Seven AppleSox Earn 2023 All-WCL Honors

The West Coast League announced on Thursday the members of its 2023 all-league team and seven members of the Wenatchee AppleSox were honored.

Frankie Carney, Toby Haarer, Jadon Williamson, Evan Canfield, Michael Cunneely, Ryan Martinez and Brandham Ponce gave Wenatchee its most All-WCL honorees since eight players were recognized in 2019. Carney earned first team second baseman while Haarer and Williamson earned second team starting pitcher and relief pitcher, respectively. Canfield, Cunneely, Martinez and Ponce all earned honorable mention.

Carney, a redshirt freshman at UC Irvine, was the second straight Anteater to lock down second base and earn First Team All-WCL honors after Joichiro Oyama did so in 2022. Carney recorded the second-best batting average in the WCL (.356), which also marked the best by an AppleSox player to play in at least 40 games since former Anteater Keston Hiura in 2015. He recorded a team-best 17-game hitting streak from July 17 - Aug. 8, which was five games away from breaking the team record and the second-longest in the WCL. The San Diego native also finished second in the league with 40 walks, good for second most all-time by an AppleSox player, and led the WCL with 44 runs, third-most in a summer in team history. Carney reached base with at least a walk or a hit in all but six of the 42 games that he played in.

Haarer, a sophomore at Central Arizona, was one of the AppleSox’ most efficient starters in 2023 by going 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA in seven games. The right-hander led the team in wins, finished second in ERA and was the 10th pitcher in AppleSox history to start at least six games and record an ERA under 2.00. Haarer started each of the final six games that he pitched in and allowed three earned runs or less in each one. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native completed at least five innings four times and won each of his last four starts.

Williamson, a redshirt junior at Lewis-Clark State College, tied for third on the AppleSox in innings pitched despite making all 10 of his appearances in relief. He tied for the team lead in strikeouts (42), also tied for the seventh-most in the WCL. Williamson recorded five outings of at least four innings in the regular season and then tossed 7.1 innings out of the bullpen on Aug. 8 in the postseason. The Longview native’s most important performance came on Aug. 3 when he tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out seven against Bellingham in a 3-1 win.

Canfield, a redshirt sophomore at Edmonds, was also a horse out of the bullpen for Wenatchee, recording a 2.03 ERA in his second season with the AppleSox. The right-hander’s 12 appearances led the team and his 36 strikeouts were third-most. Canfield record five different outings of at least three innings, including a season-high 5.1 innings of shutout ball in a 5-1 win over Bellingham on July 25. The Bothell, Wash. native’s finest outing was his first of the season, when he tossed five shutout innings and struck out nine to earn the win against Springfield on June 7.

Cunneely, a sophomore at Gonzaga, was the AppleSox’ second-most used pitcher after Canfield, recording a 3.81 ERA in 10 appearances. His control was impressive all season as he only walked six over 28.1 innings. The right-hander tossed six different outings of at least three innings with a season-high six of scoreless ball on July 22 in a 10-6 win over Nanaimo. Cunneely finished the summer strong with a 2.51 ERA over his final four games, spanning 14.1 innings. The Spokane native recorded a season-high seven strikeouts in four scoreless innings on June 27 against Port Angeles.

Martinez, a sophomore at Pacific, started all eight of the games that he pitched in and tossed at least five innings in six of them. He only walked seven hitters over 39.2 innings and recorded a 3.63 ERA with Wenatchee. The right-hander twice fired seven innings and was superb in both outings, first with no runs, five strikeouts and no walks on June 17 against Kelowna and then with one unearned run, four strikeouts and one walk vs. Edmonton in his final start of the summer on July 29. The Las Vegas native finished 3-2 but the AppleSox all but two of the games that he pitched in.

Ponce, a senior at Washington State, shined in his second year with the AppleSox by tying for the team lead in doubles (10) and increasing his batting average from .243 in 2022 to .279 in 2023. The Federal Way, Wash. native recorded an 11-game hitting streak from June 8-21, batting .418 (18-for-43) over it. Ponce put together a monster June, slashing .309/.390/.456 with seven doubles, a home run and 15 RBI. He also thrived in home games, batting .362 with seven doubles and 12-of-his-19 RBI.

The AppleSox ended the 2023 season with a 37-17 record, tied for their second-best in team history, and advanced to the North Division Series to earn its 15th playoff berth in franchise history. Wenatchee broke single-season records for home victories (21), home winning streak in league play (12 games), three-game series sweeps (eight), most home runs hit in a league game (four on July 13), players used in a single summer (55) and walks drawn (299). Wenatchee’s 19-8 record in the first half was the team's best mark in either half since the West Coast League adopted the two-halves playoff format in 2016.

2024 season tickets are now available for purchase by calling 509-665-6900. The 2024 schedule will be released by the WCL in November.