AppleSox head coach Mitch Darlington has finalized his 2024 coaching staff with the addition of Xander Orejudos as his second assistant.

Orejudos will serve as Darlington’s first-base coach, work with infielders and assistant in hitting. This will be a return to the AppleSox for the Ellensburg native as he previously played with Wenatchee in 2022.

“I’m excited to get back to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, to see Mitch and to see all the boys,” Orejudos said. “It’s nice to be close to home but now I get to do it a different way. I think coaching a different group of guys whenever you can is good because they can help you grow as a coach.”

Orejudos graduated from the University of Jamestown last spring and is in his first year as a student assistant coach with the Jimmies. He also served as first base in the fall as Jamestown got off to an 8-0 start.

His unique college journey should serve next summer’s AppleSox players well as they look to continue to climb levels of baseball. Orejudos began his college career at Columba Basin College in 2018 and his .356 in 46 games that year before following it up with a .358 mark in 28 games the next season. He transferred to Georgia Gwinnett but did not play in the 2020 or 2021 seasons due to injury. Orejudos then made his way to Jamestown and finished strong, first hitting .276 in 44 games a junior and then wrapping up his college career with a .325 mark in 46 games last spring.

Orejudos played with the AppleSox from start to finish in 2022 and became a regular with his defensive work at second base and his reliable bat. He hit .317 in 37 regular-season games and also a personal-best eight-game hitting streak from July 28-Aug. 5. Orejudos followed it up with a strong postseason, collecting hits in all three games, including recording a pair of multi-hit games in a Division Series sweep of Kamloops to open the playoffs.

“Xander will bring some really good perspective,” Darlington said. “I’m really excited to have Xander on this staff and bring him back to Wenatchee. He was supposed to be a 10-day contract but we had a dropout last minute and it all worked out. Xander ended up being a huge key in our success. He became our everyday designated hitter because his bat got hot and it was hard to keep him out of the lineup.”

The 2024 AppleSox season begins on May 31 at home against the Port Angeles Lefties. Season tickets can be purchased now for as affordable as $145 at applesox.com/season-tickets. The 2023 AppleSox recorded the best regular-season record in the last 10 seasons and tied the 2012 team for the second-most wins in franchise history. Twenty-one former AppleSox players have gone on to appear in an MLB game in the 23-season history of the team.