Another week of MiLB action is complete, and multiple former WVU Baseball players are still playing strong as the Single-A and High-A seasons near their playoffs. Read more: Around The Farm #11: Derek Clark called up to AA, Ian Korn’s first MiLB W.
Although the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes season has ended after failing to make the California League playoffs, pitcher Derek Clark will get at least one more week of play after being called up to the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas.
Ian Korn, who made his MiLB debut this past week, had a solid week with the San Jose Giants, picking up his first win as a pro.
Several teams with former Mountaineers officially qualified for their respective playoffs this week. Plenty of others are making one last push to fight for a championship.
Read until the end to find out who this week’s Mountaineer MiLB Player of the Week is.
Derek Clark joins the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas
Derek Clark suited up for the Los Angeles Angels Single-A affiliate, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, one last time this season Thursday.
Clark made the most of his last start with the Quakes, picking up his ninth win of the season against the Ontario Tower Buzzers. He threw three strikeouts and allowed three hits in the Quakes’ 4-3 victory.
Despite the series win over the Tower Buzzers, the Quakes were too far behind the Tower Buzzers in the California League South second-half standings to finish the season. The Tower Buzzers will face first-half winners, Lake Elsinore Storm, starting Tuesday in the California League South Divisional Series.
Instead of hanging up the glove until next season, Clark has the chance to get at least one more week of action. The Angels called him up to its Double-A affiliate, the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Monday.
The Trash Pandas are currently second in the Southern League North second-half standings. However, the team in first, the Knoxville Smokies, was also the first-half winner, meaning the Trash Panda’s are currently in a favorable position to make the playoffs.
The Trash Pandas will still have a challenge as the Birmingham Barons are just one game behind them in the standings. The Trash Pandas do have the more favorable matchup, though, as they will face the team at the bottom of the standings, the Chattanooga Lookouts, while the Barons will face the Smokies in their final regular-season series.
Double-A playoffs begin September 15.
Clark was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Draft, 262nd overall. He played his senior season at WVU in 2024, making the All-Big 12 First Team.
Ian Korn picks up first MiLB win
Relief pitcher Ian Korn made his MiLB debut on August 28 with the San Francisco Giants’ Single-A affiliate, San Jose Giants. Just four days later, he got the first win of his professional career.
Related: Around the Farm #10: Ian Korn debuts, reunites with Paul Schoenfeld
Korn pitched 1.2 innings against the Fresno Grizzlies Tuesday. Despite allowing two hits and two runs, he kept the game under control enough to receive the win.
On Saturday, Korn appeared again for San Jose, pitching two innings. He allowed one hit and no runs.
Korn had one strikeout in both games he played this past week.
San Jose led the California League North standings in both the first half and the second half. It will face the Stockton Ports Tuesday for game one of the California League North Divisional series.
Should the Giants win the series, it will face the winner of the South series between the Storm and Tower Buzzers in the California League Championship.
Korn was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the tenth round of the 2026 MLB draft, 298th overall. He played one season for WVU in 2026, making the All-Big 12 First Team.
Other playoff updates
Five teams with former Mountaineers had already qualified for their respective playoffs by winning the first half of their seasons.
The teams are the Single-A San Jose Giants (Ian Korn), High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (Jack Kartsonas), Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (Tevin Tucker), Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels (Tyler Switalski), and Triple-A Memphis Redbirds (Victor Scott II).
Unfortunately, two of these players, Kartsonas and Switalski, are out for the remainder of the series and will not compete in the playoff series.
As of Tuesday, three more teams with former Mountaineers will compete in the playoffs.
The new teams include the Single-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Carson Estridge), High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers (Carlson Reed), and High-A Great Lakes Loons (Robby Porco).
Three spots remain unfilled for Double-A headed into its final week of play.
As previously mentioned, the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Derek Clark) are currently in a good position to take the final spot in the Southern League North.
The Amarillo Sod Poodles (David Hagaman) currently lead the Texas League South second half standings by five games and are in a favorable position to face the Frisco RoughRiders in the divisional series. The Midland RockHounds (Logan Sauve) are the team in second.
The final spot would be in the Eastern League Northeast, but no team, other than the already qualifying Yard Goats, have any former Mountaineers.
In Triple-A, two spots remain, as the teams still have two weeks of regular season play remaining.
No team with a former Mountaineer is in a favorable position; however, it is still possible for the Reno Aces (Kade Strowd) to claim the last spot in the Pacific Coast League and the Durham Bulls (Michael Grove), Toledo Mud Hens (Jackson Wolf), and Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Paul McIntosh) to claim the last spot in the International League.
Top performers this past week
In addition to Clark and Korn, one other former WVU pitcher picked up a win this week; Kade Strowd.
Strowd appeared in two games this week for the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks Triple-A) and pitched a total of 2.1 innings with four strikeouts. He allowed no runs and no hits in both games and was the winning pitcher Friday against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Another former WVU pitcher, Carlson Reed of the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pittsburgh Pirates High-A), picked up a save Wednesday.
Reed appeared in two games against the Asheville Tourists and pitched a total of 2.2 innings, allowing no runs with five strikeouts.
Paul Schoenfeld of the Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks Single-A) had another great week, collecting seven hits and five RBI across five games.
Schoenfeld’s best game was Wednesday when he had five hits, including his first professional grand slam homer, against the Stockton Ports.
Skylar King of the Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox High-A) played five games this week and had six hits and three RBI. He is currently on a six-game hit streak.
The last player to highlight this week is Jackson Wolf of the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers Triple-A).
Although Wolf was not a winning pitcher this week, he pitched six innings in his one start this week and allowed no hits and no runs with eight strikeouts. Wolf was just short of a perfect outing, as he allowed one walk.
Mountaineer MiLB Player of the Week
This week’s Mountaineer MiLB Player of the Week is Skylar King.
King was a reliable hitter for the Greenville Drive this week with six hits, three of which were doubles. When he was called up to Greenville mid-August, he had a very slow start with minimal hits. The six game hitting streak shows King is getting used to the next level and is returning to the level of reliability he held with the Salem RidgeYaks.
Remember, the following Single-A and High-A playoff series have former Mountaineers competing this week.
- Fredericksburg Nationals vs Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Best of Three) – September 8, 10-11
- San Jose Giants vs Stockton Ports (Best of Three) – September 8, 10-11
- Frederick Keys vs Greensboro Grasshoppers (Best of Three) – September 8, 10-11
- Dayton Dragons vs Great Lakes Loons (Best of Three) – September 8, 10-11
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