The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team in the Frontier League that plays in Washington, PA. Fans and media can stay aware of all the happenings in the Wild Things' organization by following the team's social media and website, washingtonwildthings.com. Season ticket packages, with new-and-improved benefits are now available by calling the box office at 724-250-9555.
2001
The Washington Wild Things were founded in December 2001 when a group of local business men and women decided to purchase a team to play at the new ballpark being constructed just off I-70 in Washington County.
The group began negotiations with the owners of the Canton Crocodiles in the early fall of 2001. They completed the deal in early December and opened for business at a store front at the Washington Crown Center while the ballpark was under construction.
2002
In April 2002, the management team moved to Falconi Field, and the team inaugurated the field with a home-opener against the Canton Coyotes on May 29, 2002. The Washington Wild Things, under the direction of Kent Tekulve (Director of Baseball Operations), Jeff Isom (Field Manager), and coaches Joe Charboneau, Lance Robinson and Mark Mason, completed the regular season as league leaders in wins with 56 victories and 28 losses. The team was crowned the Eastern Division Champions, but they fell short in the Championship Round of the Playoffs (Best of 5), falling to the Richmond Roosters 3 games to 1. Manager Jeff Isom was awarded the Roger Hanners Manager of the Year Award, and pitcher Jared Howton was honored with the Brian Tollberg Most Valuable Pitcher Award. Four players were named to the 2002 All-Star Team: SS Brad Hensler, C Shaun Argento, SP Jared Howton and RP Robert Garvin. The Washington Wild Things were also named Organization of the Year by the Frontier League.
2003
In 2003, the Washington Wild Things coaching staff consisted of Kent Tekulve (Director of Baseball Operations), Jeff Isom (Field Manager) and coaches Joe Charboneau and Mark Mason. Anxious to return to the playoffs, the team completed the season tied with the Chillicothe Paints with 54 victories and advanced to post season play. Gateway ended the Wild Things' quest for the Championship by defeating Washington in the playoffs 2 games to 0 (best of 3 series). Wild Things catcher and outfielder Josh Loggins received the Morgan Burkhart Award for Most Valuable Player from the Frontier League.
2004
The Wild Things' third season showcased a different coaching staff, with the exception of Mark Mason. John Massarelli joined the Wild Things as field manager, and Ryan Ellis, a former second baseman for the team, turned his efforts to coaching. The Wild Things again advanced to the post-season but lost three straight to the Evansville Otters in the first round of the playoffs (best of 5). The Wild Things received many honors, however. 2B Brian Stoecklein and OF Jack Headley were named to the 2004 League All Star Team. Manager John Masarelli received the Roger Hanners Award for Manager of the Year after leading his club to a first-place finish in the East Division and establishing a league record for wins in a season. In addition, Wild Things general manager Ross Vecchio was named Executive of the Year and the team was once again named Organization of the Year by the Frontier League.
2005
Led by second-year manager John Massarelli, the Wild Things made Frontier League history by winning a league-record 63 games, besting their own previous mark from the 2004 season. For the fourth straight season, the team advanced to the playoffs, losing the series 3 games to 2 to the Chillicothe Paints. In July, the Frontier League played its annual All-Star game at Falconi Field and five Wild Things were named to the East team's roster: pitchers Jim Popp and Ryan Douglass, catcher Randy McGarvey, infielder Lance Koenig and outfielder Mike Arbinger. In front of a sellout crowd of 3,595, Arbinger won both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award as the East defeated the West 5-4. As the regular season concluded, the franchise set two new attendance records by selling out Falconi Field for 35 consecutive games and seeing over 150,000 people enter the stands during the season. In September, the Frontier League named the Wild Things their Organization of the Year for the third time in the franchise's four-year history.
