May 24, 2025 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

If the Wild Things were playing below-.500 baseball at this point, then they’d have a bunch of ready-made excuses.

Their reigning Frontier League MVP is gone, having been picked up by the Minnesota Twins organization. Their starting second baseman, along with the closer, are on the injured list. And the third baseman might be joining them after leaving the game Saturday night after re aggravating an injury.

However, the Wild Things are on the plus side of .500, and the way Jordan DiValerio, Jake Carroll and Jacob McCaskey are pitching, all things seem possible.

All three pitchers played key roles Saturday night in a 2-1 victory over the Florence Y’alls at EQT Park.

The win not only stopped a two-game slide, it made Washington’s Tom Vaeth the winningest manager in Wild Things history. It was the 240th victory for Vaeth, one more than John Massarelli (2004-07) had in his four years at the helm.

Win No. 240 had much to do with pitching.

DiValerio (3-0) looked like the guy who dominated during the second half of last year as he allowed one run over six innings and struck out eight.

Carroll, a lefty reliever who Washington acquired in the second round of the Frontier League draft, followed with two stellar innings, striking out four.

And McCaskey, the former two-way standout at Cal U., entered in the ninth inning after Caroll walked the leadoff hitter and immediately induced a double-play grounder and ended the game with a strikeout for his second save.

“When was the last time we closed a game with two rookies?” said Veath, who got an on-field water-and-champagne dousing on the field after the milestone win was announced to the crowd on this crisp night.

Washington fell behind 1-0 in the third inning, then pushed across two runs in the fifth. The Wild Things’ pitchers held Florence to one hit over the final five innings.

DiValerio’s start to the season is important because of what happened in the offseason. He had four bone spurs removed from his pitching elbow.

“He had his elbow cleaned up and he’s throwing the ball a lot better,” Vaeth said. “After the surgery, he took care of himself and worked hard to get back.”

DiValerio said he’s noticed an uptick in his velocity, and it hasn’t hurt his control, which has always been stellar.

The only time time he ran into trouble against Florence was in the third inning. He walked Brendan Bobo on a 3-2 pitch and the Y’alls strung together three consecutive singles – one off an infielder’s glove – to push across the game’s first run.

Carroll, who had 40 innings of experience with Chicago in the American Association last year, was plucked out of the Frontier League’s tryout in April by the Wild Things and has looked like anything but a guy who should have been on the scrap heap.

“I’ll be honest, he was a (Wild Things president and general manager) Tony Buccilli pick,” Vaeth admitted. “I really didn’t have any plans for (Carroll) this year but he’s been throwing the ball really well. He pitched his way onto the team.”

McCaskey was a two-way player at Cal and for one season at Gardner-Webb, then for one year in the independent Pioneer League before signing with Washington during the offseason and giving up on being a hitter.

McCaskey has given up only one unearned run, in a tiebreaker inning, over five innings of relief.

“I saw him when he played at Cal,” Vaeth said. “He played in the Pioneer League last year, which I didn’t know about. I have a friend from the California Winter League who called me and said you need to look at this kid. He sent me some video and said he’s from your area.

“I saw Jacob pitch during the winter and liked what I saw. How can you not like a kid who wants to play at home and throws 95 (mph)?”

Washington won the game by scoring two runs in the fifth against Florence starter Matt Fernandez, who played his last two years of college ball at Pitt. Catcher Jommer Hernandez (3-for-3) led off with a single and speedy Kadon Morton followed with a bunt single. Jeff Liquori walked to load the bases and Tyreque Reed bounced into a fielder’s choice that sent Hernandez home and tied the score.

Andrew Czech then hit a sacrifice fly that scored Morton and made it 2-1.

Extra bases

Washington’s starting pitcher for Sunday’s series finale was listed as TBA. Vaeth said some roster moves will be announced. … The Wild Things were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.