This Year in AppleSox Baseball: It's a Wrap!

2026 was a summer to remember. A WCL championship, the best record in the league, and the first ring of coach Mitch Darlington’s career. So much happened this season that it can be hard to keep it all straight. Well, let’s take a look back at this truly unforgettable season.

The summer kicked off exactly how it ended… with a win. Wenatchee ventured north to Edmonton to start their season, and they took down the Riverhawks in their home opener. Yes, Edmonton did manage to strike back in game two, but the ‘Sox had already set the tone. Game three was canceled on account of brutal rain, forcing Wenatchee to pack up early and make the 15-hour bus ride back home to the valley.

No rest for the wicked though, as Wenatchee flipped around and immediately headed north to take on the Bellingham Bells, their North Division rival. The series was exactly what you would expect between the two teams. The ‘Sox won the series, and each game was a nail-biter. Game two was the most exciting, with Wenatchee winning 5-4 in extra innings.    

Finally, the ‘Sox made their way home to welcome the Kamloops NorthPaws for their first home games of the season. Fans got quite the welcome-back moment, with the AppleSox walking off the NorthPaws in extra innings to start the homestand.

The ‘Sox went 4-2 on the homestand, taking down both the NorthPaws and Springfield Drifters.

After that, they packed their bags again and hit the road. This time, they ventured to Nanaimo to face the NightOwls. The ‘Sox pummeled the Owls in the opening two games, but tripped short of the sweep.  

Then, the ‘Sox came home for seven straight games at Paul Thomas Senior Stadium. First was Edmonton, where Wenatchee made up for the rain-out at the start of the year. Action-packed and suspenseful: that was the series against the Riverhawks. At one point, the ‘Sox walked off Edmonton after tallying three runs in the bottom of the ninth, the most exciting game that the home crowd had seen all year.  ​

In just three days, the AppleSox won two series and notched their sixth straight series win. Next on tap were the NightOwls, and they left the valley in tatters.

Wenatchee scored 36 runs in the first two games, blowing out Nanaimo 21-11 in game two. That night was highlighted by James Castagnola nearly hitting for the cycle. With a double, a triple, and two home runs, Castagnola was just a single away from the cycle. In just his sixth game back with Wenatchee, he went 4-for-5 with six RBIs.

After burying the NightOwls in the dirt, Wenatchee went back on the road to close out the first half of the summer. It started easy-breazy against the Yakima Valley Pippins, sweeping them comfortably in three games, and ended with a sour taste against the Walla Walla Sweets.

The ‘Sox seemed to run out of gas in the final stages of the first half, losing the first two games to Walla Walla on the road. Those losses broke up an eight-series win streak, and gave Wenatchee their first series loss of the year. Each loss was by a single run, making the Sweets an annoying wall Wenatchee just couldn't surmount.

But the ‘Sox were not about to get swept. They got back to their winning ways in game three, beating the Sweets 13-6. The win secured the ‘Sox as the first half champions of the North, and immediately punched their ticket to the postseason as the first seed.

With the first half under their belt, Wenatchee got a nice reprieve from the division slate. They welcomed in the DubSea FishSticks for two games, and also welcomed in some new faces to help recharge the roster.

New players, new pitchers, and a playoff berth already secured, the ‘Sox were ready for the second half. It began with an opponent that the ‘Sox were almost too familiar with… the Riverhawks.

The series began with fireworks, both during and after the game. It was fireworks night at the ballpark in game one, with 2,180 fans packing into Paul Thomas. The ‘Sox smoked the Hawks 14-2, and then treated the home crowd to a fireworks show to remember.

In game two, it was more of the same, with Wenatchee blowing out Edmonton 10-1. But the ‘Sox got a taste of their own medicine in game three, where the Hawks dodged the sweep with a 12-2 win.

After a bitter taste in their mouth from Edmonton, the ‘Sox got back on the snide with an easy road sweep of Port Angeles, the team that finished the year with the worst record in WCL.

Next up… the Kelowna Falcons. At this point, Kelowna was elbowing for the second-place spot in the North. Both the Falcons and the AppleSox were the top two pitching teams in the league, and it was slated to be the best series of the year. And truly, it was.

‘Sox barely won game one 2-1. Then, Kelowna punched back in game two, winning 5-2 and keeping the ‘Sox at bay. Then, in the series decider, with the pressure on, the ‘Sox walked off game three. Landon White delivered a clutch single in the ninth to score the winning run and keep the ‘Sox on top.

Finally, after over a month, the ‘Sox got some rest. The All-Star break gave everyone in Wenatchee some needed time off, except for the AppleSox’s five All-Stars.

Landon White, Kainoa Santiago, Raphael Dunne, Clint Beck, and Joe Thornton each made their way up to Victoria and got a chance to represent the valley on the league’s biggest stage. White and Dunne both got starts in the game, and each went hitless in the evening. Santiago came in late and struck out to end the game and hand the North the loss.

