Warrior head coach Nate Mayben announced the signing of 10 recruits for the 2010 season today that includes eight high school seniors and a pair of junior college transfers.
Corban's Mayben Announces First Wave of Recruits
SALEM, Ore. – Third-year head coach Nate Mayben announced his first wave of recruits for the 2010 season Monday, as eight high seniors and two junior college transfers signed Letters of Intent including Jake Balbas (Boise, Idaho) from Meridian High School and Jake Kopra (Gresham, Ore.) from Sam Barlow High School.
The aforementioned duo will be joined next season by eight other recruits including Kris Bos (Jerome, Idaho), Alex Bost (San Jose Calif.), Steven Candelaria (Farmington, N.M.), David Hull (Kelso, Wash.), Kyle Kunkel (Bremerton, Wash.), Marc Labarthe (Keizer, Ore.), Tyler Lake (Medford, Ore.), and Caleb Virtue (Vancouver, Wash.).
Balbas, a 6-foot pitcher/infielder, concluded his '09 senior season batting .450 with 12 doubles, 5 home runs, and 4 triples. Along with his batting totals, Balbas also drove in 40 RBI and helped lead the Warriors to a fourth place finish in the 5A state tournament. Balbas helped lead Meridian to a fourth place finish in the Southern Idaho Conference thanks to a 10-8 conference record, while also helping lead the Warriors to an overall win-loss mark of 16-12. In this season's final poll on MaxPreps.com, Balbas and Meridian were ranked 8th in the state of Idaho behind eventual 5A state champions Capital (#1), state runner-up Timberline (#2), and third-place finisher Eagle (#3). Balbas is the younger brother of current Warrior Luke Balbas (Boise, Idaho), who sat out this season after having surgery on his pitching arm.
Kopra, a 6-foot-4 pitcher, has helped lead Barlow High School to a fourth place showing in Mt. Hood League play this season thanks to an 11-8 win-loss mark in league play to go along with an overall record of 14-11. On the mound, Kopra has posted a win-loss record of 4-3 with an Earned Run Average of 2.50. As a sophomore, Kopra was named 1st team all-league as a pitcher to go along with all-league honorable mention honors as a first baseman. Last season, Kopra earned all-league 2nd team honors as a pitcher and helped lead the Bruins into the 6A state playoffs for the second straight season. Kopra will also play basketball for the Warriors and head coach Justin Sherwood next season.
Bos, a 5-foot-9 pitcher/first baseball from Jerome High School, has helped guide the Tigers to a win-loss record of 14-12 this season that includes a 7-4 mark in Great Basin-West League play. Bos is currently batting .453 with 23 runs batted in, while registering a fielding percentage of .974. A three-time 2nd team all-region first baseman, Bos also won the silver slugger, gold glove, and Tiger awards during his prep career at Jerome High School.
Bost, a 6-foot-2 infielder from Leigh High School in Northern California, has helped lead the Longhorns to a win-loss record of 17-13 this season. Bost is currently batting .227 with 15 hits in 66 at-bats that includes 12 runs scored and eight RBI. At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Bost was named all-league as an infielder and also earned the team's coaches' award. Prior to his senior season, Bost was named as the team captain and concluded his prep career by winning the team's coaches' award for three straight seasons.
Candelaria, a 6-foot-2 infielder/designated hitter, is 1 of 2 transfers on this list from Shasta College in Northern California. The second-year player from Piedra Vista High School in New Mexico helped lead the Knights to a win-loss record of 23-21 this season, while earning a spot in the '09 California Community College State Playoffs. As a sophomore, Candelaria batted .306 with 33 hits in 108 at-bats that included 18 runs scored, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, and 18 runs batted in.
Hull, a 6-foot-2 pitcher from Kelso High School, helped lead the Hilanders into the Class 4A state playoffs this season before falling in a bi-district playoff game to Issaquah on Saturday. After going a perfect 5-0 as a junior, Hull earned 2nd team all-area honors and helped lead Kelso to a win-loss record of 20-2 that included a state runner-up finish in the Class 4A playoffs.
Kunkel, a 5-foot-10 outfielder from Central Kitsap High School, has helped lead the Cougars to a 21-6 win-loss record this season. As a junior, Kunkel helped guide Central Kitsap into the Elite Eight of the Class 4A state tournament where the Cougars fell to eventual state champions Snohomish.
Labarthe, a 5-foot-10 catcher/infielder from nearby West Salem High School, has helped lead the Titans to a 5-19 overall record this season that includes a 4-13 mark in Central Valley Conference play. As a junior, Labarthe was named 2nd team All-Central Valley Conference as a third baseman.
Lake, a 5-foot-9 infielder from North Medford High School, was a junior college teammate of Candelaria at Shasta College this past season. The second-year infielder helped lead Shasta to the state playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, while batting .257 with 19 hits in 74 at-bats that included 11 runs scored, one double, one triple, and five RBI. As a middle infielder, Lake finished third on the team in assists with 59 to go along with a .938 fielding percentage.
Virtue, a 5-foot-9 utility player/pitcher from Union High School, has helped lead the Titans to the state regional playoffs this season. A two-time team captain as a junior and senior, Virtue was named as a member of the '09 Clark County Senior All-Star Team and also earned the Teammate of the Year award as a sophomore.
Corban is coming off a 2009 campaign in which the Warriors posted a win-loss record of 11-35 that included a 9-23 record in NAIA West play. Mayben and his coaching staff will be welcoming back 18 players from last season's roster that includes Steven Blum (Salem, Ore.), who batted .347 in 20 games before suffering a season-ending back injury.