Where Are They Now? Series: 2017 Edition

Historic Hitting Led The Way For The 2017 Sweets

2017 marked the eighth season of Walla Walla Sweets baseball and the second under manager Frank Mutz. The Sweets brought in plenty of new faces for the 2017 campaign as they looked to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2013.

The Sweets began their 2017 season on a high note, sweeping Wenatchee to start the year and winning four of their first six games. The Sweets balanced offense played a big role in that start. Ultimately, the Sweets finished the 2017 season with eight different hitters batting above .280, the highest mark for any Sweets team in club history.

Many members of the Sweets lineup were recognized for their impressive numbers. Third baseman and Gonzaga product Nick Nyquist was the lone member of the roster to be named to the WCL All-League First Team.  He finished the season with 55 hits, 36 runs, 24 RBI’s, and 12 doubles.

J.J. Hancock, an outfielder, was also recognized for his efforts at the plate. Hancock paced the Sweets and finished top five in the WCL with a .360 average. He scored 28 runs and collected 58 hits, 12 doubles, four triples and 22 runs batted in. These numbers earned him a spot on the WCL All-League Second Team.

On the pitching side, Chris Lincoln led the way for the Sweets and earned All-League Second Team honors as well. Lincoln posted a 1-1 record for Walla Walla across nine appearances and six starts. He finished the season with an ERA of 4.05 while striking 36 batters out in 33.1 innings of work.

The Sweets ultimately missed out on the 2017 postseason by 3.5 games, finishing with a record of 25-29. The Sweets finished fourth in the WCL in attendance, bringing in just under 35,000 fans for the season. The Sweets had a solid first half, finishing 15-12. Unfortunately, they finished one game out of a playoff spot to the Bellingham Bells.

Pitchers

# Player B/T Ht Wt College Class Hometown Draft Status Player Eligibility
35 Matt Amrhein R/R 6-0 155 California Baptist U Sophomore Upland, CA
16 Kevin Calderhead R/R 5-11 175 Washington St U Junior Remond, WA
13 Justin Dolezal R/R 6-4 215 Western Oregon University Sophomore Spokane, WA
10 Ryan Johnston R/R 5-10 160 California Irvine (U of) Sophomore San Diego
33 Haydn King L/L 6-2 195 San Francisco (U of) Freshman Aptos, CA 2017 OAK 39th Rd
23 Chris Lincoln R/R 6-4 175 California Santa Barbara (U of) Sophomore Moreno Valley, CA 2016 TOR 13th Rd
15 Milo Mincin R/R 6-2 210 Whitman Col Junior Redmond, WA
4 Andrew Miner R/R 5-10 170 Brigham Young U Sophomore Redlands, CA
20 Scott Parker L/L 5-8 170 San Francisco (U of) Junior Laguna Niguel, CA
8 Dylan Riddle L/L 5-11 180 California Irvine (U of) Junior San Clemente, CA
18 Conner Roberts R/R 6-2 160 California Santa Barbara (U of) Sophomore Martinez, CA
6 Patrick Stanton R/R 6-4 195 Whitman Col Senior Bellevue, WA
32 Travis Ulvestad R/R 6-1 205 Seattle U Senior Woodinville, WA
41 Anthony Villegas R/R 6-1 180 Biola U Freshman Rialto, CA
7 Darius Vines R/R 6-1 170 Yavapai Col Sophomore Ventura, CA 2017 CHC 27th Rd

Catchers

# Player B/T Ht Wt College Class Hometown Draft Status Player Eligibility
19 Dante Faicchio R/R 6-2 185 Pepperdine U Freshman Laguna Beach, CA
40 Ryan Shaw R/R 5-11 185 Richmond (U of) Sophomore Clyde Hill, WA

Infielders

# Player B/T Ht Wt College Class Hometown Draft Status Player Eligibility
21 Jacob Blas R/R 6-1 175 Arizona (U of) Freshman Carlsbad, CA
17 Vinny Capra R/R 5-9 160 Richmond (U of) Senior Melbourne, FL
31 Cameron Deere R/R 6-1 205 Brown U Sophomore Los Angeles, CA
11 John Glenn L/L 6-0 215 California Baptist U Sophomore Thousand Oaks, CA
24 Nick Nyquist R/R 6-3 210 Gonzaga U Senior Coeur dAlene, ID
26 Ripken Reyes S/R 5-9 195 California Berkeley (U of) Junior Stockton, CA
3 Joseph Zimmer R/R 6-0 205 Whitman Col Senior Billings, MT

Outfielders

# Player B/T Ht Wt College Class Hometown Draft Status Player Eligibility
27 Daniel Fredrickson L/R 5-10 170 Gonzaga U Junior Woodinville, WA
5 J.J. Hancock L/R 5-11 185 Washington St U Senior Kennewick, WA
30 Jake Suddleson R/R 6-3 195 Harvard U Sophomore Pac. Palisades, CA

Staff

North Division W L PCT GB STREAK LAST 10
Bellingham Bells 31 23 0.574 1W 6-4
Wenatchee AppleSox 29 25 0.537 2 2L 5-5
Victoria HarbourCats  29 25 0.537 2 1L 5-5
Kelowna Falcons  28 26 0.519 3 2L 7-3
Walla Walla Sweets 25 29 0.463 6 2W 4-6
Port Angeles Lefties 19 34 0.358 11.5 1W 3-7
South Division W L PCT GB STREAK LAST 10
Corvallis Knights  34 20 0.630 2W 6-4
Yakima Valley Pippins  28 26 0.519 6 1L 6-4
Cowlitz Black Bears 27 27 0.500 7 2W 4-6
Bend Elks 26 28 0.481 8 2L 6-4
Gresham GreyWolves 20 33 0.377 13.5 2L 2-8
# Name
Raul Camacho Pitching Coach
Nathan Fry Trainer
Frank Mutz Manager
Kyle Wilkerson Hitting Coach

Where are they now?

Hadyn King is a member of the AZL Giants Black, the rookie league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Chris Lincoln was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and is currently a member of the San Diego Padres organization.

Darius Vines is pitching in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Vinny Capra is a member of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ripken Reyes is currently a member of the San Diego Padres organization.

Jake Suddleson was signed this past summer by the Oakland Athletics.

By: Brandon Monty

Date: April 19, 2021