AppleSox Welcome Four Toreros To 2024 Team

AppleSox head coach Mitch Darlington announced on Saturday the addition of four players from the University of San Diego. JD Goodcase, Jonathan Fitz, Hunter Friedberg and Tristan Lamaison are four newcomers signed to come to Wenatchee this season.

The AppleSox did not have any players from the University of San Diego last season but have a connection with the Toreros through pitcher Grady Miller, who pitched for Wenatchee in 2016 and 2018.

“Really excited about this new connection,” Darlington said. “Typically one of the top two, top three finishers in the West Coast Conference, consistently have made regionals and had really good seasons. A fun connection and a really good program to pull from.” 

Fitz is a catcher who has appeared in 10 games for the Toreros this spring as a freshman and has recorded .267 average. He put together a tremendous senior season at Covington High School in 2023, batting .511, with 19 doubles, six home runs and a 1.501 OPS. Fitz racked up the hardware, by earning the 2023 Kentucky Johnny Bench Award, team MVP honors, First Team All-State Honors, and the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division I Player of the Year and Northern Kentucky Senior All-Star Series MVP. The Edgewood, Ky. native also helped Covington win the 2023 District 35 Championship and was named Tournament MVP.

“He’s seen some limited action but he’s behind one of the better catchers in the country,” Darlington said. “A really talented young guy. We expect him to come in here and catch every other day. The kid can really swing it. He’s physical and really strong.”

Friedberg is an outfielder who graduated from St. John Bosco High School in 2023 and is looking to make his season debut with the Toreros. He hit .481 in 28 games as a senior last year to earn First Team All-League honors. Friedberg also excelled in his junior year, earning Second Team All-League honors with a .339 average in 27 games. The Lakewood, Calif. native also played for Team California at the 2022 National High School Baseball Championship Series.

“He’s a left-handed bat that we are really excited about,” Darlington said. “Hunter is a really talented kid who led his high school league in batting average as a senior and that is one of the better leagues in the country. He’s a talented kid and he’s going to be in our lineup consistently.”

Goodcase is a right-handed pitcher in his sophomore year at San Diego. He came out of the bullpen 11 times in 2023 and has already made eight relief appearances this spring. Goodcase graduated from St. Bonaventure High School in California in 2022. He was named the Tri-Valley Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and earned First-Team All-Tri-Valley League Honors after posting a 1.69 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 21 walks over 45.2 innings in 15 games as a junior. 

“JD is a really high-ceiling arm,” Darlington said. “Just a talented back-end bullet to have in our bullpen. JD is going to be a late-inning, maybe a closer type of role. He has good swing-and-miss stuff with seven strikeouts already in only eight innings this spring.”

LaMaison is a sophomore right-handed pitcher who appeared in 13 games in relief last season as a freshman. He has pitched in five games out of the bullpen and has a 4.15 ERA this spring. The Orange County, Calif. native graduated from JSerra High School in 2022, where he was a 2021 Regional State Champion and a 2022 CIF Southern Section Champion.

“He’s seen limited action this year but he’s the perfect guy to come out here and see a ton of innings for us,” Darlington said. “A guy that San Diego has good plans for and is only going to get better as he keeps getting older and keeps developing. We just hope to be a step in the right direction for him as far as his development goes. I know (AppleSox pitching coach) Mike (Callia) is excited to work with him.”

The 2024 WCL season begins on May 31 as the AppleSox host the Port Angeles Lefties at 6:25 p.m. at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The AppleSox have 31 home games and play until mid-August. Single-game tickets are available for purchase now at applesox.com/schedule with admission as affordable as $8. Season ticket packages are also available for purchase at applesox.com/season-tickets. Wenatchee’s five West Coast League championships are second-most in league history and head coach Mitch Darlington’s club set single-season franchise records for walks drawn, home record, home winning streak, sweeps and home runs hit in a single game in 2023.