The Seattle Studs Baseball Team of the Pacific International League finished the 2007 season with a ninth place finish at the prestigious National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas. With a final record of 43-8, the Studs completed one of the finest seasons in PIL history, which also included winning the 2007 Kamloops International Baseball Tournament, the regular season PIL crown and the league tournament for the berth to the World Series. Head Coach Barry Aden was pleased with the season, but as with every team that doesn’t end the year with a win, he felt that they fell just short of their goal. “You always want to win the NBC every year-that is goal of every team from across the country when they start playing in June. I felt we had a legitimate chance this year, but when you get back to Wichita, you realize just how hard it is to win eight or nine games against the best competition in the country. We played well, but fell just short in our final game against a buzz-saw of a pitcher.” That pitcher was Brad Hutt of the Hays Larks, who led his team to the final game against The Havasu Heat. Hutt threw his second consecutive complete game shutout against the Studs, and for his efforts was rewarded with an NBC All-American designation after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 9 strike outs in 17 innings pitched.

Although the Studs fell short of their goal, the team had two players that signed professional contracts and left directly from Wichita to join their new teams. 2007 NBC All-American Nick Cebula, recently graduated from WSU, signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association after recording a 0.00 ERA and 18 strike outs in 12 innings pitched. It was the second All-American award the Cebula has received in the last 3 years at the NBC. Center fielder Andre Marshall signed with the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League after his MVP-caliber year for the Studs, which saw him hit .358 and lead the league in home runs and runs scored, while batting from the lead-off spot.

Several other players have signed scholarship offers from four-year colleges, including SS/3B Alex O’Brien and Pitcher Chris Larsen with Albertson’s College of Idaho, a perennial NAIA contender, and Pitcher Ryan Woods with Lewis and Clark State, the defending NAIA champions. “Our goal every year is to prepare these young men for advancing their baseball careers by getting them to the next level, whether that is a 4-year school or pro ball. We have been very successful over the years in doing this, and we take pride in our young players moving on and working toward fulfilling their dreams.”

The Studs will hold their annual golf tournament October 12th at Elk Run golf course in Maple Valley. Anyone interested in sponsoring a hole or participating in the tourney should contact Sandy @ 425-451-1165. Reservations are being accepted via phone or over the internet @ seattlestuds.com. This is a fund raiser and all proceeds will go toward next year’s team expenses. The Studs are a non-profit organization that accepts donations from a variety of sources, and if you or your company is interested in sponsoring the team next year, please contact Barry Aden @ 425-451-1165.