Third Time’s A Charm: The Hudson Valley Renegades Are Coming Back to Wilmington

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are set to host the Hudson Valley Renegades for the third and final time of the 2024 season. In their two homestands and one road trip against the Renegades so far, the Blue Rocks are 6-11.

Ahead of the MLB All-Star Week break, the Blue Rocks and Renegades were tied for fourth in the South Atlantic League North with 9-11 records. Who is performing well for Hudson Valley, and what should the Blue Rocks look for in their upcoming homestand opponent?

Hitting

Many of the names that have given the Blue Rocks a tough time at the plate before are continuing their offensive success into the later half of the season. In July, Omar Martinez, who has hit two home runs against Wilmington this year, leads the team with seven RBIs, a .250 batting average, and a .781 OPS.

Roc Riggio is responsible for eight of the Renegades’ runs this month, the team’s high. In the 15 of the Renegades’ 17 games against the Blue Rocks Riggio played in, the infielder tallied 12 runs, 12 hits, and five RBIs.

Shortstop Jared Serna is undoubtedly Hudson Valley’s biggest weapon in the batter’s box. Currently leading the team with nine hits for the month of July, Serna holds the season highs in runs (49), hits (80), home runs (12), and RBIs (53). In Wilmington, Serna has recorded 21 hits, 12 runs, 14 RBIs, and four home runs in 11 games played, making him a huge offensive threat in this upcoming homestand.

Pitching

The Renegades have relied on multiple aspects of their starting pitching rotation and bullpen throughout the season, but a few stood out in the past month.

Hueston Morrill and Trent Sellers entered the All-Star Week Break with 0.00 ERAs. Morrill recorded one save and seven strikeouts, and allowed only one hit in 5.1 total innings. Sellers allowed two hits and struck out 11 batters in his 8.2 innings to start the second half of the season.

Like he has all season, Cam Schlittler continues to be a reliable option within the Renegades starting rotation. He has a 5-3 record and a 3.18 overall ERA for the season. In his last appearance at Frawley Stadium, Schlittler struck out nine Blue Rocks batters, allowing five hits and one run in 4.2 innings.

With such a tight race in the South Atlantic League North, this in-division matchup has the opportunity to push one team to the top of the pack. The Blue Rocks look to take advantage of their chance to catch up in the race for the second-half title and even out their 6-11 record against the Renegades this week.