Washington Whiskey Runners Roster Announced for Irish Wolfhounds Exhibition Game

WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 14) – The Washington Wild Things have announced the roster for the Washington Whiskey Runners for Saturday, June 7’s Céad Míle Fáilte Matchup at EQT Park against the world’s first All-Irish baseball club, the Irish Wolfhounds. The exhibition game, which starts at 7:05 p.m. that night, will, in part, benefit Riley’s Pour House.

The Whiskey Runners roster is made up of former big leaguers, former Wild Things and others, including media personalities.

“It is appreciated to see how many collegiate and pro athletes looked to come together for this event to benefit Riley’s Pour House,” said president and general manager Tony Buccilli. “We expect the wide range of players and personalities to be a great draw.”

Here is the roster:

• Chris Sidick – Sidick is a member of the Frontier League Hall of Fame (Class of 2015) and the only Wild Thing to have number retired by the team. He retired in 2011 as the Frontier League’s leader in games played (588), at bats (2,225) and hits (635). He’s since been passed in those categories. He’s all over the Wild Things’ career and single-season leaderboards as well. A Canonsburg, Pennsylvania native, Sidick played at Marietta College and owns C-Side Sports Academy.
• Hector Roa – Roa is a former Houston Astros farmhand and long-time member of the Wild Things’ family. He retired as a Wild Thing May 11, 2024, and holds the career records as a Wild Thing for homers (63) and RBI (315) after playing with the club from 2017 through 2022. He then had a stint with Lexington (ATLL) and the Lake Erie Crushers. He was a 2019 mid-season Frontier League All Star and now is an instructor at C-Side Sports Academy.
• Nicholas Callas – A Waynesburg University (2021) and Keystone Oaks High School (2017) grad, Callas played baseball at both schools before halting his playing career to focus on activity in the Department of Communication at Waynesburg. He’s now the producer of the morning show featuring Dorin Dickerson and Adam Crowley at 93.7 The Fan.
• Ryan Douglass – A former 13^th rounder of the Royals in 1997, Douglass is a Pittsburgh native that went to Bishop Canevin High School, where his team made the WPIAL and PIAA finals as a senior. Douglass was 9-2 with a 0.69 ERA that season with 121 strikeouts to 10 walks. After reaching as high as Double-A in the minors, Douglass played for Washington in 2005, going 11-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 19 starts. He started the All-Star Game that season. He now runs Ryan Douglass Field of Dreams Baseball Clinics in Pittsburgh.
• Matt DeSalvo – A New Castle native (Union Area HS), DeSalvo made his big-league debut May 7, 2007, at 26 years old after pitching in college at Marietta. He appeared in nine big-league games between time with the Yankees and Braves and came out of retirement to pitch for the Steel City Slammin’ Sammies in Washington’s COVID pod at EQT Park. A 13-year pro, he amassed 71 career pro wins and a 4.01 career ERA.
• Josh Wilson – A Pittsburgh native and 1999 3^rd Rounder out of Mt. Lebanon High School to the Florida Marlins, Wilson played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, totaling 431 games as a journeyman. He played his most games in a Mariners uniform but also played for Arizona, Texas, Detroit, Milwaukee, San Diego and Tampa Bay after breaking in with the Marlins. He also played in the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington (Nationals), Colorado and Atlanta farm systems.
• Brett Grandstrand – Grandstrand was a 13^th round selection of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004 out of Coastal Carolina University and played two seasons in the Pirates’ farm system. He came to the Wil Things in 2006 and slashed .284/.317/.376 before having his contract purchased by Tampa Bay, where he spent 2007 before returning to Washington for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
• Tom Cochran – Cochran was the first of now eight former Wild Things to get the call to the big leagues when he was called up to the major-league roster by the Reds. He pitched in the Boston, Cincinnati and Philadelphia farm systems and also for Ohio Valley (former Frontier League), Lancaster (ATLL) and Worcester (CAMA) in indy ball. He was with Washington from 2006-2007 and was a Frontier League All Star in 2007. With the Wild Things, he was 14-13 over two seasons with an ERA in the mid 3.00s. He logged more than 242 career innings in a Wild Things uniform.
