Winter Ball with the Wild Things
WASHINGTON, PA - It may be a Winter Wonderland here in Washington County but there is no down time for Wild Thing’s players. While some returned home to enjoy warmer training temperatures, a handful of Wild Thing standouts are traveling the globe to play international winter ball.
Catcher Kyle Pollock and relief pitcher Andrew Woeck have taken their talents to Taiwan to participate in the Asian Winter League. Using their European heritage, both were selected to join Team Europe to battle the best that Japan and South Korea had to offer. Team Europe finished with a 4-12 record but Pollock hit an impressive .326 while Woeck amassed 9 innings out of the pen. When asked about the league, Woeck, the former Rays prospect stated, “The Asian teams are unreal. They have the best hitters I have seen”.
2016 Frontier League All-Star, Ricky Rodriguez, is currently playing in the Mexican Winter League for Pericos de Puebla. Rodriguez was a great addition to the Wild Things roster in 2016; where he hit .289 and blasted 9 HRs. The Los Angeles native was selected the starting 3B for the East Division All-Star team and will return to Washington in 2017 as the team’s leading offensive producer.
Two staples of the Wild Things rotation can be seen playing down under in Australia. Luke Wilkins, a Sydney native, is in his 7th season with the hometown Sydney Blue Sox. Luke’s dominance in 2016 earned him a roster spot on the Australian All-Star team. The game will be played on December 22nd and can be seen in the states streamed on ESPN3. Also representing the Wild Things in Sydney is RHP Trevor Foss. The Wisconsin native shined in his first season with Washington; earning both Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star selections and collecting 8 wins for the Wild Things before being signed by the AL Champion Cleveland Indians. The success continues for Foss in Australian with a 3.94 ERA in his 5 starts.
The 2017 Schedule is now available. Washington will host the Windy City Thunderbolts on Friday May 19th for their home opener. Ticket and group packages are available at the Box office. Call 724-250-9555 for more information.
