and flawless infield defense. Michael De Groot came in the 7th and picked up the win in relief.
The Smoke next game is against the Delta Indians at DVC.
Saturday, April 28
Michael Durham To Play Baseball at West Valley College
Michael Durham (SS at Branham High School) has committed to playing SS at West Valley College in Saratoga. It is one of the best JC programs in the Bay Area. Michael has a good chance to be their starting shortstop in 2008.
Michael is currently the SS and #3 hitter at Branham of San Jose and is batting over .400 this season with 3 homers. Congratulations Michael.
Sunday, April 22
Kyle Felix to Play Collegiate Baseball at Trinity University
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Thursday, April 19
Rodriguez and Gale to Sign Letters of Intent
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Wednesday, March 14
David Buscovich and Ryan Moura after Game
Former youth teammates David Buscovich and Ryan Moura will be reunited this summer on the Smoke.
David is an outstanding baseball player and is well remembered by Coach Joel for his double off Tyson Ross to break up the O'Dowd ace's no-hitter. David brings a strong left handed bat to the Smoke as well as a serious attitude for playing the game the right way. We are extremely happy to have him.
Monday, January 8
A SMOKE PLAYER ALL HIS CAREER - RYAN MOURA
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Third Baseman Ryan Moura is about to complete a record 4th season in the Smoke organization. He was the only freshman invited to play with the Smoke as they advanced to the American Legion State Championships. He quietly backed up third base behind Oakland Athletics draftee Rylan Sandoval and when Rylan was unable to play in the State finals, Ryan rose to the occasion with exceptional defense.
Now, 3 years later, Ryan has anchored the hot corner for the Smoke and looks to continue his baseball career at Sonoma State University.
"Ryan's leadership, sportsmanship and support of his teammates and coaches have made an impression on all that have known him " says his longtime coach, coach Joel.
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Wednesday, December 19
P/OF Kyle Lawton Accepts USF Scholarship
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KYLE LAWTON
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 180 lbs
High school : Deer Valley, Antioch
Hometown: Concord
Age: 18
Years on Varsity: 4
Positions: Pitcher and Outfield
When did he first play baseball: 4 years old in T-ball
Predicted Placement on H.S. Team 2007: #1 Pitcher on Staff, #3 or #4 Hitter in Lineup, Starting Right Fielder
Favorite Major Leaguer: Mark Mulder
Favorite Actor/Actress: Ben Stiller
Favorite Music: Really anything
Favorite Food: Sesame Chicken
Reason Playing Smoke: Playing with teammates of his own age and skill level against top national competition
Most Important Thing in Baseball: Beating De La Salle
(Coach Joel added this based on the hard fought rivalry)
College to be Attending: USF on a baseball scholarship
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Smoke's J.R. Graham Does Extremely Well at Area Code Camp
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Graham Stands Out at Area Code Camp
StudentSportsBaseball.com
San Jose, CA- The second Area Code Baseball Camp of the winter took place on Saturday at Valley Christian High School in San Jose. Nearly 70 ball players from the northern half of the golden state, and one from Nevada, had an opportunity to work on their skills and to get a SPARQ Rating.
The day started off with the players having an opportunity to receive their SPARQ Rating, something that is now the norm at the Area Code events. The top SPARQ Rating went to William Bourgein of Miramonte High School, who had a 61.78 SPARQ Rating.
"I work on the power ball throw and do 30-20-10 yard sprints in the off-season," said JR Graham out of Livermore High School in Livermore, CA. "I also lift weights and work on my vertical jump. I got many of the exercises I do from SPARQTraining.com.
This weekend Graham received a SPARQ Rating of 55.25, which was his second time testing. The first time Graham tested was in Las Vegas at the UNLV Baseball Showcase Camp where he rated at 52.94. "I liked the SPARQ Testing," said Graham after the camp.
The junior had a great overall day at the camp, as he did very well defensively, had some good at bats in the simulated game, and even did well when he pitched. Graham was clocked at 87-88 with a good breaking ball. "I thought I did better defensively, it took a while to get comfortable on the mound."
