Yakima Valley Pippins
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| Yakima Valley Pippins | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| League | West Coast League (East) |
| Location | Yakima, Washington |
| Ballpark | Yakima County Stadium |
| Founded | 2013 |
| League championships | 0 |
| Division championships | 2 (2014, 2021) |
| Colors | Green, light blue and white |
| Mascot | Scott T. Pippin |
| Ownership | Pacific Baseball Ventures, LLC |
| Management | Jeff Garretson (General Manager) |
| Coach | Kyle Krustangel |
The Yakima Valley Pippins are a collegiate wood bat baseball team based in Yakima, Washington. They are member of the West Coast League and began play in 2014 at the 3,000-seat Yakima County Stadium. They replaced the Yakima Bears of the Northwest League, who relocated to Hillsboro, Oregon, and were renamed the Hillsboro Hops. They were named for the pippin apple. On August 6, 2014, the Pippins were the first WCL expansion franchise to win a divisional pennant, beating the Cowlitz Black Bears 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th inning. After missing the playoffs in 2015, the Pippins returned to post season play, winning the 2nd Half South Division Title. The Pippins hold the West Coast League record for most wins in their first two seasons going 64-44 in 2014-2015.
History[edit]
2013[edit]
The Pippins are the latest West Coast League (WCL) team.[1] Pacific Baseball Ventures LLC owns both the Yakima Valley Pippins and the Walla Walla Sweets baseball team that also plays in the WCL. Because of the expansion team in Yakima, the WCL moved from a two-division format to a three-division format with an MLB playoff order. In May 2014, the Pippins reached an agreement to have 21 of their home games broadcast in Spanish. KDNA 91.9 FM will be the station broadcasting the 21 games out of Yakima.[2]
2014[edit]
After Pacific Baseball Ventures was awarded the Yakima expansion team in the late part of the 2013 year, PBV began restoring the field. In the inaugural season for the Pippins. The Pippins were the second team to make the playoffs in the first season of play. With a 35-19 record and the WCL East Division pennant, the Pippins housed the WCL MVP for the 2014 year. Vince Fernandez had 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in, setting the record in both of those categories.[3] In the first year of play at Yakima County Stadium, the Pippins had an attendance of 42,898 in 34 home games.
2024[edit]
The Pippins are fifth in the south division with a 12-15 record and are 8.5 games behind the division leading Knights.[4] Outfielder Casey Wayne (Northwest Nazarene) has hit three home runs while pitchers Donovann Jackson (Chaffey College) and Ethan Salscheider (Hawaii Hilo) have combined for seven wins on the mound.[5] 13,611 fans have attended the Pippins' fifteen home games for an average of 907.[6]
Pitcher Carson Judd was announced as "Pitcher of the Week" on June 3rd. Judd pitched six scoreless innings and threw eight strikeouts against the Drifters the previous Saturday night.[7]
Season-by-Season Record[edit]
| Season | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Postseason | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | WCL | East | 1st | 35 | 19 | .648 | 0 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Bellingham) | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2015 | WCL | East | 2nd | 29 | 25 | .537 | 5.5 | Did Not Qualify | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2016 | WCL | South | 2nd | 32 | 22 | .593 | 2 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Corvallis) | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2017 | WCL | South | 2nd | 28 | 26 | .519 | 6 | Lost Division Series 1-2 (Corvallis) | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2018 | WCL | North | 4th | 27 | 27 | .500 | 8 | Did Not Qualify | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2019 | WCL | North | 5th | 21 | 33 | .389 | 18 | Did Not Qualify | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||||||||
| 2021 | WCL | North | 1st | 29 | 19 | .604 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Bellingham) Lost Championship Series 1-2 (Corvallis) |
Kyle Krustangel |
| 2022 | WCL | South | 4th | 29 | 25 | .537 | 10 | Lost Divisional Series 1-2 (Corvallis) | Kyle Krustangel |
| 2023 | WCL | South | 7th | 20 | 34 | .370 | 19 | Did Not Qualify | Kyle Krustangel |
| 2024 | WCL | South | 4th | 15 | 18 | .455 | 10.5 | Kyle Krustangel | |
| Division Champions | League Champions | Playoff Team |
Notable players[edit]
- Eli Morgan (born 1996), MLB pitcher
References[edit]
- ^ "The Official Site of the West Coast League - The Diamond Standard - News". www.wccbl.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-24.
- ^ "Welcome to the Official Site of the Yakima Valley Pippins!: News". pippinsbaseball.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12.
- ^ "Official Website of the West Coast League: WCL Team News". westcoastleague.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-30.
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/standings.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=33874
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/leaders.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=33874
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=33874
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/hartman-and-judd-receive-wcls-moss-adams-weekly-accolades/
