Press Releases

The Peninsula Oilers, three-time National Baseball Congress World Series champions, are proud to announce the following former Oilers have been selected in Major League Baseball’s 2010 First-Year Player Draft:

• Kawika Emsley-Pai  (2008-09), Lewis-Clark State - Diamondbacks, 10th round (301 overall)
• Mario Hollands (2007), UC Santa Barbara – Phillies, 10th round (321)
• Matt Thomson (2007), San Diego – A’s, 12th round (365)
• Ryan Fisher (2009), UC Irvine  – Marlins, 15th round (467)
• Mark Tracy (2009), Duquesne – Rockies, 22nd round (680)
• Francis Larson (2008), UC Irvine – Angels, 22nd round (684)
• Kevin Rath (2009), Cal State Fullerton – White Sox, 26th round (788)
• Jeremy Gould (2008), Duke – Mets, 28th round (842)
• Seth Harvey (2008), Washington State – Brewers, 37th round (1119)
• Brandon Berl (2008), St. Mary’s (CA) – Blue Jays, 40th round (1206)
• Jonathan Kaskow (2009), Stanford – Reds, 41st round (1237)
• Mickey Jannis (2008), Cal State Bakersfield – Rays, 44th round (1331)

Emsley-Pai, named the eight-best pro prospect in the Alaska Baseball League by Baseball America in 2008, played in 40 games this season for LCSC and started 33; missing some time because of back problems. He still hit .342 with 11 doubles and four home runs. He was deadly against base runners, throwing out 11 of the 21 attempting to steal against him.

Hollands, a left-hander from El Cerrito, California, was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection this past season after going 5-5 with a 3.77 ERA. Hollands was among the conference's best; ranking in the top-ten statistical leaders in complete games, ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched and opponents batting average.

"I am very excited to be with the Phillies and have the chance of playing professional baseball," Hollands told ucsbguachos.com.

Thomson, a first-team All-West Coast Conference performer, had a solid season for the Toreros as he recorded a career-high seven saves and posted a 1-3 record with a 3.38 ERA. Baseball America named him the second-best prospect in the ABL in 2007.

Fisher batted .308 this season with 40 hits and 20 RBI. He totaled 11 doubles and four home runs while scoring 24 runs in 38 starts.

Tracy led the Dukes with 14 home runs and 46 RBI in 2009. The Pepperdine transfer hit .290 this season with 12 HR and 45 RBI. He is the son of current Colorado manager and former Pittsburgh Pirates skipper, Jim Tracy.

Larson, an All-Big West first-team catcher, posted his best postseason performance in 2010, batting .353 with six hits, eight RBI and three home runs to earn a spot on the Los Angeles All-Regional Team. The senior became UCI's all-time leader in home runs this season and has 25 in four years.

Rath is 2-2 for the Titans with a 4.50 ERA in 19 games, including five starts. He was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 38th round in 2007.

Gould, drafted as a pitcher, saw limited action on the mound as a senior for Duke, finishing with a 4.76 ERA, four strikeouts and one walk in five innings over seven relief appearances.

Harvey posted a 3-1 record with three saves in 26 appearances this season. The right-hander is tied for ninth on the Washington State single-season list for games pitched and his 78 career appearances rank second all-time for the Cougars.
Berl made a team-high 21 appearances with four starts during his senior campaign. He finished the season fourth on the team with 50.2 innings pitched and was second on the squad with three saves. The senior had a 6.04 earned run average, struck out 34 hitters while walking 11.

Kaskow, a Pac-10 honorable mention pick in 2010, batted .328 over 46 games as a starter at first base and designated hitter. He also had a career .980 fielding percentage.

The Roadrunners’ Friday starter throughout 2010, Jannis was 4-5 with a 4.74 ERA. He fanned 65 in 98.2 innings, including a career high 10 in seven innings of work in a May 14 win over Pacific.

