THREE SASQUATCHES TREKKING TO WENATCHEE IN 2026

Smith Slye - smith.slye@wsu.edu

Three Sasquatches trekking to Wenatchee in 2026

All three are from Spokane Falls Community College and are Washington natives. Chase Edwards, Luke Brown, and Tate Swanson are all staying in the Evergreen state for their summer season when they join Wenatchee in a few weeks.

Whether it’s an outfielder who may be a base thief in the valley, a top-ranked righty trying to get back on the wagon, or a freshman carving up batters in Spokane, the Squatches are handing over three top talents to Wenatchee this summer.

So, with the introductions out of the way, who are these three Squatches…

Chase Edwards - OF - Sophomore

After a quietly productive career at Ballard High School, Edwards made the four-hour drive east to join the Squatches in Spokane. The true lefty outfielder has been a regular face in the Falls these past two years, and will be dipping his toes into summer ball for the first time this summer with the ‘Sox.

His freshman year set a high bar, with Edwards clocking in 50 games, 51 hits, 26 RBIs, a 0.766 OPS, and a 0.309 average. However, his sophomore year has been quiet.

Through 31 games, Edwards has 28 hits, four doubles, a 0.252 average, and a 0.692 OPS. He does have a handful of games left in the season, but it is not enough to reach the bar he set for himself last year.

What he may lack in power, he makes up for in speed. On the base paths, Edwards has already snagged 54 career bases with 35 of those coming as a freshman. With 19 stolen bases this season, he is clearly a sneaky runner on the diamond.

The glove is not too shabby either. In his 81 career games, Edwards has made only two errors, giving him a 0.987 fielding percentage.

A solid average, A+ defending, and exceptional speed all make Edwards a quality tool for the ‘Sox to use this year. As a JUCO product possibly eyeing a spot on a D1 roster, this summer will be a good test for Edwards.

Luke Brown - RHP - Sophomore

He may have spent last summer in Kelowna, but this year Brown finds himself in Wenatchee for the offseason. His time in Kelowna was short and sweet, with just four appearances and 13 runs allowed, which spiked his ERA to 11.32.

Now with his former WCL opponent, Brown is primed to build on a career that has bogged down in his sophomore year. His freshman season with Spokane was eventful, as he made 13 relief appearances and posted a 4.86 ERA.

Flash forward to this year, and Brown has been riding the pine for almost the entire season. He made just one appearance this year, back on Feb. 21, where he spun ⅔ of an inning and handed over three runs. This gives him a misleading ERA of 40.50 as a sophomore.

Brown came to the Squatches from Gonzaga Prep High School and was highly coveted in his senior year. The 6-foot-7 Spokane native was the No. 1-ranked right-hander and the No. 42 overall player in the state according to Baseball Northwest back in 2024.

With two JUCO campaigns under his belt and a summer stint in Kelowna, the top prospect has been seldom used. Only 18 appearances in his college career make it hard to grasp what kind of arm he has.

But the four saves, 16 strikeouts, and 8.64 K/9 in his freshman year show exactly where the ceiling lies for Brown.

With a chance to get back on the mound, Brown will be taking advantage of every outing he gets in Wenatchee. He was a lockdown reliever in his freshman year. The question is, can he get back to that in the valley?

Tate Swanson - RHP - Freshman

As the youngest of the three, Swanson will be playing his first summer season in Wenatchee. Fresh out of Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, the 6-foot-4 righty has gotten to work early with the Squatches.

He has made nine cameos thus far, his most recent on May 2, when he went 1.0 inning, giving up one run on one hit. Overall for the year, Swanson has been incredibly efficient, repping a 1.65 ERA with just three runs allowed and seven scoreless outings.

On top of that, he is averaging 4 batters faced per inning, with over an inning pitched in all of his appearances. Length and efficiency: that is what Swanson has shown in his few outings with the Squatches.

With a ton of momentum built up in just his freshman year, the ‘Sox can only hope that he rolls it into the valley this summer. As a long-outing reliever, Wenatchee will most likely need Swanson to close out games for them all summer long.

The 2026 season begins on May 29 as the AppleSox jet off to Edmonton to play the Edmonton RiverHawks at RE/MAX Field at 6:05 p.m. The AppleSox open their home season on June 5th at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium as they host the Kamloops NorthPaws. The AppleSox have 29 home games and play until mid-August. The franchise’s five West Coast League championships are the second-most in league history. Season ticket packages are available for purchase now at applesox.com/season-tickets.