LA MIRADA, Calif. --- After the conclusion of the 2017 spring semester, several members of the Biola baseball team raised the level of optimism for the 2018 campaign by making strong contributions to their summer ball squads.

"We had the majority of our returning players play baseball this summer and I'm very proud of the guys for going out," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "As a coaching staff we believe that our players become better by playing more baseball and become better men by having the life experience summer ball allows them to have. I'm excited about how this will fuel our program and our progress forward."

Seventeen Eagles joined teams from nine leagues scattered across the country and proved they can keep in stride with players from premier NCAA DI programs. Chris Palmer and Joey Magro were all-SCCBL selections for the local SoCal Bombers team. River Fawley and Andy Van Antwerp also received accolades as selections for the home run derby at the all-star games in their respective leagues.

Micah Beyer and Wyatt Haccou carried Biola's banner on the mound this summer. Beyer absolutely dominated the Northwoods League as a member of the newly-formed Bismark Larks. The right-hander from Chino, California allowed just four runs in four starts for Bismark, resulting in a 0.75 ERA and 3-0 record. He struckout 37 batters in 36 innings and only surrendered three extra-base hits (all doubles).

Haccou also sparkled for the Lefties of Port Angeles, Washington. The righty started his summer by winning his first three starts in June and followed that up with six innings of shutout ball and seven strikeouts against Bellingham on July 8. Haccou posted 33 strikeouts in 39.1 innings and surrendered just eight walks.

Infielder Chris Palmer had the best summer at the plate among the Eagles roster. Palmer hit over .400 for the SoCal Bombers with nine of his 47 hits going for extra bases. He was selected to the All-SCCBL first team.

Magro had 41 base knocks for the Bombers and hit .350. He drove in 21 runs and smashed 11 extra-base hits.

"We're hoping some of the summers our players had will be that catalyst or vault that projects them forward a little bit more and helps them step on the field a differently because of their success," said Sullenger. "Summer ball is really about the opportunity to take the next step and to grow, so we're just excited to see how our players have developed as men because they have traveled to different parts of the country and been representatives of the gospel."