ESPN's SportsCenters coverage of Garrett Wittles 48- game hitting streak

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the signing of Wichita State University SS Tyler Grimes. Tyler was signed to play in 09 for the Oilers but broke his hand in the conference championship and was not able to make it up. Tyler is currently putting up the following numbers:

2009 FRESHMAN: Played in 46 games with 45 starts, all at shortstop…Hit .294 with 31 runs, 53 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 26 RBI and 13 stolen bases…Had an eight-game hitting streak from March 17-27…Had 17 multiple-hit games and six multiple-RBI games…Named honorable mention all-Valley…Had a season-high three hits six times…Scored a season-high four runs against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 17…Had a season-high four RBI at Missouri State on April 18…Went 3-for-4 with three doubles at Bradley on March 27…Went 3-for-5 with a double against Indiana State on May 2…Went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two doubles against Creighton on May 16.
HIGH SCHOOL: Attended North High School in Wichita, Kan...Lettered four years in baseball...Named first team all-city all four years at shortstop...Named first team all-state for two years at shortstop...Named first team all-Metro for two years...Member of team that won the city league title during junior and senior seasons...During senior season, batted .576 with eight home runs.
PERSONAL: Son of Darin and Mary Grimes...Born July 3, 1990, in Wichita, Kan...Has four sisters, Maci, Peyton, Madison and Hayden...Is majoring in criminal justice at WSU...Also recruited by Kansas State, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the signing of Stanford University INF/OF/RHP Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty has put up the following numbers in his freshman year at Stanford.

Major League Draft: Drafted in the 45th round out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
High School: Four-year letterman in baseball at Amador Valley High and also played one varsity season of basketball ... two year captain on the baseball team as a junior and senior ... three-time first team all-East Bay Athletic League pick in 2006, 2007 and 2009... named the league's MVP as a senior ... team reached the state playoffs in 2006 and 2009 ... also pitched for the team, tossing a complete-game shutout and while going 3-for-4 in leading the No. 8-seeded Dons to a 3-0 win over Foothill High ... played on the same side of the infield as fellow freshman, Kenny Diekroeger during an Area Code Game at Blair Field in Long Beach.
Personal Information: Son of Michael and Gretchen Piscotty ... has two younger siblings, Nicolas and Austin ... began coming to Stanford baseball games as a kid with his uncle for his birthday ... major is undecided.

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the signing of Central Michigan University 1B Nate Theunissen. Noted below is the information on Nate as a Chippewas.

2009: Led the team with 12 multiple-RBI games, including seven with three or more … also finished third on the team with 19 multi-hit contests, seven with at least three … had two five-game hitting streaks and one six-game streak … went six-for-15 with 10 RBI in a three-game series against Ohio (3/20-3/22) … hit .291 in MAC games with six doubles and seven homers, driving in 31 … started 16 games at first base and spent 31 starts as CMU’s designated hitter.
2008: Redshirted.
High School: Played baseball for Luke Epple … honorable mention all-conference as a junior … second-team all-conference as a senior … named All-Area by the Saginaw News in 2007 … helped his team to a Division II state.

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the signing of University of Missouri OF Ryan Gebhart. Ryan is familiar with the Alaska Baseball League as he played with the Athletes in Action Fire last summer where he hit .288 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, and was 12-14 in stolen bases.

Ryan has put up the following numbers at Missouri in 2010:

2009: Recorded his first hit at Missouri in the home opener against Western Illinois on March 4 ... Went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the series opener against Ball State ... Had two hits, including a triple to leadoff the game, with an RBI and two runs scored against Western Illinois on March 10 ... Had hits in back-to-back games against SIU-Edwardsville (March 18) and Texas A&M (March 20) ... Was 2-for-4 with an RBI against UI-Chicago on March 24 ... Had two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs against Saint Louis at Busch Stadium on April 1 ... Was hit by a pitch twice and drove in two runs in the final game of the series with Kansas State.
High School: Hit .414 in 2008 at Midway High School in Waco, Texas ... Had seven home runs, 39 RBI, 58 runs scored and 18 stolen bases ... Finished with a career average of .391 with 13 home runs, 94 RBI, 136 runs scored and 52 stolen bases ... Was a two-time all-district selection and an all-state honoree as a senior ... Played in the THSBCA All-Star Game in 2008 ... Invited to the USA Baseball Junior National Team Tryouts in 2006 and 2007 ... Team was 32-9 in 2008 and advanced to the Regional Finals ... Was an academic all-state selection ... Graduated in the top-10 of his class with "Distinguished Honors" ... Was a four-year winner of the Spirit of Midway Award, given to a volunteering, academic letterman.
Personal: Full name is Jacob Ryan Gebhart ... Born in Denison, Texas ... Son of Jim and Karen Gebhart ... Is a business major.

The Peninsula Oilers are exciting about the signing of Mesa State College Maverick’s OF Jeff Popick. Jeff’s numbers in 2010 are as follows:

As a Freshman (2009): Team played in NCAA Division II World Series...NCAA Central Region Champions...RMAC Champions...Made first collegiate start (3/3/09) at Dixie State where he had his first collegiate hit...Hit .200 with 2 doubles.
At Lakewood High School: Played in Colorado Top 50 Game…As a senior, hit .591 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 homeruns.
Personal: Son of Mike and Barb Popick... Chose MSC because it was the best fit for him…Aspires to own his own business…Doesn’t like cinnamon…Enjoys bowling, golf , and basketball.

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the signing of Florida International Panthers 3B/RHP Garrett Wittels. Garrett is currently a sophomore at FIU where he is majoring in Sports Management. Garrett will contribute at 3B and on the mound for us this summer. Garrett’s is currently putting up the following numbers:

High School: Named Miami Herald Second Team All-Miami Dade in 2008 and third team in 2006 and ’07...Selected as team MVP his sophomore and senior seasons...During his senior campaign, posted a .420 average with six home runs and 29 RBIs.

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce that St. Mary Gaels 3B Patrick Wisdom will be joining the Oilers this summer. Wisdom is currently in his freshman season for the Gaels and is off to a hot start. Patrick is a versatile player as he has played several infield positions and in the outfield. Patrick has posted to date the following numbers:

High School: A third baseman from Murrieta Valley High School (CA), he comes to Saint Mary’s after a memorable summer in which his team competed in the Palomino Pony World Series in San Jose, CA..the Murrieta native hit .667 against stiff competition, good enough for second in the tournament...during his 2009 high school season, he had a .345 batting average...in the classroom, Wisdom had a grade point average above 3.5, qualifying him as an honors student...was also selected as a member of the Toyota Academic Team.

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the return of Kyle Barraclough.

Last summer with the Oilers Kyle posted the following numbers:
ERA W-L APP GS IP H R ER BB SO B/Avg
1.42 2-3 10 9 57.0 35 15 9 18 47 .178

2009: Named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team…made 15 appearances with nine starts…made his Gaels debut on Feb. 25 in the 5-3 win over No. 14 Stanford, he went 5.0 innings pitched scattering three hits, no runs two walks and four strike outs…posted a 4-5 record with a 4.70 ERA, throwing 53.2 innings pitched, while striking out 51…on 3/5 went a season-high 6.0 innings pitched, scattering two hits and striking out a career-high eight batters in his second win over Stanford…in conference play posted a 1-3 record with a 3.96 ERA in seven appearances and three starts.
High School: Comes to Saint Mary’s by way of Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, CA, while at Wilcox he was a five-time letterman...three times for baseball and twice in football...in his senior season he was named First Team All-Central Coast Section, First Team All-Mercury, three-time First Team All-League, and finally De Anza League MVP...was also selected to the first team in football his senior season as well.