Monday, July 30
SMOKE SS AARON HEADRICK EXPECTED TO PUT UP BIG NUMBERS IN HIS SENIOR YEAR
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| Smoke SS Aaron Headrick with Coach |
Monday, November 5
Smoke Pitcher Michael DeGroot Earns Spot on Stanford Baseball Team
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| Smoke Lefty Michael De Groot | |
Michael is a very gifted student to go along with being a crafty lefty. He had several colleges courting him including UC Berkeley and several Ivy League universities. Keeping our Smoke guys in local division I schools will allow for much enjoyment watching them play. Congratulations to Michael on achieving his dream to play for Stanford.
Sunday, August 5
Smoke Summer 2007 Season Concludes
Handout: 2008 Summer Contract
Sunday, August 12
THE 2007 SMOKE SENIORS POSE AFTER FINAL GAME
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Left to Right:
Tuesday, August 14
SMOKE'S ANDY HENNESSEY COMMITS TO SAN JOSE STATE
Andy Hennessey (Bellarmine '08) has given his verbal commitment to San Jose State, having received a generous scholarship offer. According to Coach Joel "Andy is a take charge kind of pitcher who wants the baseball and brings an energy to the field that is just special. That is why we recruited Andy to the Smoke and San Jose State obviously got that same feeling".
Andy had some strong pitching outings this summer including 7 innings of pitching against the Hoots without allowing an earned run. He provided a dynamic outfield bat with some big hits including the game winning bases loaded double against the Hoots in the 6-3 Smoke win.
Andy should compete for the top spot in the starting rotation for Bellarmine and will be one of the Smoke aces next summer.
Tuesday, August 14
J.R. GRAHAM COMMITS TO SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
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J.R. Graham (Livermore '08), a three year Smoke middle infielder has accepted a scholarship to Santa Clara University. After weighing several offers, he felt Santa Clara was his best choice. He gets to play middle infield, play in an amazing complex and join his Smoke teammate Aaron Headrick. He is one of the hardest workers we have had and his scholarship is well deserved.
Monday, October 29
SMOKE WIN MONTEREY PUMPKIN FEST TOURNEY CHAMPIONSHIP
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| 2007 Pumpkin Fest Champions | |
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| Championship Winning Pitcher Pat Hennessey |
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| Smoke Infielder/Pitcher Nick Rossetta |
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Sunday, November 4
Smoke Sweep Burlingame in Doubleheader...Brothers form Battery
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| Smoke's Sylvester Brothers | |
The Smoke played well in their tuneup DH against Burlingame. Robby Rogers went 3 for 4 and delivered the game winning hit in the 9th with 2 outs. Matt McAusland also had 2 extra base hits in the DH. Brothers Jake and Joe Sylvester can be seen in the picture above. Joe pitched 3 scoreless innings and Jacob delivered the game tying double in the first game.
Sunday, November 4
J.R. represents Smoke in Los Angeles
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| J.R. with Major League Managerial Legend Tommy Lasorda | |
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| Smoke Infielder Scotty Lyman | |
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| Smoke Pitcher Tyler Bremer |
Andy Hennessey Headlines San Jose State Signing Class Article
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Andy Hennessey headlines the San Jose State Signing Class Article:
Andy Hennessey, of no relation to current Spartan senior Brandon Hennessey, is a right-handed pitcher out of nearby Bellarmine Prep. Under head coach Gary Cunningham, a member of the San Jose State University Baseball Hall of Fame, he earned All-West Catholic Athletic League honorable mention for his junior season, posting a 5-2 record and 3.64 ERA. The San Jose native played in the CBCA North-South State All-Star Series. As a sophomore in 2006, he was 2-0 with a 2.90 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 19.1 innings pitched while helping the Bells to the Central Coast Section Division I crown.
“Andy has been a very important cog in Bellarmine’s pitching staff for the last two years,” remarked Piraro. “He is an excellent athlete with an outstanding arm.”
“Andy Hennessey comes from an exceptional, winning program,” added second-year assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jon Strauss. “We love his work ethic and his make-up. We saw him a lot this past summer. We had him at one of our summer camps and really fell in love with the type of kid he was, and on top of that, obviously his ability on the mound. We think he is going to be a very successful pitcher in our program.”
Andy joins Former Smoke player Tommy Gale (07) at San Jose State.
Ryan Palermo Signs with Santa Barbara
Nov. 26, 2007
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara baseball team has inked two high school seniors to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period, head coachBob Brontsema announced Monday. Local prospect Christopher Joyce, a Dos Pueblos High School pitcher/first basemen, and Bay Area native Ryan Palermo, a centerfielder/third basemen at Serra High School, will don the blue and gold for the 2008-09 season.
