The Fredericksburg Nationals’ second-half climb has nearly reached its summit following a 4-1 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
With four games left on its regular-season slate, Fredericksburg’s magic number to clinch a Carolina League playoff berth is down to two. That means any combination of wins by the FredNats (72-55) or losses by the Salem Red Sox (68-59) totaling two would send Fredericksburg to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
“We’re playing good baseball,” FredNats manager Jake Lowery said of his club, which has gone 37-24 over the second half of the season. “Our guys are resilient. Our offense has been steady and our pitching has been reliable, particularly out of the bullpen.”
Fredericksburg finished the first half of the year 6.5 games behind first-place Carolina. But it went 10-2 with no days off during a 12-game span from June 25-July 6, setting the stage for its second-half surge. Seven of those wins came on the road, as the FredNats took four of six at Salem and swept a three-game series at Delmarva.
“To win 10 out of 12 games with no off day is impressive at any level of baseball,” Lowery said. “Our guys are resilient, and they proved it during that stretch. It really set the tone for what we’ve been able to do as of late.”
Fredericksburg has continued to prove its resilience since then, overcoming one four-game losing streak and a pair of three-game skids. It dropped three in a row at Kannapolis just last week but snapped out of it in a big way with a 21-5 rout of the Cannonballers in Saturday’s series finale.
“We have a great group of guys who have stuck together all year and just played ball,” said FredNats first baseman Brandon Pimentel, who has a team-leading 85 RBIs. “We go out there and compete for one another, and those good at-bats and good pitches have piled up over the course of the year into what you see now.”
Pimentel has continued to pace Fredericksburg’s offense with a .733 OPS and 22 doubles, and former first-round pick Elijah Green has a club-best 12 home runs.
“We have guys that make my job as a pitcher easier, said starting pitcher Travis Sykora, who leads the league in ERA (2.17), WHIP (0.83) and strikeouts (126). “I just focus on making my pitches and let them do their thing.”
Former second-round selection Alex Clemmey, who was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians when the Nationals traded Lane Thomas on July 29, is close behind Sykora with 123 punchouts.
Closer Anthony Arguelles paces the league in saves, having converted 10 of 11 opportunities. Merrick Baldo also has six saves in seven chances and has recorded six holds, while Bubba Hall has six holds and has posted a 6-2 record out of the pen.
“I feel like whoever I call on in the [bullpen] is always ready to pitch,” Lowery said.
All four of the FredNats’ remaining contests are against Lynchburg. Salem also closes out the season at home with five games against Kannapolis.
Should Fredericksburg punch its ticket to the postseason, it will play Game 1 of the league semifinals on Tuesday.
KING CATCHING ON QUICKLY
Shortstop Seaver King, the Nationals’ 2024 first-round pick, has made an immediate impact since arriving in Fredericksburg on Aug. 13.
King, a Wake Forest product, is batting .304 with three triples, eight RBIs and eight stolen bases through 65 at-bats.
King has also showcased a good eye at the plate over the past four games, drawing five of his six total walks with the FredNats during that span.
DIAZ HITS FIRST INSIDE-THE-PARKER
Second baseman Kelvin Diaz hit the first inside-the-park homer in FredNats history during Tuesday night’s victory over Lynchburg.
Leading off the bottom of the third inning, Diaz hit a sinking line drive to center field that Hillcats centerfielder Tommy Hawke dove for. Hawke couldn’t come up with it, and the ball rolled to the wall, allowing Diaz to come all the way around and score to make it 3-1.
Diaz has only been with the team since Aug. 24. He has 12 RBIs and seven steals.