2006
The Wild Things enjoyed great success in their fifth season at Falconi Field, completing the year with a 59-37 regular season record and capturing the East Division Crown for the fourth time. The team advanced to post-season play for an unprecedented fifth consecutive season. The 2006 season proved to be memorable for a few reasons. The team became the winningest team in Frontier League with 294 victories in their five-year history. Manager John Massarelli received the Roger Hanners Manager of the Year Award for the second time, making him the only Frontier League Manager to ever repeat and win the prestigious honor more than once. Pitching Coach Mark Mason was named the league's Coach of the Year for his performance with the Wild Things. The Wild Things led all professional baseball in triples, chalking up 58 in 96 games. Chris Sidick broke the Frontier League record for triples with 16.
2007
At the start of the 2007 season, the Wild Things sold facility naming rights to their new partner, CONSOL Energy, changing the name of the ballpark to CONSOL Energy Park. The Wild Things advanced to post-season play for the sixth consecutive year…a feat very few teams have achieved. Even though the Frontier League Crown eluded the Washington club, they remained the winningest team in Frontier League history. Nathan Messner, Robbie Knapp, and Mario Garza proceeded to hit double-figure homeruns as the team established a new team record with 89 homeruns. Jarod Rine became the first Washington player to lead the league with 33 stolen bases. Washington was well represented at the 2007 Frontier League All Star Game, with Tom Cochran, Aaron Ledbetter, Ian Heisel, Robbie Knapp, and Nathan Messner were all selected to play for the North Squad (Ledbetter was the starting pitcher). John Massarelli, the Wild Things’ field manager, earned his 500th managerial victory at CONSOL Energy Park in August. Aaron Ledbetter garnered his 30th career victory and received the Pitcher of the Year award from the Frontier League. The Wild Things, who maintained control of the Eastern Division after the first week of the season, clinched their fifth East Division Title in the six years on August 24 when they defeated the Gateway Grizzlies. The Wild Things also established a new team attendance record with 177,495 fans for the 2007 baseball season. The team played to over 100% capacity, selling out 34 games and selling out the 200th game in franchise history during the 2007 playoffs.
2008
Manager Greg Jelks took over the Wild Things in 2008, leading the team to a third-place finish in the Eastern Division. Washington completed the season with a .500 record (48-48). The Wild Things sent five representatives to the 2008 Frontier League All-Star game. Infielder Robbie Knapp, outfielder Chris Sidick and designated hitter Jacob Dempsey joined the Eastern Division team, as well as pitchers Mike Schellinger and Aaron Ledbetter. Dempsey was honored as the Frontier League Designated Hitter of the Year. He ranked 15th in the league in hitting, with a .310 average, four triples, 31 doubles and 88 RBIs. Sidick also had a standout year for the Wild Things. Already the Frontier League's all-time leader in triples, he again led the league with nine triples during the season. He also finished third in the league in runs scored with 77. Sidick batted .311 on the year with 16 doubles and 41 RBIs. On the mound, Brooks Dunn was among the Frontier League pitching leaders. Dunn posted a 3.32 ERA, which was good for ninth in the league. Fans continued to support the Wild Things at home. For the sixth consecutive year, more than 150,000 fans walked through the turnstiles at CONSOL Energy Park, the third highest attendance in the Frontier League. Broadcaster Randy Gore was honored with the league's broadcaster of the year award.
2009
Mark Mason returned to Washington as the new manager of the Wild Things in 2009. He had previously served as a coach with the team and was named Frontier League Coach of the Year in 2006. After a slow start, the Wild Things hit a midseason stride. They posted a 17-9 record in July, including a five-game winning streak from July 7–11. Unfortunately, the Wild Things were unable to keep up the pace and finished the season in fourth place in the East Division, with a 43-53 record. Three Washington players were named to the Frontier League All-Star Team, and all three put in stellar performances at the game in Rockford. Grant Psomas and Jacob Dempsey each homered to help the East Division win 5-2, and Nick Peterson earned the win in relief. Psomas also won the All-Star Home Run Derby. Several Wild Things players finished the season among the Frontier League batting leaders. Jacob Dempsey led the league in home runs (31), RBI (95) and extra base hits (56). Dempsey was also third in slugging percentage at .621. Ernie Banks, who played for the Wild Things until mid-August led the league in slugging percentage (.668). Chris Sidick finished second in the league with triples with seven. In his fifth season with Washington, Chris Sidick set several Frontier League career records in 2009. Already the career record holder in triples (44), Sidick set new records in career games played (430), career at-bats (1,626), career walks (256), career hits (460). On September 3, the Wild Things made history with their first ever triple play, a game-ending triple play. The Wild Things again received the support of the Washington faithful during the season as 133,881 fans packed CONSOL Energy Park throughout the summer.
