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Wild Things place 5 in Frontier League All-Star Game

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The Wild Things have the best record in the Frontier League so it comes as no surprise that they will be a well-represented team at the all-star game next week in O’Fallon, Mo.

Five Wild Things were selected to the game, which will be played Wednesday, July 11, at CarShield Field, home of the River City Rascals. This marks the ninth time in 17 seasons that the Wild Things will have at least five all-stars.

The league changed from the traditional East Division versus West Division format for the game to a matchup of Rookies against Experienced, the two classifications the league uses for players. Rookies are players who have made their pro debut this season or have the equivalent of one season of professional experience while the Experienced classification is for players with two or more professional seasons.

Washington will have at least three starters in the game as center fielder James Harris, left fielder Roman Collins and catcher Kyle Pollock were voted as starters for the Experienced team. Pitchers Thomas Dorminy and Zach Strecker also will play for the Experienced team.

No Washington player was chosen for the Rookie team, though Wild Things manager Gregg Langbehn could be in charge of the club. The manager of the team leading the East Division after Wednesday’s games will manage the Rookie squad. Langbehn will be the manager if the Wild Things win one of their next two games or if Lake Erie loses one of its next two.

Harris, a former first-round draft pick of Tampa Bay, is in his second season with the Wild Things. He is fourth in the league in batting average (.324), has seven home runs, leads the league in triples (7) and is second in RBI (37) and stolen bases (16).

Collins, in his first season with Washington, leads the league with 39 RBI and has six home runs and a .291 batting average. He has reached base safely in every road game.

Pollock is playing his third season with Washington and recently set the franchise record for most games played as a catcher. He is having his best season as a hitter with a .306 batting average, eight home runs and 34 RBI. He is third in the league with 15 doubles.

Dorminy had his best start of the season Sunday when he threw a three-hit shutout against Schaumburg that improved his record to 6-2 and dropped his ERA to 2.16, which ranks third in the league.

Strecker, the team’s closer, has allowed just one run in a league-leading 24 games. His 10 saves rank third in the league.

“We have been really fortunate to have some great players over the years, and 2018 is no exception,” said Wild Things assistant general manager Tony Buccilli. “The three position players selected certainly deserved the starting nod. They have been mainstays as league leaders in extra-base hits and RBI. Dorminy made some quick adjustments to the league and has really settled in as a key part of our rotation. Strecker is as reliable as it gets in this league, so we are happy he gets the call.”

Strecker and Pollock are the eighth and ninth players in franchise history to be selected to more than one all-star game. They join Trevor Foss, Stewart Ijames, C.J. Beatty, Chris Sidick, Aaron Ledbetter, Jacob Dempsey and Robbie Knapp.

The starting lineup for the Experienced team include Harris, Collins and Derrick Loveless of Normal, Pollock, third baseman Kenny Towns of Schaumburg and three players from Normal: shortstop Santiago Chirino, second baseman Justin Fletcher and first baseman Chris Iriart.

Starters for the Rookie team are catcher Trey Fulton and first baseman Trenton Hill of Joliet, second baseman Jack Parenty of Schaumburg, Gateway shortstop Artemis Kadkhodaian, Lake Erie third baseman Dan Hutcheon and outfielders Ryan Long of Evansville, Keivan Berges of Florence and Traverse City’s Isaac Bernard.

River City pitcher Joe Iorio, who played briefly for Washington in 2015, was voted to the Rookie team.

All-Star Game festivities include a home run derby July 10 that will pit eight Frontier League players against former St. Louis Cardinals Rick Ankiel, Jim Edmonds, Ray Lankford and Mark Whiten.

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