Life in the professional baseball ranks took Federal Way-area graduates to the far corners of the United States in the summer of 2006.

Travis Ishikawa found himself going back-and-forth three times -- from the Class AA Connecticut Defenders to the Major League San Francisco Giants and back again and again and again.

Each time he was brought up he was substituting for first baseman Lance Neikro because of either injuries or personal reasons.

He left a good impression while with the parent club, hitting .292 (7-for-21) with three doubles, one triple, one walk and four RBI.

Back in Norwich, Conn., he hit .232 (69-for-298) with 13 doubles, four triples and 10 home runs. He also scored 33 runs, 35 walks and 88 strikeouts.

Jeff Heaverlo pitched most of the season for the Los Angeles Angels' Class AAA team in Salt Lake City, Utah, Heaverlo joined the Bees after the Seattle Mariners cut him during the offseason.

The right-handed pitcher known for his slider threw in 20 games, posting a 2-4 record with a 7.14 ERA, striking out 34 and walking 36.

He threw 51.2 innings at the AAA level, but ended the summer with the Class AA Arkansas Travelers.

Heaverlo is a former Steel Lake Little League player.

Heaverlo's stay in Little Rock gave him five innings of action in short relief, posting a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings. He struck out six opposing hitters and walked only two.

Andre Piper-Jordan spent his summer close to home, playing for the Vancouver Canadians of the Class A Northwest League.

Piper-Jordan hit .255 (35-for-137) with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, 19 runs, 11 walks 40 strikeouts and four stolen bases.

Like Heaverlo, Federal Way graduate Brady Everett played for a club called the Bees, only it was the Burlington Bees in Iowa.

The catcher hit .256 (76-for-297) with 13 doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI, 40 runs scored, four stolen bases, 37 walks and 45 strikeouts.