Walnut Creek send eight to the All-Star Game

The California Collegiate League (CCL) All-Star game heads to Reno for the first time in history. Walnut Creek's eight all-stars are the most among North teams and second overall behind Santa Barbara (9). 

Catcher Riley Winchell, infielder TJ Woodson and outfielders Bryden Bull, Ryan Ellis and Daniel Polasek highlight the Crawdads' hitters heading to the All-Star Game. On the flip side, Jeremy Jones, Hudson Aber and Paul Wheeler mark the pitchers heading to Reno. 

Walnut Creek manager Brant Cummings has seen multiple all-stars as a manager. Now in his sixth season at the helm, he still feels proud. 

"It's been great," Cummings said. "One, we have so many because we played really well, and we have a lot of good players, so it's exciting for them to have this experience. I'm proud of them and their accomplishments thus far, and I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a fun time." 

Riley Winchell - Now committed to Sacramento State, the 6-foot catcher with an incredible batting stance continues to dominate for Walnut Creek. Behind the dish, he's made some nice plays, but at the plate, he's been even better. 

Winchell's power-hitting ability has been on full display this season, as he's tied with two fellow all-stars for most Crawdads home runs with three. Against Alameda on June 18, Winchell delivered a walk-off RBI, highlighting his signature moment thus far. Alongside that signature moment, Winchell has driven in 13 runs in 14 conference games. 

Hear from Winchell on what it means to him to be nominated as an All-Star: "I mean, it's been a great year," Winchell said. "I couldn't do it without the boys around me. We've had great team chemistry building into this with the short time that we've been together, and I think that has let everyone play a little looser and play their game."

TJ Woodson - "TJ two-bags," as he is often referred to, emerged as a bright spot from the opening non-conference game. The Baylor infielder consistently shows up in every aspect of the game as he looks to start for Baylor next season. 

Woodson leads all Crawdads in doubles with 10 in conference play and 12 overall. On June 28 against San Francisco, Woodson hit his first home run, a walk-off, to elevate Walnut Creek to a 4-3 win and deliver the 11th straight victory. On the season thus far, Woodson has stolen six bases, scored 15 runs, driven in 12 and is hitting .313 at the plate with an OPS of .937. 

Hear from Woodson about what being an All-Star means to him: "It's awesome to get recognized in such a good league as one of the top players in the North," Woodson said. "It's exciting to go to Reno and play at an awesome stadium and some great competition. I couldn't have done it without the team around me. They've been great supporters and it's a it's really been fun to play with them." 

Bryden Bull - As the old saying goes, "the bull sees red." For the Walnut Creek center fielder, the baseball is red in his eyes. Bull has excelled at the plate and in the field for Walnut Creek with multiple big moments. 

Bull's most recent memorable moments happened in the same game against Sonoma on June 27. In the second inning, Bull made a diving grab to take away extra bases. An inning later, Bull ran down a deep fly ball to end the inning, helping keep the game close for an eventual 10-4 win. 

Bull's tied amongst all Crawdads hitters with three home runs. He's hitting .297 with 11 RBIs, 14 runs and an .827 OPS. 

Hear from Bull about what being an All-Star means to him: "I think it's a great feat," Bull said. "I came out here and performed, but honestly, being around with this group of dudes, and especially I think what we have eight All-Stars going, I mean, it's great. The people we're with every single day. I think we take the stress off of baseball and make it fun again." 

Ryan Ellis - Designated as Mr. Crawdad, Ellis has been thrust into the captain role in 2026 and for good reason. Ellis continues to be one of Walnut Creek's clutchest hitters and toughest outs.  

Ellis's .385 batting average is the best among those with over 10 games played with the Crawdads this season. Ellis has averaged a walk per game and is tied alongside All-Stars Bull and Winchell with the most home runs on the team with three. 

Ellis has 11 RBIs, has come around to score 11 times and has four doubles. He's struck out just six times this year and is yet to ground into a double play. He carries a 1.254 OPS heading into the final game before the All-Star break. 

Hear from Ellis about what being an All-Star means to him: "It's really cool," Ellis said. "It's cool to go up there with a bunch of guys on this team and represent this organization." 

Daniel Polasek - A late arrival for Walnut Creek, Polasek hasn't missed a beat since playing in his first game on June 14. In 10 games with the Crawdads, Polasek has averaged over an RBI a game with 12. 

Along with that, he's come around to score seven times, stolen five bases, hit one double, and one triple. In 38 at-bats, he's only grounded into one double play and has hit .287 on the year with a .746 OPS.  

Hear from Polasek about what being an All-Star means to him: " Being an All-Star is obviously awesome," Polasek said. "It's gonna be a fun time in Reno. It's always nice to have those around you think of you as a player that's all-star caliber. It just gives you more confidence going to the rest of the CCL." 

Jeremy Jones - Jones is one of two starters who made the All-Star Game for Walnut Creek. The Ball State product has had one of the highest workloads among Crawdads' pitchers this season. 

He's worked four innings three times and three innings once. In his last outing on June 26, Jones surrendered just three hits en route to his first shutout of the season. He also struck out five batters for the third time this season. 

He will carry a 2.40 ERA and 1.00 WHIP heading into the All-Star break. In his 15 innings pitched, he's allowed 13 hits, two walks, four runs, 17 strikeouts and a K/9 of 10.20. 

Hear from Jones about what being an All-Star means to him: "It means a lot," Jones said. "It's an awesome opportunity to throw in the Aces stadium and throw in front of some MLB scouts. It is also a great opportunity to show your stuff and just have fun out there, and compete against the best." 

Hudson Aber - Aber, the California native and Sunday starter, has appeared in three games this season. Across his three outings, he's walked two batters and struck out eight for a 4:1 K/BB rate. 

Amongst Crawdads starters, his 2.00 ERA ranks near the bottom and his .78 is one of the best on the team. Allowing just five hits on the year, he didn't allow a run until his third outing of the year and didn't allow multiple hits in a game until the third start as well. 

He will look to carry that momentum into the second half of the year, where he should continue to be the Crawdads Sunday starter and pitch in front of friends and family at Monte Vista High School. 

Hear from Aber about what being an All-Star means to him: "It feels great to be nominated," Aber said. "I'm excited to play some more baseball and am excited for the second half of the year to get going. I want to finish off strong and have a good fall." 

Paul Wheeler - Wheeler has wheeled and dealed all season long. Emerging as one of the Crawdads' most trusted bullpen arms, Wheeler has escaped numerous jams with runners on base. 

He ranks near the top among Walnut Creek pitchers in appearances and is atop the ERA charts for Walnut Creek. One of Wheeler's biggest moments came on the road against Sonoma on June 27. Emerging from the bullpen in a 1-1 game, Wheeler was thrust into a bases-loaded two-out situation. He needed four pitches to record the strikeout and shift momentum back to his side. He worked 2.1 innings, allowing one baserunner, no runs and striking out four. 

Heading into the final game before the All-Star break, Wheeler has yet to allow a run in 10.2 innings. At the same time, he has allowed a mere three hits, four walks and struck out 15, accumulating a ridiculous .66 WHIP. 

Hear from Wheeler about what being an All-Star means to him: "I think it's an honor to be named an All-Star," Wheeler said. "We have so many good pitchers on the Crawdads that being able to be named to represent them is a really big honor, and I'm very excited to get going this weekend." 

Be sure to catch the All-Star Game on July 4 in Reno, Nevada, at Greater Nevada Field, the home of the Reno Aces.