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the hiring of Dan Lemon and Jake Silverman to the 2010 coaching staff

The Peninsula Oilers are excited to announce the hiring of Dan Lemon and Jake Silverman to the 2010 coaching staff, Oilers General Manager Shawn Maltby and Head Coach Dennis Machado announced Monday.

Lemon and Silverman replace former Oilers assistant coach Bobby Brown, who coached with Machado last season. Brown accepted the managerial job for the Las Cruces Vaquero’s of the Continental Baseball League, an Independent Professional League.

“We are extremely excited for Bob,” said Maltby of his departing assistant. “Being a manager in professional baseball has always been his goal. There is no doubt that he will be successful and continue moving up the ranks in pro ball.

“Bob will still be involved with the Oilers as we navigate our way into the season and onto Wichita in some capacity.”

Lemon joins the Oilers staff from Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, Calif., where he has been one of the most successful high school coaches in the state for the past 20 years. His teams have been crowned Southwest Yosemite League Champions eight times, CIF Central Section Championships in back-to-back years (2008 and 2009) and he has been voted Coach of the Year four times. Lemon has professional coaching experience having been an assistant coach for League Champion Nashua Pride (2007) with former Red Sox Manager Butch Hobson and also spent time as a scout with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Dan Lemon is a great coach whose experience and knowledge of the game will be a great benefit to the Oilers,” said Machado. “Like Bob, ‘Lem’ is an outstanding tactician of the swing and I look forward to seeing him work with our hitters this year.”

Rounding out the Oilers staff in 2010 will be Cal State Fullerton graduate assistant Jake Silverman. Silverman was a catcher at Fullerton Community College and Cal State Fullerton. After completing his collegiate career in 2008, Jake immediately joined the coaching staff at CSUF and is now entering his second year as a member of the Titans’ staff.

“Jake brings a work ethic and intensity that our players will feed off of,” said Machado. “He comes from one of the top programs in the country and works with some of the most respected coaches in college baseball. Jake will work with our catchers as well as run our defense during the season.

“I am looking forward to working with these guys this summer,” Maltby added. “Dan and Jake are quality coaches who are on the same page as Machado with how we want our team to play – aggressive hard nosed baseball.”

