PALM SPRINGS, CA — Infielder Jordan Zimmerman (Mesa CC) and starting pitcher Brooks Kriske (USC) of the Palm Springs POWER were named SCCBL Player and Pitcher of the Year on Monday, after the two players were models of consistency at the plate and on the mound.
Zimmerman led the POWER in numerous offensive categories including batting average, hits, runs scored and total bases.
The righty finished the season hitting .375 with 48 hits, 32 RBI and a slick .972 fielding percentage in 35 games.
He was constantly relied upon to get the big hits and break the POWER out of slumps since arriving in Palm Springs from Mesa, AZ.
On July 15, he provided a walk-off double to give the POWER a 4-3 victory over division rival Team San Diego, a game that had major implications in getting Palm Springs the no.1 seed.
In game one of the SCCBL playoffs against the Inland Valley Pirates, Zimmerman was the star.
He became the first player in POWER history to hit for the cycle and his late-inning, three-run home run tied the score at 11.
His biggest hit might have come in the last game of the season, game two of the So-Cal World Series against the Long Beach Legends.
In the top of the ninth inning, with the game tied at two, Zimmerman laced a double into the left-centerfield gap for only the second hit of the game, giving Palm Springs a lead they would never relinquish.
On the mound, Brooks Kriske was one of the leaders of the POWER pitching staff and the best in the SCCBL.
The USC Trojan went 7-0 with a 1.94 ERA in 51 innings, with a team-leading 48 strikeouts and just 12 walks.
After suffering a loss in game one of a twin billing against the Pirates at Cal Poly Pomona, Palm Springs was in need of a win.
Kriske provided that, allowing just one run through six innings in a 3-1 victory.
In front of a packed house at Palm Springs Stadium on the Fourth of July, Kriske edged San Diego Force starter Will Oliver in a quick, pitching duel with the POWER winning 1-0.
Kriske might have had his best outing of the season on July 14th in the second game of a double header against Team San Diego. He went seven innings with 10 strikeouts against a talented lineup.
The right-hander pitched both clinching games for Palm Springs, the first in game two of the SCCBL Championship Series in an 8-2 victory. The starter went seven innings and allowed two runs with six strikeouts.
Then in Game 2 of the So-Cal World Series, Kriske gave up two runs with six strikeouts through eight innings in that thrilling final game, which the POWER won 7-2.
This is the second-straight season the POWER have taken home the Hitter of the Year award with T.J. Bennett grabbing that honor in 2013.