Palermo signs with UCSB after a stellar junior campaign at Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. where he led the West Catholic Athletic League with a .466 batting average and 37 runs batted in. A First Team All-WCAL selection, Palermo set an all-time league record with 16 doubles while amassing six homeruns, two triples, and an impressive .867 slugging percentage.
Ryan is very physical with the ability to play multiple infield positions," Brontsema said. "His power plays very well in our park and I expect him to be a very good offensive player for the Gauchos."At 6'2", 185 pounds, Palermo earned his high school honors playing centerfield, but primarily played third base on his summer and fall ball teams. A first team all-county selection by The San Mateo Times, a First Team All-CCS pick by The San Jose Mercury News, and a First Team All-Metro choice by The San Francisco Chronicle, Palermo played every position in his junior year except pitcher and catcher and did so without committing a single error all season long.
J.R. Graham Formally Signs with Santa Clara
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| 3rd Year Smoke SS J.R. Graham | |
Nov. 16, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara baseball head coach Mark O'Brienrevealed his 2008 recruiting class Friday as he announced the signing of seven student-athletes to national letters of intent. The seven ballplayers will attend Santa Clara University in the fall of 2008.
"This is one of the strongest recruiting classes we've put together here at Santa Clara," said O'Brien. "We have a great mix of two way players and athletes who have succeeded in specialized areas. They are all great players with great backgrounds and we are excited for them to help us attain our program goals. I have to give credit to Mike Zirelli, our Recruiting Coordinator, and the rest of my coaching staff. They have done a phenomenal job helping to put this recruiting class together."
J.R. Graham
Livermore, Calif. (Livermore HS)
SS/RHP - 6-0, 170 - R/R
Coach O'Brien on Graham: "We feel J.R. and Kevin are very similar players. J.R. is a tremendous middle infielder with a very live arm. He is a hard-nosed player who loves the game and is a great competitor."
In 2006, Graham led Livermore to its first East Bay Athletic League Championship in 29 years and set three school records: hitting streak (16), runs scored (31) and closed out league games pitching (15). Graham is a first team all-league honoree and was selected to the All-East Bay second team in 2007. Last season he hit .418 and had an on-base percentage of .465. He tallied seven stolen bases, 31 runs 20 RBIs and five home runs. On the mound, he went 4-1 with a 1.10 ERA. He pitched 31 innings and had 29 strikeouts. He's ranked as the 123rd Best 2008 Prospect in the nation by Perfect Game Cross Checker and the 200th by Baseball America. He was also selected to play in the Area Code Games, Perfect Game Nationals and the Bay Area World Series this past summer.
Wednesday, December 5
Jacob Sylvester Signs With University of Pacific
Pacific Baseball Adds Three for 2009 Season
Nov. 23, 2007
Stockton, Calif. - Pacific Baseball head coach Ed Sprague has announced the signing of Kyle O'Neill, Josh Simms and Jacob Sylvester to national letters of intent for the 2008-09 season.
Jacob Sylvester is a 6-1 catcher from Livermore High School in Livermore, Calif. Sylvester hit .317 with three home runs and 25 RBI last season to spearhead Livermore HS into the North Coast Section semi-finals. Jacob was an East Bay Athletic League All-Conference selection following the season. Sylvester players for the Cincinnati Red Scout team during the fall and was rated the 46th best prospect in California by Perfect Game.
"Jacob has the ability, both physically and mentally, that we look for out of a catcher. He can really throw, will hit for power and has the leadership abilities that are contagious for a team," said Sprague. "He is also a student of the game and is very self-driven."
Jacob joins former Smoke pitcher David Rowse and first baseman Brian Martin on the UOP team.
UC Davis Signs Smoke's Bremer and Lyman
Baseball Signs Seven Solid Recruits To NLI'S
 |  Aggie head coach Rex Peters believes all seven recruits can make immediate impacts. (Wayne Tilcock, Davis Enterprise) |
Nov. 28, 2007
DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis baseball coach Rex Peters announced this week that seven student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to compete for UC Davis next season. The student-athletes, in alphabetical order, are Michael Aldrete of Salinas High School, Tyler Bremer of Berkeley High School, Scott Heining of Consumnes River College in Sacramento, Scott Kalush of Aragon High School in San Mateo, Anthony Kupbens of Valley Christian High School in San Jose, Scott Lyman of Monte Vista High School and Paul Politi of Los Gatos High School.
