Every week until the beginning of the Port Angeles Lefties season on June 1, the Peninsula Daily News will be printing profiles of several Lefties players in our Meet the Lefties feature. This week, we begin with Brandon Heinrich, Seth Freed, Joey Galeno, Michael Ciancio, Kevin Kendall and Austyn Tengan.
The Lefties are a wooden bat collegiate league team that will play in the West Coast League against teams from all around Washington, British Columbia and Oregon. It will feature college players from all around the Pacific Northwest.
Brandon Heinrich
Heinrich comes to the Lefties from California State University, Bakersfield, where he is the starting shortstop at the Western Athletic Conference school. He is 6-1, 195 pounds, bats and throws right and also played at Saddleback College in Southern California as a sophomore, where he hit .304 with 25 RBIs and 29 runs scored in 39 games, helping his team win the Orange Empire Conference title.
As a freshman, he started 34 games for the University of Rochester, an NCAA Division II program in New York.
Seth Freed
Freed comes to Port Angeles from Ball State University in Indiana, where he is a versatile infielder. He previously played infield at Seminole State College in Florida, where he hit .385 with two home runs, 24 home runs, 24 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
A 6-1, 185-pound native of Bay City, Mich., he bats and throws right-handed. You can follow him on instagram @sjfreed.
Joey Galeno
Galeno graduated from Auburn Riverside High School in Auburn in 2014. A two-sport standout, the 5-11, 215-pound first baseman earned all league honors and three letters each in baseball and football, while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average.
Galeno was named to the senior all-star game in 2014 after hitting .311 with 11 RBI and 11 runs scored. The previous year, Galeno posted a .448 average with six doubles, a home run and 17 RBIs. As a sophomore, he had 17 RBI with a .400 average. Galeno bats and throws left and currently plays at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., where he majors in bioengineering. You can follow him on Twitter @jgaleno1 and instragram @jgaleno.
Michael Ciancio
Ciancio comes to the Lefties from Seattle University in the Western Athletic Conference, where he plays first and third base. A 6-0, 200-pound right-hander was a three-year letterer in baseball at Kentwood High School in Covington, helping the Conquerors post a 22-5 record in 2015.
During his prep career, Ciancio batted .379 with 86 hits and 64 runs scored in 74 games and in 2015, he received first-team all-league, all -area and all-state honors. Ciancio majors in accounting. You can follow him on Twitter @MikeCiancio15.
Kevin Kendall
Kendall comes from La Mirada, Calif., where he is still a high school senior. A shortstop and second baseman, he has been signed to play at UCLA. A 5-10, 165-pound switch-hitter, he throws right and is one of the most touted high school players on the West Coast. His speed, versatility and composure are already drawing Major League attention.
You can follow him on Twitter @kev_kendall and on Instagram @kev_kendall.
Austyn Tengan
Tengan, a freshman shortstop and second baseman, comes to the Lefties from California State University, Bakersfield. He is 5-6 and weighs 145 pounds and was a 2016 graduate of Tustin High School in Southern California, where he hit .330 as a senior. Tengan is expected to be an impact player right away at Cal State Bakersfield, playing in the Western Athletic Conference.
His baseball nickname is “Dirt Dog,” and he majors in kinesiology.
