WASHINGTON, Pa. - Brian Stoecklein couldn't seem to find a place in the Atlanta Braves organization last year.

When he arrived as a member of the Washington Wild Things in May, he still couldn't find a place.

Once he got in, however, they couldn't take him out.

"The first couple of weeks I was a bench player," said Stoecklein, who was named to the Frontier League's All-Star team at second base on Monday.

"There wasn't a spot for me. When I finally got a spot, I got my hits and was playing more," he added.

"Originally, we had him penciled in as a first baseman," said Washington manager John Massarelli. "We traded for Bill Greenwell and then Brian was a utility player.

"Then the second base spot opened up and Brian took over," he added.

Stoecklein, a Seneca Valley graduate from Cranberry Township, seized the spot and never let it go, batting .295 for the regular season with 10 home runs, 43 RBI, 65 runs, 48 walks and nine steals in 87 games

"He's been a catalyst for this team," said Massarelli. "Offensively, he's at the top of the lineup and the reason Bill Greenwell is having a big year (.293, 13 HR, 73 RBI)."

Stoecklein has been a key reason the Wild Things set a Frontier League record with 62 victories, breaking the previous mark of 56, which was also set by Washington.

The team, which is in its third year of existence, won the Eastern Division crown and is playing Evansville in the best-of-five semifinal playoff series this week.

The Wild Things dropped a 3-1 decision to the Otters in Game 1 Wednesday.

Stoecklein had one of the team's four hits, a leadoff single to open the eighth inning, which put the crowd back into the game.

"It's a great atmosphere," said Stoecklein, 24. "It definitely felt good to get a knock out there. We just couldn't put a few hits together."

Stoecklein enjoyed a stellar senior season at California (Pa.), when he set school records for hits (81), RBI (51) and doubles (28), the latter statistic placed him second in the NCAA that year.

He was a PSAC West and North Atlantic Region first-team infielder twice. He led the PSAC in hitting with a .409 average and in slugging percentage (.702).

He then signed as a free agent with the Atlanta organization's Gulf Coast League team, where he batted .263 in 44 games.

The Braves system, however, was inundated with strong infielders and there was no place for Stoecklein, so he was released.

He caught on with Washington in hopes of getting a look by other squads.

"I believed if I had a good year I could open some eyes," said Stoecklein. "I could compete for a spot in Single A or AA.

"I'd kick myself if I quit and had to get a real job like my dad. … My ultimate goal is to get back to affiliated ball, but this is a good place to play ball. Hopefully, this fall, I can get a chance," Stoecklein added.

Stoecklein has worked hard to improve his defense, which he does every day.

"I want to try and be consistent with my bat and on defense. Consistency - but I always want to try and get better."

"Brian's been one of our most improved players," said Massarelli. "He's a line-drive gap hitter with pull-side power. He's everything we thought he'd be, but he's been a nice surprise because he's the total package."

In Wednesday's game, Evansville's Jeremy Lewis pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts in cooling the Wild Things hitters.

While Stoecklein is hopeful this year's success will parlay into a ticket to bigger things, he still has his sights set on helping the Wild Things continue it's impressive season.

"It's a five-game series and they had their best pitcher out there," said Stoecklein.

"Thursday's a must-win. We don't want to go to Evansville down 2-0, but we're confident. This team's very special."