MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Miller Express saw six players from the local squad named to the Western Canadian Baseball League All-Star team on Thursday afternoon.
Pitchers Matt Vasquez and Takeo Cookson joined infielders Thomas Soto, Nathan Houston and Austin Gurney along with outfielder Nate Mensik in being named to the event, which will take place Saturday, July 20 at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks.
Vasquez has once again emerged as one of the team’s top hurlers, having pitched 37 ⅓ innings with a 4.58 earned run average and 1.38 walks and hits per inning pitched to go along with a team-best 30 strikeouts. Vasquez has a 4-2 record through 10 appearances, six of those starts.
Cookson has become one of Moose Jaw’s top relievers in his first season with the team, putting together a 2.76 ERA and 1.31 ERA over 13 innings in the first half of the season. The Regina product’s three saves are tied for tops on the team.
Mensik cracks the All Star line-up for the third straight season after being named to the team outright as a rookie in 2022 and as a late replacement in 2023. The Doane University senior is hitting .285 with six home runs, 11 doubles and 26 runs batted in through 33 games.
Gurney makes his second All Star appearance after also making the trip last summer. A third-year veteran out of Pikeville University in Kentucky, Gurney is hitting .310 with a team-best nine home runs and 42 RBI. His .971 on base plus slugging percentage is also tops on the team.
After seeing limited action last season, Houston has been a key offensive sparkplug since the beginning of the campaign and makes his first All Star appearance. The Arizona Western College freshman leads the team with a .378 average and 42 hits, a home run and 23 RBI.
Soto slotted into the lead-off slot in the Miller Express batting order early in the season and has proven to be exceptionally productive. The Tyler Jr. College sophomore is hitting .303 with a team-best 39 runs scored, nine doubles and three triples. Soto has also shown a keen eye at the plate with 22 walks, most on the Express.
You can check out the Miller Express and their crew of All Stars on Thursday night when the Weyburn Beavers are in town. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Ross Wells Park.
