Walla Walla Sweets
The Walla Walla Sweets is an amateur baseball team located in Walla Walla, Washington. They play in the West Coast League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Walla Walla calls Borleske Stadium home which has a capacity of 2,378 spectators.
The Sweets made their first and only WCL Championship appearance in 2011 in their second year of fielding a team. The team's greatest finish came two years later when the Sweets compiled a 31-22 record. The team has struggled to find success since 2013 with only four winning seasons and one playoff win.
History
2010 season
The Sweets were an expansion team for the 2010 season. They set a WCL record for attendance in their first season, drawing 40,461 fans during 28 home games in 2010, ranking #23 in the country in overall attendance. Four Sweets gained league recognition, with catcher Elliot Stewart being named to the second team All-WCL and pitcher Joey Wagman, SS Kevin Kuntz and 1B/OF Dennis Holt being named to the honorable mention All-WCL team. GM Zachary Fraser was named the 2010 WCL Executive of the Year.2011 season
After a last-place finish in the WCL East Division in 2010, the Sweets made significant changes to their roster, specifically bolstering the pitching rotation. Opening the season against Corvallis, the Sweets took 2-of-3 at home from the Knights, but the Sweets struggled for the next month. By July 15, the team was in third place in the East, trailing the Bellingham Bells by five games for the wild-card spot with only three weeks left in the regular season. The Sweets then became one of the hottest teams in the WCL, turned around their season and caught the Bells in the last week of the season to earn the WCL East wild-card spot with a 26-28 league record. With the WCL's second-best pitching staff and an improved offense, the Sweets shocked the league by sweeping Wenatchee two games to none in the division series, winning the WCL East Division as a wild card and earning a spot in the WCL Championship Series. The Sweets magic ran out, as the Knights swept the Sweets. However, the club saw major improvements over the first season. The team had the league MVP in 2011, 2B/SS Alex Stanford of Gonzaga, who also broke the league record for hits in a season. In addition to once again being a league leader in attendance, the team placed 6 players on the WCL East All-Star team, as well as the following recognitions for all-WCL performance: Alex Stanford, Andrew Mendenhall, RHP Tim Culligan, C Elliot Stewart, RHP Ryan Richardson, and LHP Brett Watson. Richardson led the league in ERA with a 1.53 mark in 53 IP.Traditions started in 2011
The 2011 Sweets established a tradition that became a rallying call for the season. In the eighth inning, the club would play "Love is Gone" by David Guetta over the sound system. 1,600 fans would get into a frenzy as the players would start to dance in rhythm to the song in the dugout. The team went on to win five games in which they were trailing after the 7th inning, the most in the WCL in 2011. Another tradition that became a fan favorite as the Sweets made their late-season push to the playoffs was the iconic call of broadcaster Tristan Hobbes calling with joy "The Sweets Win! How Sweet it is! ", while another favorite was his "Simon Says...Game Over!" call as closer Simon Anderson would finish off the game with a save.2012 season
Despite high expectations heading into the season, in 2012 the Sweets didn't do as well as the year before. After an opening night sellout that saw streakers invade Borleske Stadium, the club struggled in the first few weeks of the season, and never climbed back out of the hole created. They finished last in their division, with a record of 24-30 they finished 8th overall. They did host the 2012 WCL All-Star Game with great success, and once again drew over 45,000 fans to Borleske Stadium. After the 2012 season, manager J.C. Biagi was promoted to Assistant GM, and general manager Zachary Fraser added the role of vice-president of Pacific Baseball Ventures to his title.2013 season
2013 saw a Sweets club that stayed close to the top of the re-aligned North Division from start to finish, eventually clinching the club's first-ever WCL Division Pennant. The season got started with a bang, as the Sweets hosted a Walla Walla Police vs. Fire baseball battle to raise money for local charities. The Battle of the Badge raised $24,000 for local non-profits, and the success of that first night was a harbinger of what was to come. During the season, a tight pennant race ensued between Bellingham, Wenatchee and the Sweets, each taking turns at the top of the standings. The Sweets were led by an astounding nine All-Stars who represented Walla Walla in Victoria during the WCL All-Star Game: C Renae Martinez, OF Kramer Lindell, 1B Matt Mendenhall, whose older brother Andrew had represented the Sweets in the ASG in 2011, and the following pitchers: Sean-Luke Brija, Matt Hall, Sean Silva, Chris Lovejoy, Cody Poteet, and Bret Helton. Helton was selected as the starter for the North in the All-Star Game, and Poteet was named the top prospect by the MLB Scouting Bureau. The Sweets made their run after the All-Star Game, going 11-5 to finish the season, sweeping the Bend Elks in Bend to knock of the Wenatchee AppleSox. The Sweets would face off against the AppleSox in the division series, a re-match of the 2011 playoffs. This time around, the Sox were the wildcard winners, and ultimately the victors, as Wenatchee advanced to the WCL Championship Series. The Sweets would finish the regular season 37-22, their best-ever record. Accolades on the season would include the 9 All-Stars, a ranking of #41 in the Perfect Game National Top 50 of Summer Collegiate teams, again ranking among the top 50 markets in the nation in attendance, and for the second consecutive year, counting a Sweet as the best MLB prospect in the game as named by Baseball America and Perfect Game. Closer Brija tied a WCL record for saves in a season and joined teammates Hall and Silva as First-Team All-WCL performers.2014 season
The Walla Walla Sweets went 28-26 in the 2014 season. They missed the playoffs by 2 games to the Yakima Valley Pippins. After a five year run that included winning the Eastern division twice and one appearance in the WCL Championships, as well as impacting the community in so many ways through camps, business connections and leadership programs for children manager J.C. Biagi and pitching coach Mark Michaud stepped down. Biagi went to pursue other interests, while Michaud still lives in Walla Walla and is a full-time teacher in Milton Freewater where he also coaches boys basketball at McCloughlin High School. During the off-season, the Sweets hired Frank Mutz, former MLB pitcher, as the new head coach for 2015. The sweets averaged 1,188 fans a night drawing in 36,823 fans in 31 regular season games.2023
On July 10, outfielder Ben Parker was named Player of the week.The Sweets finished the season tied with the Pippins for last place in the South Division with a 20-34 record. Parker lead the league with a.366 batting average while fellow outfielder Aidan Espinoza finished with a.331 batting average. On the mound, Zachary Hangas finished with an ERA of 3.88. 28,041 fans attended Walla Walla's twenty-seven home games for an average of 1,039 fans per game.
The Sweets failed to make the playoffs for the third straight season.
2024
On July 1st, Zachary Hangas was named the league's pitcher of the week. Hangas threw two strikeouts and allowed zero walks to pick up a shutout win over the NorthPaws.On July 9th, Kolby Felix, Liam Hohenstein, and Davis Mauzy were selected to represent the Sweets in the 2024 All Star Game in Bellingham.
The Sweets failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
2025
On June 9th, Tanner Kern was named Player of the Week.Kern, Dominic Cadiz and Gunner Geile were selected to represent the Sweets at the All Star Game in Bellingham on July 8th.
The Sweets improved on their 20-33 record from the previous season. The team went 24-30 and finished fifth in the South Division. 28,244 total fans attended the Sweets' twenty-seven home games for an average of 1,046 fans per game.
The Sweets were eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth straight season.
Results by season
| League Champions | Division Champions | Playoff Team |