Kamiakin grad named MiLB Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for April

Trystan Vreiling has been making up for lost time in the New York Yankees’ farm system.

Drafted by the Yankees in the summer of 2022, the right-handed Vreiling hadn’t pitched for New York in either the 2022 or 2023 season due to an injury.

But the former Kamiakin High grad as able to see some action in the Arizona Fall League, and started the 2024 season with the Yankees’ Double-A club in Somerset.

Vreiling, who was drafted out of Gonzaga University, was named the Eastern League’s Pitcher of the Month for April.

He had a 2-2 record over five starts, struck out 31 batters in 29 innings pitched, while batters hit a measly .189 against him.

Pro soccer

Southridge graduate Haley Thomas has gradually moved up the ladder when it comes to women’s soccer.

The 25-year-old defender went from playing high school ball for the Suns to competing at Weber State University, where she was named All-Big Sky Conference.

With one season of eligibility left, Thomas transferred to play for Boston College.

After that, she found a job playing for a women’s professional team in Iceland, called IBV.

That was in 2023.

Now, she’s playing at the highest level of women’s pro soccer in Germany, called the Frauen-Bundesliga.

It’s a 12-team league, and Thomas is with MSV Duinsburg. She signed in January, which is mid-season, and has been a starter almost ever since.

The problem for MSV Duinsburg is the team is 0-16-4 and will likely be relegated next season to the No. 2 German’s women’s league.

But Thomas, as an American, is making a name for herself at the highest level of women’s pro soccer in Europe.

Pro football

AJ Vongphachanh (Chiawana) completed his college football career at BYU last fall.

The linebacker spent four seasons at Utah State before transferring his last year to play for the Cougars.

He compiled over 250 tackles in his career. He had 85 just last season with BYU, which played in the Big 12 Conference.

Vongphachanh did not get drafted by any NFL team last month, but he was able to sign a rookie mini-camp deal with the New York Jets last week. That camp was held May 3-5.

College baseball

Payton Flynn (Kamiakin) completed his collegiate baseball career May 2-3 by hitting his 28th career home run for the Montana State University Billings baseball team.

That gives him second place on the school’s all-time home run list.

In 50 games this season for the 17-33 Yellow Jackets, Flynn finished with a .333 batting average (66 for 200), hit 14 homers and drove in 48 runs.

College soccer

Drew Axel, now a sophomore for Hamline University’s men’s soccer team in Minnesota, scored a goal and two assists while starting in 17 matches for the 8-6-2 squad last fall.

Axel graduated from Tri-Cities Prep and played boys soccer for Pasco High School.

College track and field

Whitworth freshman Devyn Chelin (Kamiakin) was recently named to the Northwest Conference’s all-conference team in women’s track and field.

Chelin competes for the Pirates in the javelin.

▪ Two Walla Walla grads were named to the Northwest Conference men’s track and field all-conference team recently.

Pacific Lutheran University’s Grady Lemma was named to the team for his performances in both the 110 high hurdles, and the 400-meter hurdles.

Meanwhile, Whitworth’s Eddie Vu made the team for his talent in both the discus and shot put.

College basketball

▪ Can’t explain how excited I am that Dan Monson will be the men’s basketball head coach at my alma mater, Eastern Washington University, now.

Monson spent the last 17 seasons as the head coach at Long Beach State. Before the Big West Conference tournament was set to start in March, the school’s athletic director notified that Monson would be let go when his team was eliminated.

Monson led Long Beach State to three victories in the conference tournament, including winning the title game — and led his team into the NCAA Tournament with the Big West’s automatic bid.

Monson grew up in Pasco when his father, Don, was head coach at Pasco High School in the late 1960s to mid-1970s.

He moved to East Lansing at the age of 14 when dad took an assistant’s job with Jud Heathcote at Michigan State. When Don was hired to be head coach at the University of Idaho, Dan followed and got his degree and graduated from Idaho in 1985.

Dan was an assistant at UAB from 1986 to 1988, and then at Gonzaga from 1988 through 1997.

In 1997, Monson became GU’s head coach, and spent two seasons with the Bulldogs, getting them to the Elite Eight his second season.

After that, Minnesota came calling and signed him. Monson spent seven seasons with the Golden Gophers before moving on to Long Beach State.

Now, coming back to the Inland Northwest, Monson gets a chance to start all over again.

Can’t think of a better man to run the Eagles program.

College tennis

Jeff Northam is a 1984 Kamiakin graduate who loves tennis.

For the 11th time in his career, Northam was named Northwest Conference Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.

Northam has been the men’s head coach at Whitman College since 1997.

This season, his men’s team placed second in the NWC standings with a 6-1 record.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Herald.