2010
Darin Everson took over as field manager for the Wild Things, bringing on board pitching coach Mark Dewey and hitting coach Dana Williams. Bob Bozzuto returned as bench coach for his fifth year with the team. The team finished fourth in the East Division with a 38-57 record. Chris Sidick, in his sixth year with the club, set league career records for runs (359) and total bases (845) adding to his existing league records for games (497), at-bats (1875), hits (535), triples (49) and walks (289). He also tied for third in the league with five triples for the 2010 season and became the first Wild Things player to play all nine positions in a single game on September 1 at Lake Erie. Sidick, along with second baseman Michael Parker and relief pitcher Kevin Hammons, was selected for the East Division All-Star Team. Several Wild Things pitchers shone during the season as well. Closer Eryk McConnell finished third in the league with 15 saves. Rookie starting pitcher Jeff Sonnenberg pitched two complete games, including a two-hit shutout against Lake Erie on July 29, in which he faced the minimum 27 batters. Starter Billy Muldowney, who joined the team mid-season, posted a 1.40 ERA and fell six innings short of qualifying for the league ERA title.
2011
The Washington Wild Things finished fifth in the Frontier League's Eastern Division in 2011. The team had a 42-53 record and finished 13½ games behind division champion and league champion Joliet. The Wild Things struggled offensively nearly the entire season and never were able to muster enough at the plate to help the pitching staff, which had four of its members sign affiliated contracts during the season. Washington's lack of offensive output offset the pitching staff leading the Frontier League in earned run average and league-record for quality starts. The Wild Things finished last in the league in batting average, runs, hits, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. After the season, the team and Manager Darin Everson parted ways. Broadcaster Randy Gore was honored with the league's broadcaster of the year award for the second time (2008).
2012
The 2012 season ushered in a new era for the Washington Wild Things. Gone was manager Darin Everson and in stepped Chris Bando and his coaching staff with years of experience in the Major Leagues. The Wild Things got off to a fast start in May, but an inability to produce runs in support of its pitching staff plagued the club in similar fashion as in 2011. June saw the Wild Things’ reliever Nathan Striz signed away to affiliated ball with the Boston Red Sox. In nine appearances for the Wild Things this season, Striz posted an ERA of 1.46, allowing just two earned runs in 12â…“ innings pitched. More impressive, Striz struck out 17 batters in those 12 innings. Gary Lee was the Wild Things’ lone representative at the Frontier League All-Star game in July. The All-Star nomination capped a big week for Lee whose daughter was born a week earlier. Throughout the year Washington was led by a group of locals in Andrew Heck, Rick Devereaux and Gus Benusa. Heck could be consistently found at the top of the batting statistics and when the season came to a close, was a nominee for the Frontier League's Rookie of the Year award. Heck also became just the second player in franchise history to play all nine positions in a single game. As the summer wore on the Wild Things continued to fall in the standings, but a boost to the struggling lineup came in the form of a late-July trade with the now-defunct London Rippers. The trade sent four members to the Wild Things’ that provided a bigger presence that was felt in the Wild Things’ lineup. One of those acquisitions would go on to make Frontier League history, as Darian Sandford became the single season stolen bases leader with 71. The acquisitions of Sandford, Mark Samuelson, Brad Agustin and Jim Vahalik got the Wild Things’ playing .500 ball the rest of the way and was a key factor in the Wild Things finishing the season winning six of their last seven games. As the season ended, the Wild Things finished with a 44-52 record. Gary Lee added another accolade to his strong season as the winner of the Fran Riordan Citizenship Award. In March 2013, Bando announced that due to complications from hip surgery in January he would resign as manager.