Oilers hire Machado: Kenai Central graduate to coach his hometown team

By Matthew Carroll, Peninsula Clarion

More than a year ago, Peninsula Oilers general manager Shawn Maltby dubbed Dennis Machado, then the Oilers pitching coach, "The Mayor." "He's like the icon of Kenai," Maltby said of the Kenai Central graduate. "I can't go to the grocery store without somebody knowing who he is."
Anyone who didn't know before will find out soon enough.
On the heels of one markedly successful season as manager of the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, leading them within one run of a national championship, Machado is coming back home, recently hired as the 25th skipper in Peninsula Oilers history -- a position Machado was destined to occupy after once spending four summers playing for the team in the 1990s.
"Kenai is, in my opinion, one of the premier summer teams in the country and it also happens to be my hometown," Machado said. "So it's a dream job to coach this team."
He replaces Jeff Walker, who guided the Oilers to an 18-27 record and a fifth-place finish in the Alaska Baseball League, their worst season since 2001.
The pairing was really only a matter of time, though.
Machado was a member of the last Oilers team to capture the National Baseball Congress World Series title in 1994 -- also the year he graduated from Kenai Central, where he once owned Alaska's single-season rushing record as a member of the Kardinals' football team. He recently served as Peninsula's pitching coach for two seasons, both times guiding the league's top staff.
At the tail end of his second season in 2008, Maltby expressed his desire to see Machado leading the team.
"I think in the future, Dennis will be a head coach here with the Peninsula Oilers," he said at the time. "I'd like to see it."
In nine months, he finally will.
"He had a heck of a year last year. I'm glad we were able to get him back," Maltby said Tuesday. "I think it's a good match for both of us.
"Obviously to some sort of degree we are lucky to get him," he added. "For him being from Kenai, it's a perfect fit and it works out and we're happy to be getting him."
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, especially with the accomplishments Machado added to his blossoming resume as skipper of the Pilots last summer.
At one point fighting for the Alaska Baseball League championship, a run that ended with a third-place finish due in part to a string of injuries and illnesses, Machado still led his squad to the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan., and nearly left with the championship.
The team jelled at the right time, Machado said, as Anchorage run-ruled three teams en route to the title game.
"Offensively we were playing well, defensively we were lights out and pitching was very solid," he recalled. "We were able to put together a pretty good run and made it to the last day."
The Pilots surprising and remarkable run came to a halt, though, as the El Dorado Broncos walked off with a 2-1 victory in 11 innings.
With job offers from other leagues on the table following the deep World Series march, Machado had a difficult decision in front of him.
In the end, however, there was just one position he coveted.
"I kind of weighed through some offers to see what was going to be the best situation," he said, "but my heart said Kenai right away."
Maltby was tuned in to every moment, following online and even texting Machado after each win.
"It has everything to do with the run that they had," Maltby said of the hire, which began with conversations as far back as the ABL Showcase in late July. "I'm glad he had the success he had in Anchorage. That just carries over.
"He's proven himself in this league as a first-time head coach ... it will carry over to this year and we'll be fine."
Machado, the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of California-Bakersfield, a Division I program which took the field for the first time ever in 2008, feels more prepared at this juncture of his career with his first year of head coaching experience already under his belt.
"I definitely have a better understanding of what I'm getting myself into," he said. "I don't think there's going to be too many things that happen in the ABL that I haven't already seen or experienced as a player and a coach."
There to help him will be his associate head coach from Anchorage, Bobby Brown, another former Oiler who roamed the outfield on that same '94 NBC Championship team and will be joining Peninsula in the same capacity he served with the Pilots.
"I've known Bob for years," Machado said. "He is by far the best hitting coach that I have ever met."
Maltby took it one step further.
"Bobby does such a great job with the offense. He's an offensive mastermind," he said. "In a perfect world, I've got an offensive mastermind and a pitching mastermind. We should be good."
Machado, who will double as Peninsula's pitching coach, thanked the Pilots' organization for providing him with his first head coaching job, an ironic twist of fate considering it may have prevented him from landing in Kenai as coach a year earlier.
Tom Myers, who inherited the head coaching duties in 2008 when Tom Hickman resigned before the season began, was asked to return in 2009, granted another chance by Maltby to coach and help recruit the team after coaching a squad compiled by Maltby and Hickman.
Machado, who just finished his second tour as pitching coach, wanted the job, but when Myers was slated to return, he jumped on the opportunity to coach in Anchorage.
"Last year the timing didn't work out. That's really no fault of anybody," Machado said. "The job that I wanted wasn't available and another opportunity presented itself and I had to take it. Now that this opportunity came open, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me."
Maltby said he felt he owed it to Myers to come back and coach a team he actually recruited.
"Obviously it bit me in the rear and it didn't work," Maltby said. "That's all water under the bridge at this point. ... I'm glad Dennis and I were able to agree on him being a coach."
With the team already 100 percent assembled for the coming summer, including the return of pitchers Kyle Barraclough and Scott Snodgress, both general manager and coach are excited at the prospects of returning the ABL championship to Coral Seymour Memorial Park for the first time since 2006 and perhaps even making a run at the NBC title.
"You have to recruit a little differently," Maltby said of playing in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. "If you go out and recruit guys who hit home runs, it's not going to happen in our yard. Pitching, defense and being able to play small ball wins games in our yard.
"(Machado) knows what it takes to put together a winning pitching staff down here," he added. "When he was here, we led the league in earned run average and that's a tribute to what he did with the pitchers day in and day out.
"I couldn't be more excited to have Dennis back as our head coach."
The feeling is mutual.
"That other dugout felt a little weird," Machado joked of coaching from the visitor's bench at Coral Seymour. "I hadn't been over in that dugout very much."
And he won't be again anytime soon.