Tyler Bremer (Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley High School)
Named First Team All-Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League (ACCAL) last season as a junior... Led Berkeley High to the third round of the North Coast Section playoffs... Earned Second Team All-ACCAL honors the previous season as a sophomore... Was a member of the NorCal Baseball Club that won an AAU national championship in 2005... Also won a Junior Olympic championship in 2006.
"Tyler has a good fastball and good command of the strike zone. He should help us right out of the gate and could develop into a weekend starter early in his career." -Rex Peters
Scott Lyman (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista High School)
Earned All-East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) First Team honors this past season as a junior... Finished the season with a .350 batting average and 22 runs scored... Helped Monte Vista High to an appearance in the North Coast Section playoffs... Older brother Jeff was a second round pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft.
"Scott is a very athletic player who plays with passion. He has the ability to help us both as a hitter and as a pitcher." - Rex Peters.
Wednesday, December 5
Nick White: If you Can't Beat em, Join em
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| Smoke Infielder Joe Sever |
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| A Day at University of San Francisco |
Joe Sever Expected to Bring Punch to the Offense
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#7 Joe Sever, School: Bellarmine Prep Year: Junior
Height: 6' Weight: 180
Postions: Middle Infield, Outfield, Pitcher
What you might not have known: Captain and Starting Safety of Bellarmine Varsity football team
What the Smoke expect according to Coach JK: Joe was one of our prize recruits. Rarely do you see such quick hands and explosive bat in a middle infielder. Joe will be a very successful Division I baseball player.
Ryan Palermo Sets 3 Serra Records in 2008
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Ryan broke three Serra school records this year. They
were 14 HR’s (beat Jeffries, Scott Delucchi. Matt
Bazzani's 12),…54 RBI’s (Beat Delucchi's 48) and 95
Total Bases (tied Geoff Comfort). But those numbers
also compliment other team leading stats like his .450
BA, .950 slugging percentage, 1.000 fielding
percentage, 6 game winning hits and 9 for 9 SB’s.
J.R. Graham - EBAL MVP and NCS Player of the Year
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Congratulations to J.R. Graham for being named the MVP of the EBAL and being selected as the NCS Player of the Year. J.R. batted .393 with 4 home runs for the regular season. In his 41 innings of work on the mound, J.R. struck out 54 batters and only walked 11. His ERA was 0.854 which is remarkable. He had eight saves on the season.
J.R. enters his third season on the Smoke. He was a rare sophomore entered onto the competitive 18U team. Coach Joel's thoughts on J.R......" there is no player that I have coached that wants to win more than J.R. He has a tremendous work ethic to go along with his skills. When I think of J.R. the following words come to my mind...loyalty, hard work, excellence, motivaton, kindness, intensity, love of the game, speed, clutch and determination.
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| 3 Year Smoke Player J.R. Graham with Coach in his Collegiate Site |
Serra's Logan Scott Provides Depth to Smoke Pitching Staff
Serra High School's Logan Scott (Santa Barbara) is the final piece of the puzzle for the Smoke's quest to reach the Regionals. The hard throwing righty is expected to join the starting rotation in what looks like a 6 man starting rotation. The balance of the staff will form a strong bullpen. Logan Scott came into the WCAL championship game and picked up the save against Bellarmine in dominating fashion. He will be replacing Andy Hennessey in the rotation who will not be pitching this summer due to his offseason surgery.
Thursday, May 29
Smoke CF Brett Christopher Signs on with UOP
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Friday, June 6
MLB Update: Smoke's J.R. Graham Drafted by Oakland Athletics
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Congratulations to J.R. Graham on being selected in the 46th round by the Oakland A's. The 3 year Smoke player has a scholarship to Santa Clara University.