2013
Field manager Bart Zeller joined the Wild Things with coaches Bob Didier and Kevin Gryboski and with veteran coach Bob Bozutto. Washington finished the season with a disappointing sixth place finish in the East Division and a 41-45 record. Second baseman C.J. Beatty took All Star Team honors completing the season with .305 batting average and hitting 18 homeruns for the club. Stewart Ijames scored 50 runs for Washington, including 16 homeruns.
2014
Zeller returned for the 2014 season but left mid-season for personal reasons; Bob Bozutto assumed the field manager role and led the team to a 57-37 record and a spot in the Wild Card game. Washington defeated the Evansville Otters to advance to the playoffs where, unfortunately they fell to the River City Rascals in the first two games, dashing their bid for the championship. CJ Beatty and RHP Jonathan Kountis were named to the Post-Season All-Star Team. Pitcher Zac Fuesser (9-2) completed the season with a 2.26 ERA allowing only 88 hits and striking out 74 batters. Matt Sergey threw Frontier League’s first perfect game in a full 9 inning contest against Gateway on August 24th at home.
2015
Washington finished the 2015 season in fifth place in the East Division and a 42-54 record. Kyle Helisek and Austin Wobrock made the mid-season All Star team for the Frontier League while Scott Kalamar had his contract purchased by the Arizona Diamondbacks organization prior to this season.
2016
Manager Gregg Langbehn took the helm of the Wild Things in 2016 and coach Tim Provenzano joined him. In Langbehn’s return to the Frontier League he led the Things’ to the best record in the East Division at the All-Star break. Representing the Wild Things at the All-Star Game was OF David Popkins, INF Ricky Rodriguez, RHP Trevor Foss and RHP Zac Grotz. Though the Wild Things fell just short in the playoff race, finishing 46-49 the second half of the season was very interesting. Beyond some retirements of key players, All-Stars Zac Grotz and Trevor Foss were purchased by the Dodgers and Indians respectively.
2017
Washington advanced to the playoffs in 2017 with a 53-43 record, finishing second in the East. The team went on a historic run to climb into the postseason dance but ultimately fell to the Florence Freedom 3 games to 1 in the Divisional round. This was the first playoff appearance for the Wild Things since 2014. First baseman Kane Sweeney was recognized as a season All Star for Washington and Rashad Brown received the Fran Riordan Citizenship Award. Sweeney set a franchise record for Washington in walks in a season. Brown joined Sweeney, Trevor Foss, Chase Cunningham, Mike Hill, Kyle Pollock, Zach Strecker and Bralin Jackson as All-Stars in July. This feat of 8 selections broke a franchise record as well.
2018
In 2018 Langbehn again led his team to the playoffs in 2018, winning the East Division Championship for the first time in over a decade. The Wild Things swept the Evansville Otters in the first round to a Championship battle with the Joliet Slammers. In an entertaining, back and forth series the Washington pushed to a Game 5 at home but fell short to the Joliet Slammers. The year was quite remarkable though, as multiple memorable moments took place. The Wild Things hosted celebrities Pat McAfee, Alejandro Villanueva, Phil Bourque and Will Allen in efforts to raise funds for charities. Outfielder Roman Collins, OF James Harris, INF Carter McEachern, C Kyle Pollock, LHP Thomas Dorminy and RHP Zach Strecker all earned All-Star bids. To top off the year, OF James Harris was named the Frontier League Most Valuable Player behind a remarkable season which included the first cycle hit in franchise history. LHP Thomas Dorminy flashed his dominance and was named the Pitcher of the Year in the Frontier League. This sweep of the major award winners was the first occurrence in franchise history.
2019
Part of the way into the 2019 campaign, Lucas Herbert had his contract purchased by the Diamondbacks' organization. Despite a tough season by record, at 37-59, the Wild Things had several individual highlights throughout the year. Hector Roa and JJ Fernandez were selected as midseason All Stars to represent the Wild Things and the Frontier League in the Frontier League All Star Game vs the Can Am League. Roa was the runner up in the Home Run Derby while Fernandez was the All Star Game MVP. Roa ended up having one of the better seasons in Wild Things' history, finishing in the top five in home runs and RBI in the Frontier League, while being honored as a postseason All Star by the league. Also, Zach Strecker set the single-season ERA record for a pitcher in the team's storied history, surpassing the previous record holder Jim Popp in the final game of the season at Gateway. Organizationally, the team was awarded the Clint Brown Award for Excellence in Marketing. The team's voice, Kyle Dawson, joined Randy Gore (2008, 2011) as Wild Things' broadcasters to win the Frontier League's Broadcaster of the Year award.
