AppleSox Open 2024 WCL Playoffs Tomorrow
August 9, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Wenatchee AppleSox News Release
The Wenatchee AppleSox take on the Victoria HarbourCats tomorrow night at 6:35 in Game 1 of the best-of-three West Coast League North Division Series.
This is the 16th postseason berth in franchise history and the fourth time in the last five seasons that the AppleSox have qualified for the playoffs. Wenatchee has won six league championships with one Pacific International League title (2003) and five West Coast League titles (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012).
Head coach Mitch Darlington has qualified for the postseason for a third consecutive season, the only AppleSox skipper to achieve the feat in each of his first three campaigns. Darlington became the only head coach of Wenatchee's six in franchise history to qualify for the postseason in his first year at the helm when he accomplished the feat in 2022. Darlington's 99 regular-season victories are second-most in AppleSox history and he guided the team to back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2023 and 2024, a feat achieved for the first time by the club since 2011-12. In each of his three campaigns the AppleSox have broken their club record for walks drawn. This summer's club became the first to win the first half and lock up the first seed in the North Division since the two-half playoff format was adopted in 2016. The AppleSox have scored the most runs in the West Coast League since the start of 2022. Wenatchee led the WCL in runs (380) and batting average (.283) this summer.
Wenatchee was led at the plate by Aidan Dougherty and Max Hartman. Dougherty, an incoming junior at UConn, is not available for the playoffs but finished the season with a .380 batting average. The incoming junior at UConn ended the summer on a 10-game hit streak and joined Payden Cawley-Lamb (.350 in 2011) and Curtis Van Wyck (.352 in 2007) as the only AppleSox to ever win a WCL batting crown. Dougherty also led the league with five triples and his 43 RBI tied for third-most and. His 21 steals were the third-most in a single season in AppleSox history and are he matched Connor Spencer (2013) for the best batting average in a single season in team history among players to appear in at least 40 games.
Hartman was an on-base machine for the AppleSox from start to finish, appearing in a team-high 51 games and reached base with a hit in 39-of-47 starts. The incoming junior at Washington State tied for the WCL lead with 51 runs scored, marking the third straight summer that an AppleSox player tied or led the league in that stat. Hartman hit two home runs, including one-of-two Wenatchee grand slams this summer when he went deep July 9 vs. Edmonton. He also led the AppleSox with 34 walks and finished second with 17 stolen bases.
On the mound, Brewster native and WCL All-Star Quincy Vassar shined in his final summer with the AppleSox. Vassar became the AppleSox' new record-holder for career strikeouts (125) and innings (131.2). He went 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 14 walks and 47 hits over 49.1 innings in 10 games (nine starts). Vassar finished the regular season with just two runs given up over his final 18 innings spanning four games.
This postseason series will be the third between the AppleSox and the HarbourCats. Victoria defeated Wenatchee in three games in the North Division Series in 2019 to advance to the West Coast League Championship Series with a walkoff win in Game 3. The HarbourCats swept the AppleSox last season to advance to the North Division Championship Game.
The AppleSox have earned home-field advantage for the first round and will host Game 2 Sunday and Game 3, if necessary, Monday at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Tickets for Sunday's game are available now at applesox.com/schedule. Should the AppleSox win this series then they will advance to the North Division Championship Game on Wednesday and it will be held in Wenatchee regardless of who wins in the other North Division Series matchup between the Edmonton Riverhawks and the Bellingham Bells.
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West Coast League Stories from August 9, 2024
- 2024 WCL Playoffs Start Saturday Night - WCL
- AppleSox Open 2024 WCL Playoffs Tomorrow - Wenatchee AppleSox
- Pippins Close Anniversary Season with Home Sweep - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Dougherty Wins Batting Crown, AppleSox Top Elks - Wenatchee AppleSox
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