7/1/2006 – Valley League Baseball News

Two former Valley Baseball League players have been selected to play in the 2006 Futures Game. Former Staunton Brave Joe Koshansky and former Harrisonburg Turk Nick Pereira will play for the United States team against the World team on July 9 at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. Koshansky, who played for the Braves in 2002 and 2003, was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round of the 2004 draft. He is currently playing for the Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League and leads the league in homers with 19. He is batting .298 with 60 RBIs. Pereira, a Turks’ standout in 2004, was drafted in the 10th round of the 2005 draft by the San Francisco Giants. Pereira was 7-1 with a 2.06 for the High-A San Jose Giants this season before earning a promotion to the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. Since his promotion, he is 1-1 with a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings. Since 1999, Baseball America and Major League Baseball have selected the best young players in baseball to meet in the ultimate prospect game. The All-Star Futures game, played on the Sunday before the Major League All-Star Game, matches prospects for the United States against propsects from the rest of the world in a seven-inning game.