Saturday, June 14
Summer Update: Smoke Improve Record to 9-2
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| Joe Sylvester throws complete game gem | |
SMOKE PROFILE: NICK WHITE
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| Smoke Knocks off Norcal |
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Dynamic Sophomores Key Dramatic 4-3 Smoke Win
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| Kyle DeMerrit Won it! | |
Needing a win to stay alive for the final 4 for the tournament and being down 3-2 in the final frame, the Smoke turned to their highly recruited sophomores. Trevor Dyer was inserted into the lineup in the final inning for his bat and calmly delivered a gap double to score pinch runner Nate Underwood from first. This tied the game. Nate had run for Catcher Nick White whose hustle down the line on a dropped 3rd strike enabled an errant throw. Then with the bases loaded and 2 out, Sophomore Kyle DeMerritt drove a line drive base hit up the middle to plate the winning run. Both sophomores are batting over .300 for the Smoke and are the centerpieces of the Smoke future.
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| Trevor Dyer Tied it Up! |
Friday, June 20
J.R. Graham's 3 for 4 day Paces Smoke over Norcal
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Santa Clara University bound J.R. Graham showed domination from the mound and at the plate.
Friday, June 6
MLB Update: Tyson Ross (2nd Rd- Oakland A's) and Chris Hopkins (25th Rd - Toronto Blue Jays)
Former Bishop O'Dowd teammates (2004) Tyson Ross and Chris Hopkins were selected in the first two days of the Major League draft. They both played for Coach Joel on both O'Dowd and parts of Smoke seasons. Congratulations to both young men.
Saturday, July 12
SMOKE SCHOLARSHIPS UPDATE: SEVER TO PEPPERDINE
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Tuesday, July 22
SMOKE SCHOLARSHIPS UPDATE: UNDERWOOD TO LONG BEACH, SCOTT TO CAL BERKELEY
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| Nate Underwood to Long Beach | |
Two more Smoke players have verbally committed to Division I scholarships. Nate Underwood will be going to Long Beach in 2010 and Logan Scott will join up with Cal Berkeley next year. Congratulations to both our boys!
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| Logan Scott to Cal Berkeley |
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THE CALIFORNIA SMOKE BASEBALL PROGRAM PRESENTS:
NORCAL JUNIORS vs CALIFORNIA SMOKE
FINAL SCORE: CALIFORNIA SMOKE 13 NORCAL 8
BASEBALL AT ITS BEST
Monday, June 23
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SMOKE WIN PERFECT GAME 18U BCS CHAMPIONSHIP
SMOKE FINISH IN 1ST IN THE 18 TEAM NORCAL TOURNEY
The Smoke knocked off the tournament host Norcal in the opener with Tyler Bremer pitching a complete game gem. In the championship, Logan Scott pitched 6 solid innings holding the Blaze to one run. Jake Sylvester was the hitting hero with what turned out to be the game winning home run. Kyle Holmstrom had an outstanding day at the plate with several important hits and top notch plays in the field. J.R. Graham put on a fielding clinic at shortstop. Every player on the team contributed in what was a solid day for the Smoke. It was truly a team championship!
SEMI-FINALS: SMOKE 5 NORCAL 2 CHAMPIONSHIP: SMOKE 5 BLAZE 1
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| Tyler Bremer's gem sends Smoke into Championship Game | |
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| Kyle Holmstrom Leads Smoke in Hitting on Championship Day |
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SMOKE WIN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FIRECRACKER TOURNAMENT
FINISH WITH 12-4 WIN TO CAPTURE 32 TEAM TOURNAMENT
Behind excellent pitching, defense and hitting, the Smoke went 6-1 in Southern California to claim the Firecracker Championship. In Game #1, the Smoke won 6-0 over the Norcal Waves as Tyler Bremer pitched a complete game shutout. Scotty Lyman had the game winning hit in the 6th inning. In Game #3, the Southern California Renegades came back from a 4-0 deficit in the 5th inning after Nate Underwood blanked them for 4 innings. Final Score 6-5 . The Smoke had a playoff berth wrapped up and saved remaining pitching. Game #4 was the first playoff round as the Smoke routed Riverside Rangers 8-5 behind Tyler Bremer and David Hurlbut. Homers by Scott Lyman and Nick White paced the offense. In Game #5 of the playoffs, the Smoke won 6-2 after Kyle DeMerritt laced a tying single. Joe Sever continued his hot hitting pacing the win. In the Semi-Finals, the Smoke received a bye win from the Renegades. The championship was close for only 2 innnings as the Smoke offense scored 12 runs from the CenCal team. Markus Melgosa and Joe Sever again paced the offense. Kyle Holmstrom made the best catch of the tournament in deep foul ground with a diving catch from first base. Nate Underwood and David Hurlbut combined to pitch a gem of a championship game. Congrats to all Smoke players on the first Southern California Championship. One final note; Congrats to 2nd baseman Joe Sever on his MVP selection which was well deserved. The young man represents the Smoke with class both on and off the field.
