Five Newcomers Wind up in Wenatchee for 2026

Smith Slye - smith.slye@wsu.edu 

Five newcomers wind up in Wenatchee for 2026

Rounding out the roster for 2026, the AppleSox are adding five newcomers to their ranks who all add depth to their position class. Luke Baier, Jake Overstreet, Jacob Gabler, Nikko Paoletto, and Jonah Shields are all donning an Applesox jersey this summer, and all five could prove exciting to watch in the valley. 

Whether it’s two catchers from Texas with high ceilings at the plate, a right-hander getting back into his groove, or two outfield bats with serious slugging potential at the plate, Wenatchee is welcoming five newbies who may be perfect fits for the ‘Sox. 

So, let’s break down all five of these future AppleSox…   

Luke Baier - C - Senior 

Now in his senior year, Baier has finally found his way back home. The 6-foot-5 Wenatchee native has bounced around in college baseball, and his journey has finally brought him to his hometown for his first season with the AppleSox. 

After graduating from Wenatchee High School in 2022, Baier committed to Pacific Lutheran University to start his college baseball journey. He played just two games with the Lutes in his freshman year, getting three at-bats and two hits in total. 

After that, he spent the summer with Walla Walla in the West Coast League, a division opponent of the ‘Sox. That summer, he similarly got just two games of work with the Sweets, recording only four at-bats and one hit overall. 

Baier then packed his bags for Centralia College, where he spent the 2024 season. With the Trailblazers, Baier finally got a real workload. 

In 47 games, he smacked 30 hits, seven doubles, two home runs, and 18 RBIs. He posted a 0.200 average on the dot, but also struck out an egregious 58 times.   

Following his first real test at the JUCO level, Baier stayed in the WCL to play for Springfield in the 2024 summer season. With the Drifters, he got 20 games of work and ended the summer with a 0.197 average, 13 hits, two doubles, seven RBIs, and a 0.521 OPS. 

Heading into 2025, Baier waved goodbye to the Pacific Northwest and headed south to join Abilene Christian University in Texas. He did not play at all his first year with the Wildcats, and this past season, he got just four games of action. 

In those four games of his senior year, Baier got three at-bats and one hit. Add it all up, and you get 73 games and just 225 at-bats total in college ball. 

While he may be in his senior year, Baier does not have the most experience. But now back in his hometown, he has a chance to get some quality playing time as he transitions to the next part of his baseball journey. 

Jake Overstreet - C - Sophomore

Just an hour and a half away from home, Overstreet stayed in his native state when he committed to Weatherford College out of high school. The Rockwall native was the No. 20-ranked catcher and No. 174 overall player in the state of Texas, and since joining the Coyotes, he has shown why. 

In just his freshman year, Overstreet stood out immediately. Through 41 games, he batted 0.333, posted 38 hits, seven doubles, three home runs, 25 RBIs, and a 0.964 OPS. In the field, he was near perfect, making only two errors and throwing out three runners from behind the dish. 

Now, in his second year of JUCO ball, he has blown his previous benchmarks out of the water. He finished this year with a team-best 0.403 average, 81 hits, 18 doubles, 14 home runs, and a 1.226 OPS. 

On top of leading the team for average, he also led the team for hits and doubles and was third for home runs. Basically, he made up a bulk of the Coyote offense this past spring. 

Behind the plate, he botched just two plays and tossed out five runners on the basepaths. While he did allow 26 stolen bases in his two years, he made up for it with his scorching hit bat. 

He has yet to play summer league ball… until now. With his first summer stint coming in Wenatchee, he will be a vital option to have behind the plate. If he stays as hot as he was in Texas, then he should have no problem becoming a familiar face in the valley all summer long. 

Jacob Gabler - RHP - Junior 

Gabler may have committed to Washington State University out of high school, but after two years in the Crimson and Gray, he swapped it for blue and orange down in Arlington. The 6-foot-6 Edmonds native was the No. 2-ranked right-hander in Washington back in 2023 and has had a slow launch into college. 

