BATTLE CREEK, MI – Michael Sanderson, Ben Polshuk and Nigel Ward of California Polytechnic State University will suit up for the red and black this summer.
Michael Sanderson: 6’0’’, 185 lbs, INF, junior, (Bats: R/Throws: R), Chico, California
The junior transferred to Cal Poly after playing two seasons at Feather River Junior College, in which he batted .337 as a freshman and .344 as a sophomore. With the Golden Eagles, Sanderson twice earned All-Golden Valley Conference honors and led Golden Eagles to a pair of Golden Valley Conference titles.
This season with the Mustangs, Sanderson is hitting .340 with 10 RBIs and 7 runs through 16 games. A product of Pleasant Valley High School, Sanderson’s grandfather was the head football coach at Cal Poly from 1982-87, while his father played football at Utah. Sanderson is majoring is sociology.
Ben Polshuk: 6’4’’, 195 lbs, OF, sophomore, (Bats: R/Throws: R), Clayton, California
After playing in 27 games as a freshman, getting four starts, Polshuk is expected to get playing time in centerfield for the Mustangs this season. Last summer, Polshuk also played summer ball for Victoria HarbourCats in West Coast Collegiate League, hitting .295 with four doubles, a triple and three home runs.
A product of De La Salle High School, Polshuk hit .333 as a senior, leading the Spartans to 21-7 record, a first-place tie in East Bay Athletic League and to the CIF-North Coast Section Division I championship. That season, Polshuk also earned First-Team East Bay Athletic League, First-Team All-Bay Area and Third-Team all-state honors. Polshuk is majoring in business administration.
Nigel Ward: 6’2’’, 165 lbs, RHP, freshman, (Bats: R/Throws: R), Santa Ana, California
After earning First-Team All-Trinity League honors as a high school senior under head coach Shawn Gilbert at Servite High School in Anaheim, California, the freshman righty is expected to be a middle reliever out of the bullpen at Cal Poly this season. As a high school senior, Ward pitched 12 games, 9 starts, putting together a 5-2 record and a 2.20 ERA, striking out 30 batters in 55 innings. As a junior, Ward threw a no-hitter on April Fool’s Day in 2014.
The freshman was recruited by UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Oregon and California but chose Cal Poly because of “all it has to offer.” This past summer, Ward played summer ball for San Luis Obispo Blues. Ward hopes to play professional baseball or become an impactful scientist one day.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 22-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.