Thursday, July 24
SMOKE SHATTER ALL-TIME WIN MARK WITH 45TH WIN IN SAN DIEGO
Down in San Diego at the USABF Tournament, the Smoke started pool play with 4 wins over San Diego team to reach the 43 win mark on the season with a potential 5 games to go. It is an amazing accomplishment by these young men to win that many games over the summer. In game #1, the Smoke won 3-1 behind the pitching of Nate Underwood and save by J.R.Graham. Highlights included a throw out at the plate by Brett Christopher from Centerfield. In game #2, the Smoke won 5-1 behind the pitching of Trevor Howard and Nick Sours. The offensive highlight was J.R. Graham's 2 run homer after a Brett Christopher triple. Smoke win Game #3 5-0 behind Tyler Bremer's complete game. Smoke win Game #4 8-5 behind Joe Sylvester's win. The Smoke now lock up with 4-0 Taylor Baseball from Washington for the #1 seed at the end of pool play in the 17 team bracket. Taylor Baseball breaks a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the 7th for a 5-4 win over the Smoke. The Smoke are still guaranteed a bye in the playoff round with the 4-1 record. SMOKE TAKE THE #3 SEED GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS. Behind Nate Underwood and Tyler Bremer, the Smoke roll to a 6-1 victory in the first round of the playoffs. Jake Sylvester's 2 run bomb put the game out of reach after the Smoke took the lead on J.R. Graham's double with Brett Christopher on the move from first base. Other key hits were the double by Kyle DeMerritt and the 2 hits by David Buscovich. The Smoke now earned another bye and rest for Friday's single elimination round: #3 Seed California Smoke vs #5 Seed California Arsenal, 1 p.m. at Southwestern College. SMOKE 15 ARSENAL 7 (JOE SEVER WALKOFF HOMER, TREVOR HOWARD WIN). SMOKE 2 TAYLOR 1 (J.R. GRAHAM WIN, NICK WHITE GAME TYING HIT ON 0-2 COUNT IN 7TH INNING WITH 2 OUTS FOLLOWED BY GAME WINNING DOUBLE BY JAKE SYLVESTER )
A week earlier.....
The 2008 California Smoke, with the 8-3 win over Tracy Connie Mack, tied the 2004 club for the most wins in a season at 36. The 2008 club has about ten games to go to break the mark. The winning pitcher for the record was Nick Sours who joins Daniel McDaniel of the 2004 team (Oklahoma State/San Francisco Giants draftee) for the mark. Nick pitched 3 innings and was followed by Trevor Howard for three scoreless innings. Nate Underwood paced the offense with 2 hits and Jacob Sylvester broke the 3-3 tie with an home run.
2004 Club - 36-16 Reno 4th July Champion, California State Championship 3rd Place American Legion
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Q to lead the Smoke at C
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| Smoke Catcher Quinton Perry | |
The Smoke are fortunate to have "Q" (Quinton) Perry as the young man behind the plate at catcher. Quinton was an area code catcher and has a scholarship to attend Santa Clara University. Even though he lives over 5 hours away in Susanville, he is playing for the Smoke at the recommendation of the Santa Clara University coaches. He will be one of several out of town guys who we will be hosting in various coach and player homes.
During one stretch of last years high school season, Quinton hit 11 home runs in 12 games. He combines that hitting with a strong arm and great fundamentals behind the plate. He is also the Varsity quarterback for his high school. Having Quinton help our up and coming sophomore catchers will be valuable for the next two years as we don't antcipate having to look for catching till 2012. Welcome to the Smoke Quinton.
Smoke P Augie Bill to University of Arizona
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| University of Arizona bound | |
Sunday, June 14
Nick Sanzeri throws Shutout at Norcal in 8-0 Win
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Smoke fireballer Nick Sanzeri went the distance in a 8-0 complete game shutout of the Norcal Juniors in a sunny day at University of San Francisco. Nick pitched ahead in the count all day and came up with big strikeouts whenever it was needed. The offense worked hard to put scoring into 4 of the 6 offensive innings. Quinton Perry and Pat Stover came up with big hits for the Smoke. But the day belonged to Sanzeri as he impressed with over six division 1 coaches attending.