• Patrick Sadler – Sadler played with the Wild Things from 2006 through 2007 and was 7-3 in 38 games (six starts) for Washington. He posted a 4.32 ERA and had three saves over 77 total innings with the club. Sadler was 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA in 30 bullpen appearances in 2006 and struck out 47 in 50.1 innings. He’s a Trinity High School grad and Cal U grad. He’s now an instructor with AHN Sports Performance Academy at Cool Springs.
• Jordan Jankowski – Drafted in the 34^th Round in 2008 out of Peters Township and in the same round in 2012 out of Catawba College, Jankowski made his major league debut May 24, 2017, with the Houston Astros and ended up pitching in three games for the club. He finished his career in 2018 with Triple-A Salt Lake (LAD) before coming out of retirement to pitch for the Steel City Slammin’ Sammies in the COVID pod in Washington in 2020. He’s now a real estate agent.
• Jason Mackey – Jason is a senior sportswriter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and went to Brentwood High School. He played there and at Westminster College. He also appears as a guest and host on 93.7 The Fan and previously worked at the Washington Observer-Reporter.
• Andrew Heck – The North Hills High School product that matriculated to Duquesne and then went to Oklahoma State, Heck played five seasons in the Frontier League, with 11 of his 230 pro games coming with Traverse City (FL) and the rest in Washington. He posted a career slash line of .283/.365/.386 with 74 RBI and one time played all nine positions in a single game for the Wild Things. He’s now a sales pro for BSN Sports and has been head coach at North Allegheny High School since 2016. He most recently led the Tigers to a 2024 Class 6A Baseball Championship, his second title as a coach (2021).
• Ryan Roell – Ryan played his college ball at Frostburg State and has been on two Frontier League rosters. He serves as the current Wild Things bullpen catcher after joining the club briefly on the roster in 2024. He played in six games for Québec in 2023.
• Sean Kealey – Kealey played at Baldwin High School and Allegheny College before breaking into pro ball, first with the Steel City Slammin’ Sammies in the COVID pod. He then started 2021 with the Wild Things an appeared in four games. He didn’t allow a run in those innings and surrendered just one hit with six punchouts. He had his contract purchased by the Cardinals that summer and went on to pitch parts of that season and the next with the Cards farm system. He appeared in 14 games for Springfield (Double-A) in 2022 and struck out 28 in 18.1 innings but has not pitched since due to Tommy John surgery. He’s now a Commercial Insurance Sales Associate at Henderson Brothers.
• Nathan Messner – The Florida Marlins picked Messner in the 18^th Round of the 2004 draft out of Muncy High School in Pennsylvania. He’d go on to spend the next three seasons with the organization before heading to independent baseball to play two seasons with the Wild Things. A 2007 Frontier League All Star, Messner was a double-digit homer guy (10) in 2007 and clubbed 17 in his two seasons. He drove in 98 runs in 169 games in a Washington uniform and slashed .284/.388/.448.
• Jason Bradburn – 2025 is Bradburn’s fifth on the Belle Vernon baseball coaching staff as a varsity assistant and hitting coordinator. He was an All-Section player at South Park High School in 1991 and 1992 before playing collegiately at Edinboro University, Northeast Louisiana (Division I) and Point Park. He was the 1993 PSAC Rookie of the Year while at Edinboro. He’s a Rostraver resident with his wife Melanie (Taylor, 100.7 Star) and their two daughters.

The Irish Wolfhounds Baseball Club was created to demonstrate that there are many Irish American dual citizens who are being prevented from representing Ireland on the baseball diamond. The Wolfhounds roster includes over three dozen players with college and pro experience, who have been denied an opportunity to try out for Team Ireland.

"We are excited to bring the Wolfhounds to Western PA and partner with the Wild Things for a fun and important day of baseball and celebration, " said Christian Heimall, Wolfhounds General Manager. "The opportunity to showcase players that can represent Ireland on the world stage, raise money for a great cause and celebrate the rich Irish heritage in the region makes this a great day at Wild Things Park."

The EQT Park gates will open at 6 p.m. June 7 for Céad Míle Fáilte Matchup. Tickets for the game are $5 and available now by clicking here or by calling 866-456-WILD (9453). Game jerseys will be auctioned off as well the day of the game. Proceeds from both of those will benefit Riley’s Pour House, an extremely popular Irish pub in Carnegie, which endured significant damage from a fire in November of 2024.