PALM SPRINGS, CA — Outfielder Brooks Klein and right-handed pitcher Matt Anderson, both of the Palm Springs POWER, were named Southern California Collegiate Baseball League Hitter and Pitcher of the Year on Friday.
Klein, who attends the University of Nevada, posted a .369 batting average while collecting six doubles, one triple, two home runs, driving in 28 and scoring 27 runs in 36 games. In addition, Klein also had four outfield assists.
The Las Vegas native started the season slow, hitting just .282 in the month of June. However, he heated up with the weather in July hitting .492 over 16 games.
Long Beach Legends first baseman Steven Garber finished a close second after hitting .351 in 47 games for the league runner-up.
Anderson finished the season with a 5-1 record and 1.17 ERA. In 54 innings, he struck out 80 hitters and walked only eight. Opponents hit just .129 against him. He finished the season with 32 consecutive scoreless innings.
The right-hander started six games for the POWER, three of which were complete-game shutouts. He pitched a no-hitter on July 3 against the Casa Grande Cotton Kings. That was followed by a shutout of the Legends the following week with 13 strikeouts. One week later, he shut down the Diamond Valley Sabers, striking out 18 hitters over nine innings.
Anderson was named SCCBL Pitcher of the Week three times this summer.
The All-SCCBL Team was also announced on Tuesday. The league champion, POWER, led the team with seven members. In addition, five players from the Legends made the squad. Below is the complete team:
C – Anthony Torres – Palm Springs POWER
1B – Steven Garber – Long Beach Legends
2B – Tyler Truitt – High Desert Heat
SS – David Kiriakos – Palm Springs POWER
3B – Jonah Northrop – LA Thrashers
OF – Brooks Klein – Palm Springs POWER
OF – Hank Yates – Palm Springs POWER
OF – Danny Haley – Long Beach Legends
OF – Steve Ball – Diamond Valley Sabers
UTIL – Aaron Gray – Long Beach Legends
DH – Chris Joranco – High Desert Heat
SP – Matt Anderson – Palm Springs POWER
SP – Matt Montgomery – Long Beach Legends
SP – Ryan DeJesus – Palm Springs POWER
SP – Adam Quintana – Diamond Valley Sabers
SP – Josh Frye – Long Beach Legends
RP – Edgar Gomez – Palm Springs POWER