2025 FRONTIER LEAGUE PREVIEWS: WASHINGTON WILD THINGS
The Washington Wild Things were the class of the Frontier League’s West Division in 2024, winning a franchise-record 67 games, the Division Championship, and making it all the way to the Championship Series. Although their run ended up falling short, Washington is set to pursue the division title and make a deep playoff run again in 2025.
There were plenty of individual awards to go around the Wild Things organization after last season, the most notable of which was the Morgan Burkhart Most Valuable Player award being bestowed upon outfielder Caleb McNeely. He was also part of the 2024 All-Frontier League Team, along with designated hitter Tyreque Reed and relief pitcher Gyeongju Kim.
A significant change to keep an eye on in 2025 for the Wild Things is the hiring of pitching coach Hector Nelo. Nelo, a former draft pick of the Texas Rangers, will oversee a Washington staff that ranked at or near the top of the league in most major statistical categories, including ERA and WHIP.
The Wild Things also added two more names to a long list of former players in Major League Baseball organizations this offseason. Star reliever Alex Carillo was picked up by the New York Mets and assigned to Triple-A after last season concluded. Infielder Cole Roberts, who was a late addition to Washington’s roster, was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies on a minor league deal in January. Former pitcher Spencer Bivens, who was with the team in 2021, was recently announced as part of the San Francisco Giants’ Opening Day roster.
On an organizational level, the Wild Things had one of the more eventful offseasons in the league. The team recently had its playing surface replaced, thanks to a partnership with FieldTurf. The synthetic turf system incorporates a new design with FieldTurf's state-of-the-art XTHD-50 artificial surface. It is the first replacement of the playing surface since 2011.
Another massive development that occurred on March 25 was the debuting of Washington’s Partnership with EQT Corporation. The new three-year partnership was announced in a press conference where the naming of the Wild Things’ home as “EQT Park” was debuted. The stadium will play host to events such as concerts, the Taco and Tequila Festival, the Pride Festival and so much more in 2025.
The Wild Things will welcome fans back into their refurbished stadium with an Opening Night firework show on Tuesday, May 13 when they host the Ottawa Titans. Washington will be putting on firework shows after every Friday home game. Other promotions the team has announced include a series of bobblehead giveaways on select Saturday games, free tickets for all senior citizens on Wednesday games as a part of their Senior Slugger Program, and free Sunday afternoon tickets for children 12 and under when they sign up for the Wild Things Kids Club!
The Wild Things will open their season on Friday, May 9 on the road against the Windy City ThunderBolts. To keep up with all of the team’s announcements, promotions, and for ticket information, head over to washingtonwildthings.com!
