After a record-setting summer with the Yakima Valley Pippins, Vince Fernandez was honored by the West Coast League Tuesday as the league’s most valuable player, the first player from an expansion team to garner this accolade in WCL history.

Fernandez, an outfielder from UC-Riverside, hit .359 this season (fifthin the WCL) with a league-best 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in, both of which set new WCL single-season records. Fernandez broke both records simultaneously with a grand slam at Wenatchee in the final game of the regular season.

In addition to his triple-crown statistics, Fernandez also led the team in hits (61), doubles (13) and walks (31), while finishing tied for first with three triples. He had an OPS of 1.121, which was also tops in the WCL among position players with more than five at-bats.

The Pippins, who fell to the WCL’s eventual-champion Bellingham Bells in the first round of the West Coast League playoffs, are already well into preparations for next season. Season tickets are on sale  for the 2015 season, which will begin in early June, and can be reserved by calling 509-575-HITS (4487) or visiting www.pippinsbaseball.com.

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