San Diego Force Baseball

FORCEful Five Named to All-SCCBL Selections and Tyler Van Stone named Pitcher of the Year 

Cassidy Thornburg | July 26, 2019

As released earlier today by the SCCBL, five Force players have been named to the 2019 All-SCCBL teams and Tyler Van Stone (Hawai'i Pacific/ Force) has been named Pitcher of the Year. In total, 15 players made the list, three were given honorable mentions, and two players from out of state were named Player and Pitcher of the Year. The Power have the strongest representation, with eight players in the mix, including Brett Young (Delta State/ Power), the SCCBL Player of the Year. The Force are well represented with their five. Evan Banks (Azusa Pacific/ SoCal Stros), the Home Run Derby Champion, is on the list to represent the SoCal Stros, and starting pitcher Fabian Muniz (Angelo State/ Cal Jays) is on the list for the Cal Jays. 

After being fourth on the batting average leader list in the SCCBL through regular season and after, DJ "Sweetness" Lewis (U of Cumberlands) is one of the first names on the list to represent the Force. Lewis scored 28 runs, had nine doubles, three triples, a home run, and batted in 29 to put him at a .350 batting average. 

Leading the league with a .373 batting average is the next name on the list for the Force, Sam "Sneuf" Neufeld (Vanguard). In conference, Neufeld had 50 total hits, the most in league, with seven doubles, one triple, and three home-runs, two of them on back-to-back days. 

Neufeld, Ryan "Sunshine" Williams (Cal Baptist), another SCCBL selection from the Force, and Lewis hold the top three spots on the league's RBI leader board with 39, 32, and 29, respectively. After his second summer season with the Force, Williams scored 25 runs, hit 10 doubles, 3 triples, and also hammered one out on the road. 

Andrai Wright (Savannah State) finished out the season well, being named SCCBL Player of the Week in the final week of competition going into the post season. In that week alone, he hit over 500 after scoring three runs, hitting two doubles, and knocking in three. 

After coming overseas and traveling 2,521 miles to make San Diego his home for the summer and the Force his team, Tyler Van Stone (Hawai'i Pacific), the fifth and final name on the list, was named SCCBL Pitcher of the Year. Van Stone earns the honor after having the most starts of any pitcher in league, remaining the strikeout leader throughout regular season and after, and even putting on an impressive show at the plate when he hammered out a home run in his solo at-bat for the Force. In SCCBL, Van Stone put up a 2.92 ERA through 52.1 innings pitched and eight starts. He struck out 66 and only gave up 17 earned runs. His favorite pitch is his slider, but he has a mean fastball that he also throws in the mix. 

Manager Essex "Gas" Burton was extremely pleased when he heard the news that Van Stone had been named Pitcher of the Year, and made sure that he was the first to rely the information to him. Van Stone has been a work horse for the Force throughout the season. Burton's enthusiasm for his accolade demonstrates just how much Van Stone has meant to not only the team, but individual players and coaches as well. Burton, a former MLB player in his own right, particularly stated that Van Stone "is an extremely capable player with all the skills, he just needs the opportunity." 

 2019 All- SCCBL Team

Honorable Mentions:

#15- Jeremy Gaines- UTL- Power/ Illinois State

#5- Riley Kaspar- UTL- Pirates/ UCI

#2- Diego Santiago- RHP- Bucs/ Cal Poly Pomona