Local Glance: May 9

The company that owns the Yuma Panthers has announced the forming of a new professional minor baseball league.

Godfather Media, Inc., is planning on launching a league that will operate under the name American West Baseball League. It plans to be a professional league in the summer and an instructional league in the fall and winter.

The AWBL has teams signed, in discussion or identified in Yuma, Mesa, San Diego, Palm Springs, Calif., Fullerton, Calif., Long Beach, Calif., Irvine, Calif., and Henderson, Nev. The corporate headquarters will be in Orange County, Calif.

“I am very excited to make this announcement, after the acquisition of the Yuma Panthers and OC Flyers I knew we were on our way in a great industry,” Godfather Media, Inc. CEO Michael Cummings said in a press release. “With recent events I knew the best thing for Godfather Media, Inc. was start a new league and hire a talented staff to run the AWBL. We have formed the league, started interviewing staff and will release their names and bios as soon as we have signed agreements. I look forward to a prosperous business model and will continue to look at acquisitions and newly formed divisions within Godfather Media, Inc.”

JUCO FOOTBALL

Wade signs with Tampa Bay

Former Arizona Western defensive lineman Myles Wade was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday.

Wade, who played just one year for the Matadors, finished up playing his senior year at Portland State. Korey Toomer, Wade's teammate on the 2007 Matador team, was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Draft late last month.

JUCO SOFTBALL

Former Cibola pitcher honored

Sarah Ray, who once dominated hitters while pitching for the Raiders, was named the MVP of the Division II region tournament for Phoenix College.

Ray, who was also awarded Phoenix College's Scholar-Athlete Award, defeated Arizona Western twice this season — in a 9-0 win in five innings on March 3 in Yuma and a 2-1 victory on April 17 in Phoenix.

She is set to play next year for West Alabama University.