In the nightcap, Tucker Minor and Juan Padilla (norcal) pitched complete games in a 3-2 win by Norcal who broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth with two out.
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Sunday, June 14
The Smoke Congratulate Kyle DeMerritt on his Selection to the North Team
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| Smoke SS Kyle DeMerritt |
Our Smoke SS, Kyle DeMerritt, has been chosen as one of 20 players to represent the North in the North South games in San Diego. This is a huge honor as over 150 juniors are nominated from Northern California for this tryout. Good luck Kyle and show them how we play Smoke baseball. Make sure to let them know your name is not McDermitt.
The Smoke also congratulate our six players selected to BAWS: Kyle DeMerritt, Nick Rossetta, Trevor Dyer, Kyle Macey, Jesse White and Nick Sanzeri. Nick Rossetta was selected to the All-Star Team.
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SMOKE ROUT ARSENAL 7-0 AND AZTECS 7-0
TO WIN USABF CAPITAL CLASSIC IN SACRAMENTO
SMOKE WIN 7 GAMES IN STATE CAPITAL TOURNEY
Thursday June 18th: CA SMOKE 4 vs Sac Babe Ruth Dogs 1, WINNING PITCHER: KENTON BEVACQUA
Friday June 19th: CA SMOKE 4 vs California Arsenal 6
Friday June 19th: CA SMOKE 8 vs Bay Area Warriors 1, WINNING PITCHER: NICK ROSSETTA
Saturday June 20th: CA SMOKE 6 vs East Bay Aztecs 4, WINNING PITCHER: TYLER LANHAM
Saturday June 20th: CA SMOKE 8 vs Diablo Valley Patriots 7, WINNING PITCHER: KENTON BEVACQUA
2 out hits by Mignano and Pereria tie game, Patrons double off wall
sets up White with game winner as Smoke erase 5 run deficit.
Sunday June 21st: CA SMOKE 3 vs Sac Dogs 1, WINNING PITCHER: AUGIE BILL
Semi-Finals June 21st: CA SMOKE 7 vs California Arsenal 0, WINNING PITCHER: NICK SANZERI
CHAMPIONSHIP: CA SMOKE 7 AZTECS 0, WINNING PITCHER: TUCKER MINOR
Smoke to Return to Site of Early Years at O'Dowd on June 26
The Smoke spent close to 10 years with their nucleus of ball players from Bishop O'Dowd High School before expanding to an East Bay team and now a prestigious Northern California team. This game will feature the return of former O'Dowd Varsity coach Joel for the first time to the field which he worked on yearly to improve while his team won five league championships, 2 DIII State titles, 5 Easter Tourney Championships and had six players drafted into the professional ranks. It will be quite the nostalgic moment. Game time is 5:30 p.m. as the CA Smoke play OBC baseball team who use O'Dowd as their home field. "I will get a different look from the crappy visitor dugout compared to the luxurious home dugout which I enjoyed all those years" says coach.
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Saturday, June 27
Thomas Cortese and Tucker Minor Combine on No-Hitter
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| Thomas Cortese picks up win with a No hitter | |
Smoke win both ends of doubleheader against the Tracy Cardinals
Thomas Cortese pitched 5 solid innings of no-hit baseball and his relief Tucker Minor finished the job with two innings not allowing a hit. This was the best outing of the year for Cortese as he blanked the Tracy Cardinals 4-0. "Thomas had total control of the game combining strikeouts with ground balls. It was a tremendous performance". Scott Mitchell led the Smoke with a 3-4 day with a couple RBI's.
In the nightcap, Nick Rossetta pitched five solid innings in a 8-4 victory with Tyler Lanham getting the save. The big hit was a bases loaded triple by Kyle DeMerritt and a 2 run double by Pat Stover.
The Smoke have received good performances all around as the team has won 12 of its last 13 games to improve its record to 18-6.
Sunday, July 13
SMOKE COME UP 1 RUN SHORT IN NORCAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
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After beating Tracy 9-4, West Lane 11-0, Danville Hoots 16-3 and Santa Rosa 5-4, the Smoke carried a 4-0 record in the championship games. Danville came out with superb pitching and took the must win doubleheader 2-0 and then 3-2 in a dogfight championship game which ended with the Smoke loading the bases with 2 outs.
