The Stokes Brothers

The Stokes brothers, Ricky and Mykal. Ricky was forced to miss Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury. A sophomore, Ricky is a fullback-sized right fielder with an impressive arm and an emerging power bat. Ricky Stokes first caught the eye of local scouts during a scout ball game in October, which pitted OCC against an Angel Elite Squad filled with So Cal high schoolers who figure to populate the first three rounds of the 2009 draft. He blasted a long wood-bat home run early in the contest, showing off his power potential.

Ricky’s younger brother Mykal is a freshman, drafted last year by the Yankees in the 41st round. Tall, lithe and athletic, Mykal is faintly reminiscent of a young Carlos Beltran in build and playing style, gliding to fly balls with his excellent speed and then casually snapping up even the trickiest drives. Mykal has a decent arm, but he will need to adopt a higher arm slot on his throws and eliminate a flipping action. At bat, Mykal flashes quickness and bat speed. However, from a hitting mechanics standpoint, he is a ways away from being pro ball ready. Mykal’s obvious hitting talent may take some time to develop.

The Stokes brothers are similar to the Upton brothers in the sole sense that they possess completely different frames: Ricky has a strong and mature build, while Mykal is wiry and projectable. Ricky’s game is based on power; Mykal’s on speed, defense and line drives.

The Stokes brothers, beyond parentage, do share one characteristic: Local scouts and college recruiters will track them closely in 2009, based on their abilities and due to the fact the Southern California JC and college draft classes are fairly thin on top notch outfielders.

BASEBALL AMERICA- Complete Article

Great Weekend Performances by the Barons

Great weekends by Barons…..

Jarred Frierson-UNLV- Friday March 6th, 2009, Jarred had a great day against the Butler Bulldogs turning in a 3 for 4 performance with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Frierson’s night included a triple to left field in the 3rd, a doubled to right field in the 6th, and a single up the middle in the 7th. The Rebels defeated the Bulldogs 9-2.

Saturday March 7th, 2009, Jarred continued his success at the plate. He went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the 24-5 win over Butler University.

Ryan Thornton-UNLV- Saturday March 7th, 2009, Ryan added homerun number 2 to his resume for the 2009 season. Thornton went 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. The Rebels defeated the Bulldogs 24-5 with the help of Thornton’s great day at the plate.

Khris Davis -CSUF- Sunday March 8th, 2009, Khris gave Fullerton a 3-0 lead when he hit his fifth homerun of the year against the University of Southern Mississippi. He went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs in the Titan’s victory over the Eagles 11-3.

"Swinging for the Fence"

Ryan Thornton- UNLV

2008 California Collegiate League’s “Most Exciting Player” and the Academy Barons’ left fielder put on a spectacular show for the fans at Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium at Roger Barnson Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ryan Thornton, UNLV senior, hit for the cycle in the concluding game of a 4-game sweep against Saint Peter’s College. Thornton went 4 for 5, had 5 RBIs, scored 3 times and had 1 stolen base. He led off the game with a walk, hit a 335+ ft solo-homerun over left field fence in the 2nd, a triple to centerfield in the 4th, a double to center field in the 7th, and concluded the night with an infield single to 3B in the 8th.

On Saturday, February 28th, 2009, Ryan Thornton became the sixth player overall to hit for the cycle in a Rebel Uniform. This feat has been accomplished only eight times in program history. Thornton’s cycle was the first cycle by a Rebel since May 16th, 1999, when Tony DeMarco did it against Fresno State.

Khris Davis- CSUF

Barons’ outfielder, Khris Davis, had a stellar performance on March 1st, 2009. Davis, Titan’s junior right fielder, went 4 for 4, hammered 3 homeruns, drove in 6 runs and scored 3 times helping the Titans propel to a 9-3 victory against the visiting Cardinals from Stanford, at Goodwin Field on the campus of Cal State University, Fullerton. Davis provided the highlights of the game when he became the first Titan since Aaron Rifkin in the 2001 Super Regionals to collect 3 home runs in a game.