He made his debut with the Cougs in 2024, making two appearances in relief and finishing with a 13.50 ERA off one hit, two runs, two walks, three strikeouts, and 1 ⅓ innings pitched. The next year, he made three appearances out of the pen, going 2 ⅓ innings and posting a perfect 0.00 ERA with no hits, no runs, no walks, and two strikeouts. 

After that, Gabler headed down south to join the University of Texas-Arlington this past season. With the Mavericks, Gabler made a career-high nine relief appearances, pitching 5 ⅔ innings, giving up 18 runs, 21 hits, six walks, and four strikeouts. 

His last outing came on April 7 against Baylor, where he was unable to record an out and gave up three runs, cementing his 21.13 ERA on the year. 

While he may have three seasons of D1 ball under his belt, he has yet to play a single season in the summer heat. With Wenatchee being his first season in summer league baseball, he has a chance to build on this past spring and develop into a lockdown reliever in the valley. 

Nikko Paoletto - OF - Redshirt Freshman

After committing to the University of Utah in 2025, Paoletto never once touched the dirt for the Utes in Salt Lake City. He rode the bench his entire freshman season, prompting him to hit the road and head for Santa Ana College in California. 

Since arriving at the JUCO level, Paoletto has absolutely popped off. The Chino, California native was the No. 18-ranked outfielder in the state, and he showed exactly why with the Dons. 

In 51 games, he is batting an insane 0.422 with a jaw-dropping 1.218 OPS. On top of that, he has 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 84 hits, and 58 RBIs. 

In the outfield, he was near perfect, with a 0.981 fielding percentage and two errors. Pair that with a scorching-hot bat from the right side, and you get an outfielder who can torment college pitchers in the summer. 

Paoletto has not played any summer league baseball, making the ‘Sox the first team he’ll be spending his offseason with. With a mountain of momentum built up from this past year with Santa Ana, Paoletto may have hit the ‘Sox at the perfect time to do damage. 

At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, he brings home run power to the valley, which will be thrilling for fans to watch all summer long. 

Jonah Shields - OF - Junior

In addition to three years of D1 baseball, Shields also has three seasons of summer league baseball on his resume. He has been loyal to the Minot Hot Tots in the Northwoods League for the past three summers, but he is mixing things up this year by joining the ‘Sox.

Shields was the No. 6-ranked shortstop in Nevada back in 2023, and before he got started with Cal State Bakersfield, he decided to get his feet wet with the Hot Tots. He played 13 games with Minot in the summer of 2023, batting 0.170 with nine hits, two RBIs, and only one extra base hit. 

He then got to work with the Roadrunners in Bakersfield, and his freshman year was eye-catching. He played 42 games as a freshman, batting 0.291 with 30 hits, four doubles, and 11 RBIs. 

After that, he redonned the Hot Tots jersey for the summer of 2024. In his second year in Minot, he tripled his playing time by getting 42 games of action and batting 0.268 with three home runs. 

Then, after only one year with the Roadrunners, he decided to head cross-country to join Jacksonville University in Florida. With the Dolphins, Shields really torched the ball. 

He played 54 games that first year, batting 0.359 with 75 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, 36 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. Those numbers at the plate and on the base paths showed exactly what Shields is capable of when given a full year to shine. 

Then, to complete the trifecta, he returned to the Hot Tots for his third season in Minot. This time around, he played just 21 games and batted 0.236 with just 17 hits, nine RBIs, and one home run.  

After his last tour of duty with the Tots, Shields returned to the Dolphins this past spring, and his year was cut short. He played only 14 games this season, with his last appearance being on March 6. He batted 0.408 this spring with 20 hits, three doubles, and nine RBIs. 

As a battle-tested utility bat, Shields is exactly what the ‘Sox need. He can smoke the ball when given the chance, steal bags against D1 arms, lock down the infield and outfield, and provide veteran leadership from the dugout.