TinCaps Game Information: April 9 vs. Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics Affiliate)
MWL Fort Wayne TinCaps

TinCaps Game Information: April 9 vs. Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics Affiliate)

Published on April 9, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


Fort Wayne TinCaps (1-4) vs. Lansing Lugnuts (3-1)

Thursday, April 9 | Parkview Field | 7:05 PM | Game 6 of 132

RHP Carson Montgomery (0-0, 0.0 IP, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Samuel Dutton (0-1, 4.0 IP, 13.50 ERA)

WATCH: MyNetwork TV (Local 21.3), Bally Sports Live, MLB.TV, MLB+

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LONG AWAITED RETURN: Fort Wayne right-hander Carson Montgomery returns to the mound for his first Minor League Baseball appearance in 718 days. A 2023 11th-round pick of the Padres, Montgomery pitched in the Arizona Fall League this past year and returned for his first professional performance in 533 days with the Peoria Javelinas. He made 4 starts in the Fall League and was named to the Fall-Stars Game. The Florida State alum made his pro debut with Single-A Lake Elsinore on April 7, 2024. He made 3 appearances with the Storm before needing Tommy John surgery, keeping him out for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025.

PARKVIEW FIELD IS THE PLACE TO BE: Tonight is the first Thirsty Thursday of the 2026 season, presented by Mitchell's, with $2 domestic beers and other drink specials. The 'Caps promotional schedule includes Family Feast night on Tuesdays with value concessions, Paws and Claws night with discounted White Claw on Wednesdays, and postgame autographs each Sunday, presented by Midwest Box Breaks. This year's promotional schedule includes celebrity appearances, theme nights, giveaways, and more. Additional returning fan-favorite theme games two Fort Wayne Wizards Throwback Nights (May 21 & August 27), Dino Night (May 24), Tribute to the Fort Wayne Daisies (June 5), Princess Nights (June 16 & August 4), Love & Roses Night (June 19), Harry Potter™ Night (July 3), STAR WARS™ Night (August 7), and 'Caps Against Cancer (August 22).

SETTING THE TABLE: Leadoff man Kasen Wells worked a pair of walks Wednesday, now leading the Midwest League with 6 in 5 games. He has reached base safely in every contest to begin 2026. The Graham, Texas native has reached in 9 of 19 plate appearances. Wells worked 14 walks in his 31 games with the 'Caps in 2025 after being transferred from Single-A Lake Elsinore on Aug. 1.

MCCOY FINDING THE BARREL: Fort Wayne outfielder Alex McCoy has doubled in back-to-back games following his 112.1 mph rocket to left field. He went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's home opener, his first High-A multi-hit game. McCoy's first hit of the season came on Opening Day at Great Lakes, where he slashed a double into the right-center field gap. The Baltimore native has earned all 4 of his hits so far this year, with all producing an exit velocity of 105 mph or more (105, 106, 110, 112).

260 TO THE SHOW: Former TinCap catcher Brandon Valenzuela became the 236th player in Fort Wayne Minor League history to make his MLB debut, starting behind the dish for the Blue Jays. The 25-year-old recorded his first big-league hit in his first at-bat. Valenzuela played in 153 games with the TinCaps spanning from 2021-2023, with his longest stint coming in 2022 when he logged time in 99 games with the franchise.

AN OLD FRIEND BACK AT THE HELM: Manager Jonathan Mathews returns for his third stint in Fort Wayne and second as manager. The 53-year-old acted as the 'Caps manager in 2023, bringing Fort Wayne to the postseason behind a second-half Midwest League East Division title. Mathews' first stint in Fort Wayne spanned from 2018-2021 as the team's hitting coach. He spent the past two years as the Padres Minor League Hitting Coordinator.

CAPS IN THE TOP 30: Entering 2026, Fort Wayne has 6 of the Padres' Top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Kash Mayfield leads the crop as the No. 4 prospect, with C/1B Lamar King Jr. (No. 16), OF Alex McCoy (No. 21), and OF Kavares Tears (No. 27), the three position players. RHP Kannon Kemp (No. 19) and Jaxon Dalena (No. 30) are on the Fort Wayne Injured List.

2026 PSM CLASSIC: Parkview Field will once again host 12 high school and college baseball games, featuring 24 local teams, this April and May as a part of the annual Parkview Sports Medicine Baseball Classic. Matchups will feature rival teams from around Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. Several PSM Baseball Classic alumni have gone on to play professionally, including Heritage's Andrew Saalfrank, who went on to pitch in the World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. One local product, Josh VanMeter, who grew up in Ossian and played for the TinCaps in 2014 and '15 on his way to Major League Baseball, helped launch the PSM Baseball Academy last year, a new premier baseball training program with upcoming camps, private lessons, and group programs. The event begins Tuesday, April 14, at 4:30 p.m. with New Haven taking on Heritage.

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