Charlotte Knights
Record 2-4 (last week), 29-46 (second half), 65-85 (overall)
Knights Player of the Week
Dru Baker .438/.471/.813, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
Corey Julks .263/.333/.474, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 19 at-bats
Drake Logan .333/.412/.400, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 15 at-bats
Jacob Gonzalez .188/.235/.250, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
Bryan Ramos .143/.182/.333, 21 at-bats
Tim Elko .273/.304/.273, 22 at-bats
Noah Schultz Did not play (shut down, knee) Duncan Davitt 6 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB,
5 K [redacted] 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K Jonathan Cannon 3 1/3 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 9 H, 2 BB, 1 K Bryce Wilson 6 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K Shane Murphy 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 5 K Evan McKendry 4 IP, 3 R (0 ER), 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K
The Knights stumbled to the finish line, dropping four out of six against Durham (85-64). Charlotte wraps up the season at 65-85, falling well short of the postseason and ending up just percentage points ahead of the Winston-Salem Dash to avoid the worst record in the system.
Outfielder Dru Baker, 25, was an easy selection for Knight of the Week: 7-for-16 with two homers, four RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base in his only attempt. Baker has experience in all outfield positions, but he is in center field most often. In 77 games with the Knights, Baker slashed 256/.318/.368 (76 wRC+), but he finished strong. Baker came to the organization from the Rays in the trade for Matt Thaiss in May.
2025 Charlotte Knights Players of the Week
Tim Elko (April 7-13)
Bobby Dalbec (April 14-20)
Tim Elko (April 21-27)
Tristan Gray (April 28-May 4)
Jason Matthews (May 5-11)
Andre Lipcius (May 12-18)
Kyle Teel (May 19-25)
Jacob Amaya (May 26-June 1)
Brooks Baldwin (June 2-8)
Brooks Baldwin (June 9-15)
Brooks Baldwin (June 16-22)
Colson Montgomery (June 23-29)
Jacob Amaya (June 30-July 6)
Andre Lipcius (July 7-13)
Yoendrys Gómez (July 18-27)
Vinny Capra (July 28-August 3)
Jacob Gonzalez (August 4-10)
Tim Elko (August 11-17)
Blake Sabol (August 18-24)
Dominic Fletcher (August 25-31)
Caden Connor (September 1-7)
Shane Murphy (September 8-14)
Dru Baker (September 15-21)
Birmingham Barons
Record 2-1 vs. Lookouts (won Division Series), 0-1 vs. Biscuits (best-of-3 Championship Series in progress), 43-26 (second half regular season), 81-57 (overall regular season)
Barons Player of the Week
Hagen Smith 5 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 10 K
Rikuu Nishida .294/.368/.294, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 17 at-bats
Sam Antonacci .313/.389/.313, 16 at-bats
William Bergolla .500/.444/.500, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
DJ Gladney .308/.286/.462, 13 at-bats
Braden Montgomery Did not play (will play in Arizona Fall League)
Riley Gowens 3 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Tyler Schweitzer 2 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 1 K
Adisyn Coffey 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Lucas Gordon 3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Tanner McDougal 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K
This week got off to a rough start, with the Barons blowing a 6-0 lead in Game 1 of their Division Series. However, Birmingham recovered to win the series and advance to the Championship. On Sunday, they dropped the opener to the Biscuits. However, they have shown that they can rally after losing the first game (they did so last week and a year ago, after all), and regardless, they have had a great season.
Hagen Smith, 22, could have hardly been any better during his outing under the bright lights. Smith started on Thursday, which was Game 2 of the Division Series. The Lookouts struggled immensely against him, failing to get any hits during Smith’s five innings of work. Contact was a major issue for the Lookouts, as Smith collected 10 strikeouts while only issuing two walks. The Barons proceeded to win that game by a score of 4-0, only allowing one hit. Bravo to Smith, who played an integral part in Birmingham’s series victory. It is also worth mentioning that reliever Jake Palisch pitched three innings without allowing any hits, so the Barons took a combined no-hitter into the ninth. Tyler Davis allowed a double with one out, but he retired the other three batters he faced to close it out.
Infielder William Bergolla, 20, was also on top of his game. Bergolla finished 8-for-16 with two stolen bases in as many attempts. Bergolla also collected four RBIs to lead the team, as he was very effective when the pressure was on.
2025 Birmingham Barons Players of the Week
William Bergolla (April 7-13)
Tyler Schweitzer (April 14-20)
Wilfred Veras (April 21-27)
Caden Connor (April 28-May 4)
Ryan Galanie (May 5-11)
Riley Gowens (May 12-18)
Jacob Gonzalez (May 19-25)
William Bergolla (May 26-June 1)
Jake Palisch (June 2-8)
Shane Murphy (June 9-15)
Lucas Gordon (June 16-22)
Tanner McDougal (June 23-29)
Tanner McDougal (June 30-July 6)
Tanner McDougal (July 7-13)
Sam Antonacci (July 18-27)
Ryan Galanie (July 28-August 3)
Calvin Harris (August 4-10)
Braden Montgomery (August 11-17)
Riley Gowens (August 18-24)
Wilfred Veras (August 25-31)
William Bergolla (September 1-7)
DJ Gladney (September 8-14)
Hagen Smith (September 15-21)
