By Nick Patterson Herald Writer
EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox will be well represented at the Northwest League All-Star Game.
Six Everett players were named Thursday to the North Division team for the second-annual All-Star Game, which takes place Aug. 5 in Eugene.
The six Sox include four position players: center fielder Austin Cousino, infielder Chris Mariscal, first baseman/catcher Kyle Petty and catcher Adam Martin. Two relief pitchers were also selected, those being left-hander Cruz Pereira and right-hander Kody Kerski.
“It’s an honor to play for the AquaSox, let alone being selected to the All-Star team with a bunch of great players from around the league,” Mariscal said. “And getting to play with some of my teammates on the AquaSox will be a fun time.”
Cousino, who has been Everett’s sparkplug at the top of the lineup, was the only Sox player voted in as a starter by the league’s managers. The Dublin, Ohio, native, who was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of this year’s draft, went into Thursday’s game leading Sox qualifiers in batting (.277), slugging percentage (.438), on-base plus slugging percentage (.784), runs (23) RBI (16) and stolen bases (16). He was also tied for the team lead in home runs (5) through 34 games.
Mariscal, who hails from Fresno, Calif., and was Seattle’s 14th-round pick in this year’s draft, went into Thursday batting .261 in 30 games. He had a 13-game hitting streak earlier this season, and had a hit in 25 of the 29 games in which he recorded a plate appearance.
Petty, a native of Stewartsville, N.J., who is in his second season with the Sox, was batting .252 through 34 games, was second on the team in runs with 16, and was tied for third on the team in RBI with 13.
Martin, who hails from Marietta, Georgia, and was selected in the 10th round of this year’s draft, was batting .247 with three homers and a team-leading .360 on-base percentage through 28 contests.
Pereira, a native of Venezuela, was leading the team in pitching appearances with 14. He was 0-2 with a 3.29 ERA and two saves, walking three and striking out 23 in 271/3 innings.
Kerski, who’s from Waterbury, Conn., and was an eighth-round pick in this year’s draft, was 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA and one save in 12 relief appearances, walking 10 and striking out 24 in 191/3 innings.
“It’s going to be fun,” Martin said. “Hopefully I can get into the Home Run Derby. I’ve done two in the past and I’ve been successful in both those, so I think that would be pretty cool. But if not, just being around all those guys, such a group of talent, it’s going to be so much fun.”
The All-Star break is August 4-6, coming after Everett travels to Eugene for a five-game series and before the Sox head to Spokane for a three-game set, meaning the Sox will have 11 days between home games.
