Federal Way High School graduate Nick Tanielu is having a huge first season in the Pac-12 Conference.
Tanielu is leading the pitching-rich Pac-12 Conference in batting average for the Washington State Cougar baseball team during his redshirt freshman season.
The third baseman is hitting an impressive .402 and is the only player in the conference hitting above the .400 mark. Tanielu is also leading the Cougars in doubles with 12, triples (3) and runs scored (29). He also has two home runs, 21 RBIs and has only struck out 17 times in 107 at bats.
But Tanielu has missed the last eight games for WSU after suffering a left knee injury. According to Cougar head coach Donnie Marbut, Tanielu should return to action this weekend when Washington State hosts ninth-ranked UCLA.
Washington State is 20-20 on the season and 7-11 in the Pac-12. Tanielu has started all 29 games before suffering the injury in early April.
Matt Bower — The Beamer graduate is playing his freshman season at Washington State. The left-handed pitcher has made seven appearances and thrown 7 2/3 innings. He has a 9.39 earned-run average and has struck out nine.
Bower finished with a 6-3 record and an earned-run average under 1.00 his senior season at Beamer. Bower also threw four complete-game shutouts during the season, including a no-hitter against Curtis when he struck out 15.
Kenny Johnson — The Todd Beamer grad is playing infield at Linfield College in Oregon during his junior season.
The switch hitter has played in 22 games and is hitting .209 with seven runs and two RBIs. Linfield is 32-5 on the season and the top-ranked NAIA team in the nation.
Jarett Hardy — The Thomas Jefferson grad is playing his senior season at Oklahoma Wesleyan after transferring from Pierce College. The first baseman is leading the team with a .382 batting average with 23 doubles, three triples and 42 RBIs. He has also scored a team-best 49 runs for the 31-22 team.
Derek Voigt — The TJ grad is playing at Peru State College in Nebraska as a senior. The infielder is hitting .350 with 27 runs, nine doubles and 24 RBIs for the Bobcats. The team is 26-15 on the season.
Brian Corliss — The Beamer grad is playing his junior season at Lewis-Clark State in Idaho after transferring at Pierce College. Corliss, an infielder, is hitting .273 with 26 runs, seven doubles, one triple, one home run and 27 RBIs. The Warriors are 38-13 on the season.
Harold Adams — The junior is playing his junior season at Simpson University in Redding, Calif. The outfielder transferred from Green River Community College and is hitting .290 with 17 runs, six doubles, one triple and eight RBIs. The team is 4-41 on the season.
Several Federal Way school district players are also on community college rosters around Washington. Beamer graduate Mac Gridley is playing at Lower Columbia, Jefferson’s Mitch McQueen is playing at Tacoma, Beamer’s Richie Apigo is at Clark, Decatur’s Christian Meister is at Green River and Federal Way’s Grant Burpee is playing at Skagit Valley.
Pierce College has the most district graduates on its roster. The Raiders’ roster includes Federal Way grads Drew Cratsenberg, Elliot Morris, Austin Weber and Darrien Moran, along with Beamer’s Brett Oyer and Decatur’s Brett Johnson.