2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Frontier League did not have a championship season, but feeling the need and duty to bring baseball back to Washington, Pennsylvania, the Wild Things teamed up with the Black Sox Pro Baseball organization to host a four-team pod at Wild Things Park. The Wild Things formed two teams with the Black Sox forming the other two. 2020 saw the inception of the Steel City Slammin' Sammies, while numerous Wild Things returned to play.
2021
The Wild Things returned to Frontier League play with a season to remember. Under first-year skipper Tom Vaeth, the Wild Things started 13-20 but rebounded with a great stretch that included two 6-0 homestands. Washington ended up working its way back into the Northeast Division race and ended up capturing the Northeast Division in large part thanks to a four-game sweep of the Sussex County Miners in the penultimate week of the season. The Things finished at 56-40 and headed to the playoffs after receiving eight postseason awards from the Frontier League including rookie Ryan Hennen being named the league's Pitcher of the Year and Nick Ward being awarded the Citizenship Award. Down 2-1 in the best of five FLDS, Washington came back to beat Atlantic Division Champion Équipe Québec and clinched its fourth trip to the Frontier League Championship Series. The Wild Things fell in five games to the Schaumburg Boomers.
2022
Washington, off a Championship Series appearance, returned to the postseason in 2022 after one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. From June 21st on, the Wild Things were in first place in the West Division, ultimately leading them to winning an eighth division title. The team clinched the West on August 30 against the Evansville Otters. The club received postseason honors as well. The Wild Things were honored as the Frontier League Organization of the Year for the organization's efforts in hosting the 2022 Frontier League All-Star Game, presented by The Coury Firm, and multiple other events like the Three Rivers Celebrity Softball game. The team also saw great success in its Kids Eat Free and Senior Slugger Programs along with other promotions and themes throughout the season. Second-year manager Tom Vaeth was honored as the 2022 Roger Hanners Award winner for Manager of the Year, shortsop Nick Ward made the post-season all-star team and LHP Kobe Foster was named Rookie of the Year. The Wild Things set a new franchise record as nine players earned midseason All-Star nods: Rob Whalen, Lukas Young, Andrew Czech, Scotty Dubrule, Ward, Ian Walters, Cole Brannen, Alex Alvarez and Wagner Lagrange. The team was knocked out in the playoffs in the FLDS by the Schaumburg Boomers, but won 62 games in the regular season, the second most all time in Wild Things history.
2023
The Wild Things finished with a 47-49 record with a back-and-forth season. Washington was 28-23 at home and the pitching staff led the league in fewest walks issued by 24 walks at 303 granted. The offense finished in the top half of the league in multiple offensive team categories including home runs. Andrew Czech (21) and Anthony Brocato (28) became the second Wild Things' duo to both hit 20+ homers in the same season joining Grant Psomas (24) and Jacob Dempsey (31) in 2009 as duos to accomplish the feat. Brocato was tabbed a postseason Frontier League All Star for his fabulous season. Melvin Novoa was the team's midseason All Star. Czech also set the new franchise record for walks drawn in a single season with 88, surpassing Kane Sweeney's record of 87, originally set in 2017.
Year-by-Year History:
Team's Frontier League Midseason All Star History:
2x All Stars - Trevor Foss, Stewart Ijames, CJ Beatty, Chris Sidick, Jacob Dempsey, Aaron Ledbetter, Robbie Knapp, Kyle Pollock, Zach Strecker
Team's Frontier League Postseason All Star History:
Team's Frontier League Award History:
Next Level Things (Wild Things' Contracts Purchased)
Big League Things (Wild Things to Reach MLB) (Years with Wild Things, Roster they debuted on)
Frontier League Hall of Famers
