Washington Announces Field Staff for 2024 Campaign
WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 15) – The Washington Wild Things have announced their 2024 field staff, headlined by fourth-year manager Tom Vaeth. Vaeth will be joined by the same assistants as 2023 in pitching coach Alex Boshers and bench coach Ryan Whithorn. Hailey Drollinger has been hired as the club’s head athletic trainer.
Cam Roth, who was previously announced as the club’s new pitching coach, took a full-time job and will not be coming to Washington. After initially exploring other options in and outside the Frontier League, Boshers will return in the same role.
Vaeth enters his fourth season as skipper of the Wild Things and resumes his first tenure as a manager in professional baseball. The former Winnipeg Goldeyes hitting coach and 10th manager in club history, enters the season with a record of 165 wins and 123 losses, good for a winning percentage of .573. That record doesn’t include a playoff record of 5-7. Vaeth has directed the team to two division championships and was named the Frontier League Manager of the Year in 2022.
Boshers returns for his fourth season with the club, after joining Vaeth’s staff when Tom got the job prior to the 2021 season. Boshers enjoyed a seven-year career in pro ball on the mound after pitching collegiately at Tennessee-Martin. The pro-ball run included 15 regular-season appearances in 2021 for the Wild Things on the hill. Boshers was the 2021 Darren Bush Award winner in the Frontier League as its coach of the year.
Whithorn is back for his second season as bench coach after joining the club prior to the 2023 season. It’s his third season as a pro ball coach overall after he spent a season with Missoula in the Pioneer League in 2022. The Claremont, California native will continue to assist with the Wild Things’ position players and overall roster, while spending a lot of time with the hitters.
“We’re excited to get going again with this staff on the field for the 2024 season,” said vice president of baseball operations Kyle Dawson. “We’ve got a group that understands our high expectations for results as well as our high expectations for community involvement and an eye on the fan experience. Rest assured we’re all working hard to bounce back and make a return to the Frontier League playoffs. These guys are competitive and have a desire to win.”
Drollinger comes to the Wild Things after spending two seasons as an assistant athletic trainer in affiliated ball. She spent 2022 with the White Sox farm system and Low-A team before working with Double-A Corpus Christi in the Astros organization in 2023. Drollinger got her bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and her Master of Science in Applied Exercise Science from Concordia University Chicago. She replaces Austin Pascarella, who was with Washington for two seasons as its head athletic trainer and has since taken a post with Duquesne University.
“The hiring process for the head athletic trainer was challenging but we think we found a really good with Hailey,” said Dawson. “She comes in with an understanding of how pro ball works and how to manage a roster and help keep it healthy and on the field. We’re excited for her to get started and continue to grow the good reputation our training staff has had over the years.”
Washington is set to open its season at home Friday, May 10 against the Boomers. Season ticket and group packages, plus single game tickets are available for purchase now by calling 866-456-WILD or going to washingtonwildthings.com. Fans can also follow the team’s social media pages and site for news on the building of the roster, including on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and now, once again, YouTube. Search @WashWildThings, go to youtube.com/@WashWildThings or go to facebook.com/washingtonwildthings.
