Series Preview: Smokies at Barons
Published on August 26, 2025 under Southern League (SL)
Knoxville Smokies News Release
Knoxville Smokies catcher Pablo Aliendo prepares to make a play at the plate
(Knoxville Smokies, Credit: Lindsay Coward)
The Knoxville Smokies are getting on the road towards Magic City to take on the first place Birmingham Barons, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. In a battle of two Southern League North clubs, this series could be pivotal in deciding who gets the playoff ticket to Chattanooga.
With just 18 games left in the 2025 campaign the Smokies find themselves 10.5 games back of the Barons, the largest deficit they've seen in the entire second half. The Smokies have a winning record against each foe in the Southern League North except the Birmingham Barons, whom they've gone 8-10 against this season.
This will be the final matchup of the year between these clubs and the Smokies will look to make it count. Knoxville enters the series with an overall record of 56-62, 24-26 in the second half. Birmingham sports the best overall record in the Southern League at 73-47, as well as the second half at 35-16.
First pitch of the road series is set for 8:00 PM ET at Regions Field in Birmingham, AL on Tuesday night.
The Smokies roll into Birmingham after a rough home set, hosting the Montgomery Biscuits and dropping five of six. However there were plenty of notable individual performances, including Ethan Hearn's three homer series, the return of No. 4 overall prospect Jaxon Wiggins, and the Double-A debut of Erian Rodriguez. If Knoxville were a member of the Southern League South they would be right in the thick of the playoff race with three series remaining, but due to Birmingham's stellar run in the second half, first place in the Southern League North has become almost unattainable for the Smokies.
Knoxville has found it difficult to string wins together, playing around .500 baseball all year long. They have featured an above average pitching staff the entire campaign, ranking third in hits allowed (842) and fourth in ERA (3.67). While Knoxville's offense has displayed the ability to not go down quietly, they rank middle of the pack in most offensive categories due to their inconsistencies against starting pitching. The bats have not shown up when the Smokies have needed them most, with the team putting up a .216 batting average in August, second to last in the Southern League.
The Birmingham Barons host the Knoxville Smokies on the tail end of a two week homestand in late August. The first half included a series win over Rocket City, taking four of six games at home. Even though the White Sox big league club has struggled mightily, their Double-A squad shows potential on the horizon for the south side organization. Entering the series the Barons roster features six of their top 20 prospects, including a fresh call up the Smokies haven't seen before, their number one prospect OF Braden Montgomery.
The Barons have been dominating the Southern League this season, led by an offense that has been hot in the dog days of summer. The Barons lead the Southern League in batting average (.257), doubles (41), and hits (177) in the month of August. Their pitching staff is also atop the Southern League leaders in ERA (2.17), IP (186.1), and WHIP (1.04) in August. The pitching has been consistent all year long for Birmingham thanks to an influx of highly touted prospects consistently passing through Magic City. They sport the only team ERA below three (2.76) in the Southern League this season.
Players to Watch
A month ago, Pedro Ramirez was the Southern League hits leader, but after a skid in August (.181) the top prospect looks to re-kindle his early season flame against a familiar foe. In 18 prior matchups against the Barons, Ramirez has tallied 21 hits and 30 total bases. He leads the active club in batting average against Birmingham (.304), and is second in HR (2) and RBI (12). The No. 8 overall Cubs prospect has not finished outside of the top 10 in his league's batting race in any year of his professional career. With 18 games remaining Ramirez finds himself just outside of the top ten (.262) behind RCT OF Nelson Rada (.277). As for the pitching side, all eyes will be on No. 4 overall prospect Jaxon Wiggins. The fire-baller has only been seen on the mound twice since June 20th, and made his first appearance at Covenant Health Park since June 8th this past Sunday. The only prior matchup between Wiggins and the Barons went down in Knoxville, and Wiggins impressed through five scoreless innings, allowing just five baserunners and striking out five. The Arkansas alum is slated to throw 3-5 innings on Sunday.
Unfortunately, the Barons hit the Smokies better than any other opponent in the Southern League led by top prospect INF Williams Bergolla. Bergolla has picked up 21 hits against Knoxville in 17 games, but INF Mario Camilletti has been the biggest thorn in the Smokies side. On the season, Camilletti is batting .230 with a .631 OPS. Throughout his career, Mario has posted a .255 batting average and a .732 OPS across four levels. Against Knoxville this season, the switch-hitter is batting .342 with a .814 OPS. On the mound the Smokies will deal with multiple top 30 prospects, but none has given them more trouble than No. 7 CWS prospect RHP Tanner McDougal. In his first year in Double-A, McDougal has posted a 2.27 ERA in his first 12 starts. Three of those appearances have been against the Smokies in which he is 1-1, with a 0.69 ERA. He features a fastball in the upper 90s that can touch 100 mph and is matched up against Knoxville RHP Grant Kipp this Friday.
Probable Pitching Matchups
8/26 Tuesday, 8:00 PM ET
RHP Tommy Romero (1-0, 2.65 ERA) vs RHP Connor McCullough (0-0, 1.13 ERA)
8/27 Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET
RHP Walker Powell (0-1, 6.00 ERA) vs RHP Riley Gowens (7-5, 3.68 ERA)
8/28 Thursday, 8:00 PM ET
TBD vs LHP Shane Murphy (9-4, 1.45 ERA)
8/29 Friday, 8:00 PM ET
RHP Grant Kipp (6-6, 3.90 ERA) vs RHP Tanner McDougal (3-1, 2.27 ERA)
8/30 Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
RHP Erian Rodriguez (0-1, 3.60 ERA) vs LHP Hagen Smith (3-3, 3.68 ERA)
8/31 Sunday, 5:00 PM ET
RHP Jaxon Wiggins (2-0, 2.08 ERA) vs RHP Connor McCullough (0-0, 1.13 ERA)
This six-game set represents a crossroads for both clubs as the 2025 Southern League season winds down. For Birmingham, it's an opportunity to cement their division title and continue building momentum heading into the postseason. The Barons have all the ingredients for a deep playoff run- elite pitching, a balanced offense firing on all cylinders, and a roster loaded with top prospects gaining valuable experience.
For Knoxville, this series is about pride and development. While the playoffs may be seemingly out of reach, the Smokies can still make a statement against the league's best team. Key prospects need strong finishes to their seasons, and promising arms like Jaxon Wiggins require crucial innings as they continue their ascent through the Cubs system.
The historical matchup favors Birmingham, but baseball's beauty lies in its unpredictability. If Knoxville's pitching staff can neutralize the Barons' potent offense and their inconsistent bats can finally break through against quality arms, they could play spoiler in Magic City. However, Birmingham's depth and recent dominance make them heavy favorites to take the series and move one step closer to Southern League North supremacy.
Regardless of the outcome, this series showcases the future of two organizations- one riding high with championship aspirations, the other building toward brighter days ahead. Listen to all the action on the radio, 92.5 FM/1180 AM WKCE or watch live on MiLB.tv or the MLB App.
Images from this story
 Knoxville Smokies catcher Pablo Aliendo prepares to make a play at the plate (Lindsay Coward) |
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