Yakima Valley Pippins
| Yakima Valley Pippins | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Information | |
| League | West Coast League (East) |
| Location | Yakima, Washington |
| Ballpark | Yakima County Stadium |
| Founded | 2013 |
| League championships | 0 |
| Division championships | 2 (2014, 2021) |
| Colors | Green, light blue and white |
| Mascot | Scott T. Pippin |
| Ownership | Pacific Baseball Ventures, LLC |
| Management | Jeff Garretson (General Manager) |
| Coach | Kyle Krustangel |
The Yakima Valley Pippins are a collegiate wood bat baseball team based in Yakima, Washington. They are member of the West Coast League and began play in 2014 at the 2,800 seat Yakima County Stadium. They replaced the Yakima Bears of the Northwest League, who relocated to Hillsboro, Oregon, and were renamed the Hillsboro Hops. They were named for the pippin apple. On August 6, 2014, the Pippins were the first WCL expansion franchise to win a divisional pennant, beating the Cowlitz Black Bears 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th inning. After missing the playoffs in 2015, the Pippins returned to post season play, winning the 2nd Half South Division Title. The Pippins hold the West Coast League record for most wins in their first two seasons going 64-44 in 2014-2015.
The Pippins saw immediate success after entering the league. The team clinched finished with a winning season in their first four seasons including three playoff appearances and a division title in 2014. The team made their first WCL Championship appearance in 2021 and followed up with an additional playoff appearance the season after.
History
2013
The Pippins are the latest West Coast League (WCL) team.[1] Pacific Baseball Ventures LLC owns both the Yakima Valley Pippins and the Walla Walla Sweets baseball team that also plays in the WCL. Because of the expansion team in Yakima, the WCL moved from a two-division format to a three-division format with an MLB playoff order. In May 2014, the Pippins reached an agreement to have 21 of their home games broadcast in Spanish. KDNA 91.9 FM will be the station broadcasting the 21 games out of Yakima.[2]
2014
After Pacific Baseball Ventures was awarded the Yakima expansion team in the late part of the 2013 year, PBV began restoring the field. In the inaugural season for the Pippins. The Pippins were the second team to make the playoffs in the first season of play. With a 35-19 record and the WCL East Division pennant, the Pippins housed the WCL MVP for the 2014 year. Vince Fernandez had 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in, setting the record in both of those categories.[3] In the first year of play at Yakima County Stadium, the Pippins had an attendance of 42,898 in 34 home games.
2024
On June 3, Carson Judd was announced as the league's pitcher of the week. Judd pitched six scoreless innings and threw eight strikeouts against the Drifters the previous Saturday night.[4]
On July 9, Preston Allen and Spencer Shipman were selected to represent the Pippins in the 2024 All Star Game in Bellingham.[5]
The Pippins failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season.
2025
On July 8, Ty Pangborn (Akron) was selected to represent the Pippins at the All Star Game in Bellingham.[6]
The Pippins failed to improve on their 20-33 record from the previous season. The Pippins went 14-40 and finished last in the South Division.[7] Pearson Pollard (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) finished second in the league with forty-five strikeouts.[8] 23,116 total fans attended the Pippins' twenty-seven home games for an average of 856 fans per game.[9]
The Pippins were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth straight season. The Pippins clinched their worst record in team history and the worst record of any team in the 2025 season.
Results by season
| Season | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Postseason | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | WCL | East | 1st | 35 | 19 | .648 | 0 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Bellingham) | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2015 | WCL | East | 2nd | 29 | 25 | .537 | 5.5 | Did Not Qualify | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2016 | WCL | South | 2nd | 32 | 22 | .593 | 2 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Corvallis) | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2017 | WCL | South | 2nd | 28 | 26 | .519 | 6 | Lost Division Series 1-2 (Corvallis) | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2018 | WCL | North | 4th | 27 | 27 | .500 | 8 | Did Not Qualify | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2019 | WCL | North | 5th | 21 | 33 | .389 | 18 | Did Not Qualify | Marcus McKimmy |
| 2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||||||||
| 2021 | WCL | North | 1st | 29 | 19 | .604 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Bellingham) Lost Championship Series 1-2 (Corvallis) |
Kyle Krustangel |
| 2022 | WCL | South | 4th | 29 | 25 | .537 | 10 | Lost Divisional Series 1-2 (Corvallis) | Kyle Krustangel |
| 2023 | WCL | South | 7th | 20 | 34 | .370 | 19 | Did Not Qualify | Kyle Krustangel |
| 2024 | WCL | South | 5th | 20 | 33 | .377 | 20.5 | Did Not Qualify | Kyle Krustangel |
| 2025 | WCL | South | 9th | 14 | 40 | .259 | 29 | Did Not Qualify | Garrett DeGallier |
| League Champions | Division Champions | Playoff Team |
Notable players
- Eli Morgan (born 1996), MLB pitcher, Cleveland Guardians
- Jonny Deluca (born 1998), MLB Outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays
References
- ^ "The Official Site of the West Coast League - The Diamond Standard - News". www.wccbl.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-24.
- ^ "Welcome to the Official Site of the Yakima Valley Pippins!: News". pippinsbaseball.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12.
- ^ "Official Website of the West Coast League: WCL Team News". westcoastleague.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-30.
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/hartman-and-judd-receive-wcls-moss-adams-weekly-accolades/
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/wcl-all-star-game-rosters-announced/
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/2025-wcl-all-stars-announced/
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/standings.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=34070
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/leaders.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=34070
- ^ onid=34070