Thornton and Beck were the two bright spots, each spinning scoreless frames in relief.

After the break, the ‘Sox stayed in Victoria to take on the HarbourCats. The series began with one of Wenatchee’s worst losses of the year, a true punch in the mouth. The 9-7 loss woke up the ‘Sox, who took down Victoria in the proceeding two games, winning the series and maintaining their North Division dominance.  

After a week away, they ventured back home and started an identity-defining homestand. It began with Port Angeles, who posed a tougher threat the second time around. The ‘Sox shut them out 2-0 in game one, a little too close for comfort.

If that wasn’t close enough, the Lefties really gave Wenatchee a run for their money in game two. The Lefties came from behind to tie the game in the sixth, and forced the ‘Sox to extras. In need of a hero, it was Kanoa Morisaki who donned the cape. The kid from Honolulu grounded a ball up the middle and scored the winning run, walking it off and winning the series.

The ‘Sox handled them comfortably in game three to get the sweep, but then they had the Bells. After barely sweeping the last-place team in the league, they had to face off with the team hot on their heels in the North.

The result was exactly as you’d expect. Yes, Wenatchee took game one, but games two and three were all Bells. Specifically game three, where Bellingham blew out the ‘Sox 18-5.

That loss was a bucket of cold water thrown on the ‘Sox’s momentum. But it did not seem to slow them down in the slightest.

They hit the road for six games up in Canada, and they came home flawless. They went undefeated on the road trip, sweeping both the Falcons and NorthPaws at their home ballparks.

What made the whole trip worth it was Mitch Haythorn’s outing against Kamloops. In his five innings against them, he struck out seven batters, giving him 100 career strikeouts on the dot.​

The century mark puts Haythorn in a select group of AppleSox, and cements his name in the Wenatchee history books.

Now into August, the season was coming to a close. The ‘Sox had just one series left before the postseason, and unfortunately they never truly got to play it. Wildfires from Chelan blew smoke down into the valley, raising the air quality index to over 900. Wenatchee did play game one, coming from behind to beat the HarbourCats 5-2.

The remaining two games against the Cats truly were inconsequential. The ‘Sox were already the first overall seed, and Victoria had already been eliminated. So, the two days off were a chance for the ‘Sox to rest up and get ready for the playoffs.

And ready they were. They drew Kelowna in the first round, and it wasn’t even close. The ‘Sox shut them out 9-0 in the first game on the road, with Mitch Haythorn holding the Falcons scoreless through seven innings.

Then, one win away from the North Division Championship, the ‘Sox did it again, beating the Falcons 8-3 in the series decider. The ‘Sox were the only team to sweep the divisional series, giving them an extra day of rest.

Before the second game at home, the ‘Sox had some important news to announce. Every year, they hand out the Tommy Watanabe award to a player on the squad who most embodies a love for baseball and his team. That honor went to Kanoa Morisaki, a three-year AppleSox who was a no-brainer for the award. If you want to read more about Saki and his journey with the AppleSox, visit our website.

Who else but the Bells? Bellingham won their series against the NightOwls and set the stage for a North Division throwdown in Wenatchee. Both teams were the top contenders all season, and everyone truly had their eyes on this game.​

What ensued was a merciless beatdown of their North Division rivals. Wenatchee pummeled them 18-4, with every member of the team chipping in to dominate the Bells in every aspect of the game.

The laugher of a game punched Wenatchee’s ticket to the championship, getting the ‘Sox back to the dance for their ninth all-time appearance.​

On a gorgeous night in Wenatchee, it was the ‘Sox and the Corvallis Knights. Two of the most successful programs in WCL history, and here they were facing off in the biggest game of the year.

Two top teams, playoff history, and each hungry for a return to glory. You bet it was the recipe for the most exciting game of the year.

Corvallis struck early, tagging the ‘Sox for three runs. Despite the early hole, the ‘Sox were not going away. They managed to load the bases in the bottom of the second, and cashed in for four runs to take the lead.

The Knights and ‘Sox proceeded to trade blows all the way into the eighth. It was 7-5 going into the final stretch, and fans got to see the greatest comeback of the year. They worked the bases loaded, and it was Reese Vassar who delivered with two outs. Vassar lined a ball to right field that made its way to the wall and cleared the bases.

The swing gave Wenatchee the lead and flipped the game on its head. Every fan at Paul Thomas was on their feet, and they sensed a win was on the horizon.

Easton Brooks had the mound for the ninth, and sat down the side in order, prompting a dog-pile on the mound and the celebration to start in Wenatchee.

A truly unforgettable season got its unforgettable conclusion. It was Wenatchee’s sixth championship in program history, and the first for head coach Mitch Darlington.

Through thick and thin, wins and losses, smoke or shine, the ‘Sox rode it out. Their reward? One of the best years in franchise history.

It truly was a season to remember. Now that it’s over, there really is only one thing to say…

Go ‘Sox!