Tuesday, July 9, Corvallis, Ore. – The West Coast League All-Star Game is back, and it returns in a big way Wednesday, July 17 at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham, Washington. The last WCL All-Star Game was held in Bend in 2019 where current Minnesota Twins slugger Brooks Lee of Cal Poly was named the event’s top prospect. After his MLB debut on July 3, Lee is hitting .458 over 19 at bats. Last night, he delivered the game-winning hit in Minnesota’s 8-6 win at the Chicago White Sox.
The last time the league’s All-Star Game was held in Bellingham, current San Francisco Giants righty Ryan Walker of Washington State recorded the game’s save. In his second season as a big leaguer with the Giants, Walker is 5-3 with a 1.90 ERA and has struck out 60 over 47 innings pitched.
Both former Knights shined in the WCL and now are young stars in the Major Leagues.
Corvallis will be sending seven all-stars to Bellingham as announced by West Coast League commissioner Rob Neyer, the most of any WCL club. Three pitchers and four position players will represent the WCL South leading Knights (23-5).
James DeCremer of Oregon State, Tyner Horn of Nebraska and Kaden Segel of Portland were selected from the league’s top pitching staff. Corvallis’ team ERA is a league-low 2.40.
Horn, a rising sophomore from Halstead, Kansas, has posted a stellar 1.20 ERA. Over 15 innings pitched this summer, including three starts, he’s 1-0 with a save and has struck out 17 and walked 8. As a frosh at Nebraska, he made 13 appearances and 4 starts. Over 21.1 innings pitched for the Cornhuskers, the right-hander struck out 19 and walked 8 while going 1-1 and posting a 5.91 ERA. Horn is tomorrow’s probable starter versus Yakima Valley as the Knights host their first ever game at Linn-Benton CC’s Dick McClain Field. First pitch is set for 5 pm.
In his fourth summer with Corvallis, Segel has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.24 ERA and save. The rising senior from Portland, Oregon has struck out 18 and walked only 2 over 21.2 innings. As a junior for the Pilots, the righty made starts against Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State and Washington and struck out 37 over 34.2 innings pitched. As a sophomore at UP, he led the Pilots in appearances with 24, registered two saves, including one at Texas A&M, and went 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA while striking out 41 over 36.1 innings pitched. In 2022, he earned first-team all-WCL honors and registered a win in the WCL championship game vs. Bellingham at Goss Stadium. Segel is the Knights probable starter at Walla Walla on Friday, July 12.
DeCremer was not active for OSU in 2024 and redshirted. The Beavers are counting on him to compete for a rotation spot in 2025. This summer, he’s been electric in his three starts, striking out 11 and only walking one over 8.2 innings pitched. The rising freshman right-hander from Scottsdale, Arizona is slated to start Thursday, July 11 versus Yakima Valley at Goss Stadium.
WCL RBI leader Kevin Takeuchi of USC, outfielder Brandon Cabrera of Lewis-Clark State College, utility man Blake Wilson of Washington and two-year Knights’ shortstop Ty Yukumoto of Pacific were All-Star Game position player picks.
Takeuchi is rising sophomore who is hitting .361 this summer, third best in the WCL. The right-handed hitter from San Diego, California leads the league in doubles with 11 and RBIs with 28. He is tops in homers for the Knights with 3 and has walked a team-high 21 times. Defensively, he’s been solid at third base, left field and second base. As a frosh at SC, he earned Pac-12 all-tournament team honors and tied for the Trojans team lead in RBI with 40 and was second on the team in hitting with a .289 batting average. He started 48 games and hammered 17 doubles and blasted 4 home runs.
Rising senior Brandon Cabrera is hitting .337 with 9 doubles and 15 RBIs. The native of Aloha, Oregon leads the team in stolen bases with 10 and has played an excellent outfield for Corvallis. After two all-NWAC seasons at Umpqua CC, Cabrera had a breakout junior season this past spring with the L-C State Warriors, leading the NAIA power in batting (.361), OPS (1.102), OBP (.469) and stolen bases (22) to earn all-Cascade Conference honors.
Returnee shortstop Ty Yukumoto has once again been extraordinary in the field and is hitting .286 with 20 runs scored, 21 walks and 8 stolen bases. Last summer, the slick-fielding infielder earned all-WCL honorable mention honors. The rising senior from Hawaii hit .291 with 10 doubles, 3 homers, 31 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 16 stolen bases this past season for the Boxers. In 2023, he earned first-team all-Northwest Conference recognition.
Washington’s Blake Wilson is hitting .322 with 7 stolen bases. The rising sophomore has been outstanding both at shortstop and center field defensively for the Knights. Selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the native of Trabuco Canyon, California made 33 starts for the Huskies as a frosh, excelling in the field both at second base and center field. Over 126 at bats, he collected 8 doubles, a homer and 13 RBIs.
Stay tuned for more West Coast League All-Star Game news from now until Wednesday, July 17. Details on a big-league broadcast is coming soon.