OCEANSIDE — While the list of Parksville Royals graduates that have gone on to play college or university ball is far too long to list, those close to the team have been tracking four former Royals — the most by the way of any of the four Island PBL teams — playing professional baseball this year.
As reported previously in The News, pitchers Mark Hardy and Ethan Stewart from Campbell River and infielder Carter Bell from Courtenay have just concluded their respective seasons, and Taylor Green, also from Courtenay, is currently in a pennant race with the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Mark Hardy is playing out of San Diego with the Fort Wayne Tin Cups. Hardy finished his season with a record of 11-10 on the hill and had an ERA of 2.78, 96 strikeouts, 32 walks, and surrendered 117 hits in 119 innings pitched.
• Ethan Stewart suited up for Philadelphia in the Gulf Coast League and also played in the New York Penn League. Stewart went 5-4 with an ERA of 3.39 to go along with 60 strikeouts, 27 walks and 66 hits in 62.3 innings pitched.
• Standout shortstop Carter Bell is with Arizona in the Yakima Northwest League. His prowess aside, Bell’s batting average over 41 games was .270 with eight doubles, two triples and a home run.
• Since becoming the first Parksville Royal to ever be called up to the big show, Taylor Green, who hit a single in his first MLB plate appearance, is 8-for-23 at the plate with a .348 average. Green is 4-for-5 as a pinch hitter, with three doubles, while playing both second and third base. Green was called up by the Brewers last month after playing most of the year in Las Vegas ( Pacific Coast League) where he batted .336 with 22 home runs and 88 RBI’s.