Tuesday, July 22
RECORD NUMBER OF DIVISION I SIGNEES ON SMOKE 2008 SQUAD
THE CALIFORNIA SMOKE NOW HAVE THE MOST DIVISION I COMMITTED PLAYERS IN ITS HISTORY ON ONE YEARS SQUAD (14). CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THESE YOUNG MEN ON REACHING THEIR DREAMS.
J.R. GRAHAM - SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY, JAKE SYLVESTER - UNIVERSITY OF PACIFIC, SCOTTY LYMAN - U.C. DAVIS, ANDY HENNESSEY - SAN JOSE STATE, BRETT CHRISTOPHER - UNIVERSITY OF PACIFIC, RYAN PALERMO - U.C. SANTA BARBARA, TYLER BREMER - U.C. DAVIS, LOGAN SCOTT - U.C. BERKELEY, DAVID BUSCOVICH - U.C. BERKELEY, JOE SEVER - PEPPERDINE, CHRIS MENDOZA - SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY, NATE UNDERWOOD - LONG BEACH, MARKUS MELGOSA - ST MARY'S COLLEGE , DAVID HURLBUT- LONG BEACH
AND CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OTHER SENIORS WHO WILL PLAY JC BASEBALL:
NICK WHITE - COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO, KYLE HOLMSTROM - OHLONE, ROBBY ROGERS - SOLANO, STEVE CARROLL- CHABOT
Friday, August 8
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Doubles (120)
Triples (18)
Home Runs (28)
Batting Average (.335)
Walks (181)
13 hitters over .300
2.94 Team ERA
10 pitchers with winning records
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J.R. GRAHAM COMPLETES MVP SEASON
J.R. Graham finishes off his 3rd year on the California Smoke in style. He started as a 15 year old part-time 2nd baseman with flashes of potential and finishes as the 18 year old Smoke MVP shortstop and ace closer. He now goes on to Santa Clara University with a baseball scholarship. According to Coach Joel.." J.R. was the face of the Smoke. J.R. just got better and better each year. He was instrumental in the yearly improvement of the Smoke these past 3 years. He hated to lose as much as any player I have ever had. To see him grab the ball and pitch the way he did against Washington's Taylor baseball was a capsule of everything we wanted to achieve for J.R. and the Smoke. It was a fitting way for him to graduate in his final game on the mound for the Smoke...knocking off the best team we played all summer. J.R. will go down as one of the top players in the Smoke's 16 year history. Great job J.R and the Smoke will miss you."
J.R.'s 2008 MVP Season Stats:
Tuesday, June 9
JEFF KOBERNUS TAKEN AS FIRST PICK IN 2ND ROUND BY WASHINGTON NATIONALS
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| Jeff's Dad, Jeff and Coach at Signing Party | |
Friday, June 12
2 Smoke Players Drafted in MLB Draft
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| Smoke Ace David Hurlbut | |
3 Year Smoke Lefty David Hurlbut was selected in the 35th round by the Minnesota Twins. David has a scholarship at Cal State Fullerton after an excellent freshman season at Diablo Valley College. David, nicknamed "Booty" due the Hurlbut in his name, set an all-time Smoke pickoff record with 4 pickoffs in one game and 2 in one inning. He would sometimes come in the game as a reliever and within 2 pitches, got the pickoff to get us out of a jam. He was an excellent starting pitcher with three solid pitches (yes booty we want a curveball) and great competitiveness on the hill. Congratulations Booty on the honor.
Current outfielder Pat Stover who has a scholarship to Santa Clara University next season was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 17th round. Pat is quite an athlete, competing on the State championship runner-up Rocklin basketball team and also their baseball team. He is expected to drastically improve as a baseball player when giving 100% of his time to one sport. Congratulations Pat on the honor.
Thursday, July 30
2008 10-Game Winner Tyler Bremer Throws No-Hitter in Collegiate Northwoods League
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| Smoke's 2008 Pitcher of the Year | |
Click on the link above to see highlights from Tyler's no hitter. Tyler is the only pitcher in Smoke history to win 10 games in a summer. He is currently under scholarship at UC Davis. Congrats to Tyler for this amazing accomplishment.
