UKIAH — It will be Lou Poloni”s East squad against Darrell Quirici”s West squad when the fifth annual East vs. West All-Star Baseball Game takes place June 5 at Mendocino College in Ukiah. First pitch is 4:30 p.m.
Poloni, the varsity head coach at Kelseyville squad, will lead a team of 19 Lake County All-Stars, all graduating seniors, against a West team of 19 All-Stars, also graduating seniors, from Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa counties. Quirici, the varsity head coach for the North Central League I-champion St. Helena Saints, leads a West coaching staff that includes Jim Caito of Fort Bragg and Stephen Summer of Willits. Assisting Poloni are coaches Ray Vargas of Kelseyville, Zane Jensen of Clear Lake, and Mitch Tucker of Middletown.
The East squad of Lake County All-Stars features Nik Vargas, Mike Snider, Jake Peters, John Mark Reagan, Camilo Diaz and Jake Martinek of Kelseyville; Joey Blair, Jake Dekeyser, Cody Beets, Branodn Fenner, Logan Kessinger and Ryan Hodges of Clear Lake; Jake Tucker, Graham Brown, Reid Carpenter, Blaine Amos and Will Ahola of Middletown; and Zef Roofener and Jon Duncan of Lower Lake.
The West squad features Richard Hoppe, Kevin Bankson, Danny Brink, Joey Brink, Jimmy Figueroa and Jonathon Wignall of St. Helena; Matt Hernandez, Josh Lobue, Alex Espinoza, Gaby Maravilla, Brad Norman, Garrett Thornton and Brandon Palmer of Fort Bragg; Jason Hibblen, Junior Campos and Andre Delagnes of Cloverdale; and Sam White, Bradley Thom and Wyatt Sanderson of Willits.
There is no admission to the game although donations are greatly appreciated and will be used to keep the game going in future years.
“I”m excited that it”s the fifth annual,” All-Game Game co-founder Juan Jauregui said. “But it”s been stressful.”
One problem, according to Jauregui, is finding enough funding to keep the game alive – it costs approximately $1,800 to put on. The biggest expense is insurance ($450 for a one-day policy), but buying T-shirts for players and coaches, team awards and paying the field rental bill add up, according to Jauregui.
Individuals and organizations have helped in the past, according to Jauregui, who said the answer would be to find a single game sponsor.
“We”ve tried in the past with no luck,” Jauregui said.
The game was originally called the North Central League I North-South All-Star Game and held at Cloverdale”s City Park. With league alignment a few years ago – the South and North were merged into a single NCL I – came the name change, and the move to Mendocino College has improved interest and attendance because it is a superior facility more centrally located for all the competing teams.
