FRESNO, Calif. – After taking an initial look at how the Diamond 'Dogs are playing in summer leagues across the country in late June, let's catch up with how the Bulldogs are performing over the last month of the summer.
JT Arruda, Infielder, Alaska Goldpanners (Independent)
After redshirting the 2017 season with the 'Dogs, Arruda is also in Alaska this summer playing for the Alaska Goldpanners. The infielder, who graduated from Buchanan High School in 2016, has appeared in 36 games this summer and is hitting a solid .349 from the plate. Ranking fifth on the club with 44 hits, Arruda leads the team with 12 doubles and has a pair of home run while scoring 18 runs and has driven in 22 RBIs.
He has amounted 12 multi-hit games, including a season-high four hits with a pair of doubles, scored two runs and drove in three RBIs in a 10-3 win over the Northwest Honkers on June 18, and has added seven multi-RBI contests. The Goldpanners wrapped up the season on Tuesday with a 29-9 overall record.
Zach Ashford, Outfielder, Eau Claire Express (Northwoods League)
Ashford, a soon-to-be junior, is playing for the Eau Claire Express in the Northwoods League for the second straight season. The Clovis native, who graduated from Buchanan High School in 2015, ranks fourth on the club hitting .309 from the plate. Ashford ranks second on the team with 51 hits, 35 runs, 28 RBIs and 24 walks while ranking third on the club with 44 games played and 12 stolen bases and he has only struck out 16 times this season.
In a team-high 165 at-bats, Ashford leads the team with eight doubles and has added a triple and a home run. He has 16 multi-hit games, including a 4-for-5 performance on June 25 in a 3-2 win over Duluth, and has posted multi-hit games in seven of his last nine games dating back to July 14.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Ashford was one of six Express players selected to participate in the August 8 Major League Dreams Showcase which consists of a double-header featuring the top players from the Northwoods League who were selected by a panel of Major League Baseball Scouts. The players will participate in a day of workouts in front of scouts, which will be followed by the double-header.
Korby Batesole, Infielder, Kenosha Kingfish (Northwoods League)
Batesole, who will be a senior this fall, has appeared in 12 games for the Kenosha Kingfish hitting .283 from the plate collecting 13 hits in 46 at-bats with a pair of doubles and has added five RBIs & scored seven runs. He has added three stolen bases, tallied four multi-hit games and had a season-high three in a 8-2 win over Battle Creek on June 10 tallying a double, two RBIs and scored a run.
Carter Bins, Pitcher, Anchorage Glacier Pilots (Alaska Baseball League)
The 2017 Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American, Bins has continued his strong play this summer in Alaska appearing in a team-best 32 games for the Pilots. Bins is hitting .262 from the plate and leads the club in at-bats (107), doubles (7), triples (2) and RBIs (17) while ranking fourth on the team with 28 hits. He has recorded hits in 24 contests and had a season-best three hits in a pair of games against the Anchorage Chinooks on June 16 and the Peninsula Oilers on July 15.
Jeremiah Burks, Infielder, Humboldt Crabs (Far West League)
Burks, a junior, has played in 29 games for the Crabs this summer where he is hitting .355 from the plate with 39 hits in 110 at-bats. Nearly half of the Vacaville, Calif. native's hits have gone for extra-bases as Burks has tallied 17, including leading or tying for the team lead with 11 doubles and three triples to go along with three home runs. He has drawn a team-leading 27 walks, ranks second on the team with 42 runs scored and is sixth on the club with 25 RBIs. He has 11 multi-hit games, including a season-best 4-for-6 performance with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored in a 16-8 win over the Solano Mudcats on July 5, and has scored multiple runs in 12 games.
Isaiah Davis, Pitcher, Crystal Lake Cardinals (Chicago Suburban Baseball League)
Also a sophomore in the fall, Davis appeared solely as a pitcher for the 'Dogs this past spring, but has gotten some work from the plate this summer with the Cardinals. He has seen action offensively in nine games hitting .409 from the plate with nine hits in 22 at-bats and has added two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and five RBIs. On the mound, Rialto, Calif., native has made six appearances tossing 8.0 innings and has picked up a win and a save while striking out 12.
Ryan Jensen, Pitcher, Anchorage Glacier Pilots (Alaska Baseball League)
A sophomore this fall, Jensen made five appearances for the Pilots this summer tossing 12.2 innings with a 5.68 ERA allowing eight earned run and notched 17 strikeouts. In a 12-4 win over the Anchorage Bucs on June 8, he tossed four innings allowing one hit and one run and added five strikeouts. The Salinas, Calif. native worked a scoreless inning on June 25 against the Anchorage Oilers tossing a perfect inning in relief.
Tiegen Jones, Pitcher, Madison Mallards (Northwoods League)
After sitting out the 2017 season as a redshirt, the left-handed pitcher from Sacramento has made eight appearances on the mound for the Mallards. In 8.1 innings of work, Jones has a 7.56 ERA with a four strikeouts. He picked up a win on June 25 coming on in relief of Moore to toss a spotless inning against Wisconsin and threw a season-high 2.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts against Wisconsin Rapids in his final appearance on June 30.
Adam Medrano, Pitcher, Crystal Lake Cardinals (Chicago Suburban Baseball League)
A sophomore-to-be, Medrano is playing this summer in Illinois with the Crystal Lake Cardinals of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League. A right-handed pitcher out of Covina, Calif., Medrano has made five appearances on the mound tossing 6.1 innings while striking out four.
Davis Moore, Pitcher, Madison Mallards (Northwoods League)
A sophomore right-handed pitcher, Moore has appeared in 12 games on the mound for the Mallards making three starts. On the summer, he is 1-1 and has thrown 19.2 innings with a 4.57 ERA tying for fifth on the club with 24 strikeouts and has struck out at least one batter in 11 of his 12 outings. In a 12-10 win at Wisconsin Rapids on June 29, Moore tossed a season-high 4.2 innings allowing four hits, two unearned runs and matched his season-best with four strikeouts.
JJ Santa Cruz, Pitcher, Humboldt Crabs (Far West League)
Santa Cruz, who will enter his senior season this fall, has a perfect 3-0 mark with the Crabs on the summer picking up wins over the San Luis Obispo Blues (June 13), California Storm (June 20) and Solano Mudcats (July 4). Against the Storm, he tossed seven scoreless innings only allowing a pair of hits and struck out 11 in a 6-0 win while tossing 6.2 innings against the Blues allowing six hits, three runs and struck out six in a 5-4 win. In the Crabs' 13-1 win over the Mudcats, he threw five innings allowing three hits, no runs and struck out six. On the season, he has a 2.25 ERA and 42 strikeouts while only allowing 12 walks.