Renegades Game Notes

May 9, 2024 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release

Hudson Valley Renegades (14-12) at Aberdeen IronBirds (15-14)

RHP Jackson Fristoe (0-0, 5.59 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Fruit (0-2, 2.95 ERA)

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: After two games were postponed on Saturday and Sunday at Wilmington, the Renegades have now had seven road games postponed due to rain already this season. During the first road trip of the season vs. Rome, there were four games rescheduled, and one game was canceled after a prolonged rain storm in Georgia. Hudson Valley will now play eight games in six days vs. Wilmington from June 4th-9th. The 'Gades have played only 26 games, at least one game less than the rest of the SAL North, and three less games than Brooklyn, Jersey Shore, and Aberdeen.

FAMILIAR FOES: The Renegades continue a previously scheduled 12-game road trip against the IronBirds, playing six games in Aberdeen this week. This is already the second series of the season between Hudson Valley and Aberdeen, after the Renegades took four of six at home in April, featuring three walk-off wins. The two teams will match up in 12 of their next 24 games, and then won't play each other again in the regular season after June 2nd. ROAD BIG FLIES: The Renegades have displayed tremendous power through the first six games of the road trip. Since their travels began on April 30th, Hudson Valley has clobbered 12 home runs, nearly matching its total of 13 long balls through 20 games. Despite two games being postponed, those 12 home runs rank second only to Greensboro in the South Atlantic during that span. Jared Serna produced a three-homer game at Wilmington, and Jesus Rodriguez has shown off his power with four home runs during the road trip. As a team, the Renegades also have a .294 average since April 30th, which is the best mark in the South Atlantic.

OLD RELIABLE: Cole Ayers was excellent for the Renegades in 2023 after being called up on August 8th from Tampa, putting together a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings with 21 strikeouts. Beginning the season with Hudson Valley this campaign, he's been even better. In 10 appearances, which is tied for the most in the South Atlantic, Ayers has a 1.69 ERA. The right-hander has allowed just three ER in 16 innings with 21 punchouts, good for an excellent 32.8% K rate. Opponents are hitting just .175 off Ayers, and the State College of Florida product has issued just six walks. He's become a dependable force in the bullpen for the Renegades.

THE 'PEN IS MIGHTIER: The Renegades bullpen collectively sports a 2.66 ERA (36 ER/122 IP) this season, the fourth-best mark in MiLB, On Thursday night, Joel Valdez turned in 3.2 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts. Renegades relievers have combined for 11.7 K/9 this season.

LIMITING HITS & RUNS: Hudson Valley pitchers have been on a roll early on, and have allowed only 159 hits through 26 games. The Renegades have allowed the fewest hits in MiLB, ten fewer than the Vancouver Canadians (TOR, A+). Incredibly, Amarillo (AZ, AA) has allowed a staggering 279 hits through 29 games, most among all non-AAA teams. The team's 3.20 ERA is the fourth-best mark in High-A., and the eighth-best in the minors. Hudson Valley has recorded 9+ strikeouts in nine of their last 12 games.

OVER A DECADE OF SUCCESS: With a 70-62 (.530) record in 2023, the Hudson Valley Renegades recorded their 11th consecutive season with an above .500 record (since 2012). During that span, the team has won two league championships (2012 and 2017), seven playoff appearances (12, 14, 16-19, 23), and five league championship series appearances (12, 16-18, 23). Including their 9-6 start to 2024, among teams in affiliated baseball with at least 800 games, the Renegades have the best winning percentage (.576) in MiLB.

FINISHING STRONG: Over his last 14 games of the 2023 regular season, Jesús Rodríguez went 19-for-53 (.358) with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, 9 RBIs, and seven runs scored. Rodríguez has carried that success into the 2024 season by reaching base safely in eighteen of his first twenty-four games. Over his last ten games, Rodriguez is hitting .375 with eight extra-base hits, nine RBIs, a .800 slugging percentage, and an absurd 1.244 OPS. On the season, the Renegades infielder is currently batting .326 with five home runs and 14 RBIs with a .948 OPS on the young season, and already has ten multi-hit games, the most on the team. On Tuesday vs. Aberdeen, Rodríguez was 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. His batting average ranks second in the South Atlantic and his 31 hits are third, despite the Renegades playing less games than their divisional foes. Rodriguez's five long balls are also good for fourth in the SAL.

DOMINANCE: Cam Schlittler has put together an outstanding start to the season on the mound. The right-hander has allowed just three ER in 26 innings so far in 2024, and already has three scoreless outings of 5+ innings to his name in five appearances. In four of five starts, Schlittler has set and matched his career high of seven strikeouts. On Tuesday vs. Aberdeen, Schlittler struck out seven across five no-hit innings. Schlittler's 0.73 WHIP is the best in the South Atlantic and High-A, and his 1.04 ERA ranks third in both categories. Batters are hitting a ridiculous .092 against Schlittler, the best opposing batting average in all of High-A.

MIDWEST REINFORCEMENTS: Jace Avina debuted with the Renegades on April 17 after being traded to New York for Jake Bauers in November from Milwaukee. The 20-year-old has quickly made a big impact for the Renegades. He is currently in the midst of a 15-game on-base streak, tied for the third-longest in the South Atlantic, trailing only Jacob Gonzalez of Winston-Salem and Creed Willems of Aberdeen. Avina is off to a 17-for-60 (.283) start with two home runs, seven walks and eight runs scored and a .877 OPS in sixteen games. On April 30th at Wilmington, the Sparks, Nevada native had a 3-for-6 outing, featuring his second home run of the season, two doubles, and two RBIs. The Spanish Springs High School graduate was the Arizona Complex League MVP in 2022.

THREE TIMES TWO: On May 1st's 13-10 victory vs. Wilmington, Jared Serna hit three two-run homers, driving in six runs and scoring three runs. Serna is just the third Renegades player since 2005 to hit three home runs in a game, and first since Everson Pereira on Sept. 5, 2021 at Greensboro. It was just the third three-homer game all-time at Frawley Stadium. Serna has now hit all five of his long balls on the road this season. He ranks fourth in the South Atlantic with those five home runs, and third in RBIs with 21. Through six games on the road trip versus the Blue Rocks and IronBirds, Serna has driven in 12 runs, more than doubling his season total.

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FREE RUNS: Renegades opponents have issued the team an astounding ten bases-loaded walks this season, tied for the fourth-most in the minors. On May 2nd, Wilmington RHP Marquis Grissom, Jr. issued two bases-loaded walks in the top of the 11th to help the Renegades to a 13-10 win.

LOADED DIVISION: The SAL North is the only division in professional baseball (MiLB, MLB and Independent Leagues) where all teams are above .500 as of the start of play on Thursday.

INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH: The Hudson Valley Renegades and the Bhutan Baseball & Softball Association have partnered to present Bhutan Night on August 20 at Heritage Financial Park. The team is currently fundraising to bring over several Bhutanese baseball players for baseball and cultural enrichment tour of the Hudson Valley and New York. More details on the night can be found at www.hvrenegades.com/bhutan .

Check out the Hudson Valley Renegades Statistics

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