Week 23 - Tulsa #4 Series Preview
SERIES INFO For the final series of the 2024 Texas League Regular Season, the Wichita Wind Surge (25-38, 56-76) hosts the Tulsa Drillers (25-37, 59-72) to wrap up the Propellor Series at Riverfront Stadium. The Drillers lead the season series 10-8 and can secure the Propellor outright for the third
SERIES INFO
For the final series of the 2024 Texas League Regular Season, the Wichita Wind Surge (25-38, 56-76) hosts the Tulsa Drillers (25-37, 59-72) to wrap up the Propellor Series at Riverfront Stadium. The Drillers lead the season series 10-8 and can secure the Propellor outright for the third straight season with a series split.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, September 10, 7:05 PM, Two for Tuesday, Riverfront Stadium:
LHP Jaylen Nowlin (5-7, 4.83 ERA) vs. RHP Orlando Ortiz-Mayr (7-7, 4.79 ERA)
For the first time since June, Jaylen Nowlin takes the nod as the Wind Surge series opening starter to put the final Wichita series of the season underway.
Show your Dillons Shopper Card or Dillons App at the Wind Surge Box Office to get two tickets for the price of one every Tuesday home game!
Wednesday, September 11, 7:05 PM, Winetastic Wednesday, Riverfront Stadium:
LHP Christian MacLeod (1-1, 2.86 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Campos (1-4, 3.71 ERA)
Six days removed from his first win at the Double-A ranks, Christian MacLeod aims for another in the ICT.
Enjoy a $6 5oz pour of select wines every Wednesday home game!
Thursday, September 12, 7:05 PM, Bark in the Park, Riverfront Stadium:
RHP Cory Lewis (2-7, 2.50 ERA) vs. LHP Jackson Ferris (0-3, 3.09 ERA)
In the final Bark in the Park game of the season, Cory Lewis trots out on the hill against a team he held to one hit in the last contest the Wind Surge and Drillers faced each other on July 6 in Tulsa.
Embark on an exciting evening and bring your dog to the ballpark!
Friday, September 13, 7:05 PM, Surge Era, Riverfront Stadium:
RHP Marco Raya (2-4, 4.52 ERA) vs. RHP Carlos Duran (0-4, 3.05 ERA)
Completing an entire season of Friday night starts, Marco Raya caps off a career-high starting schedule with his 24th outing on the final Fireworks Friday of the season.
We are officially in our Surge Era! The first 1,000 fans will get a Wind Surge friendship bracelet. Stick around for a Surge Era jersey raffle and postgame dance party!
The first 1,500 fans will also claim a Wind Surge clear bag!
Saturday, September 14, 6:05 PM, Fan Appreciation Weekend, Riverfront Stadium:
RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-1, 6.19 ERA) vs. RHP Jerming Rosario (3-5, 4.74 ERA)
After pulling double duty against the RoughRiders last week, C.J. Culpepper gets his first taste of Propellor Series action for Wichita.
Come kick off Fan Appreciation Weekend at Riverfront Stadium with a Hoodie T-Shirt Giveaway! The first 1500 fans will get a Wind Surge T-Shirt Hoodie.
Sunday, September 15, 1:05 PM, Sunday Family Fun Day, Riverfront Stadium:
TBA vs. TBA
Come by Riverfront Stadium for the final game of the season, including Pre-Game Catch on the Field, and Post-Game Kids Run the Bases!
WIND SURGE STORYLINES
WALKER IS IN WICHITA: For the final week of the Double-A season, Wichita will see the Minnesota Twins top prospect, Walker Jenkins, in action at Riverfront Stadium. Jenkins, the #3 prospect in all of baseball per MLB.com, was the fifth overall selection in last year’s MLB draft. This season, the 19-year-old outfielder has spent time at the FCL, Single-A, and High-A levels, hitting a combined .293 clip with six home runs and 57 runs batted in across 76 games. He leads off in center field for his Double-A debut tonight in the series opener for the Wind Surge.
JOREL’S DOUBLE-DIGIT JUMP: After a solo homer in Sunday’s series finale at Frisco, Jorel Ortega reached the 10-long-ball threshold this season for Wichita. Including Ortega, five players have connected on double-digit home runs in Wind Surge colors in 2024. Ben Ross, Aaron Sabato, and Tanner Schobel are all at that 10 mark heading into the final week of the regular season as active team members. Carson McCusker, who got called up to Triple-A St. Paul in late August, is the only man who has left the yard more times for Wichita at 15, a tally that still borders the Top-10 Texas League Standings in 12th place.
HOW TO TAKE THE PROPELLOR 101: While the Wind Surge enter this series with a 10-8 deficit, there’s still a chance that they can take home the Propellor for the first time since its inaugural season when the series began in 2021. Wichita must take four of these next six at the minimum to move closer to the series victory.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
A FERRIS WHEEL ARRIVES: One arm that the Wind Surge will hit against for the first time this season for Tulsa is southpaw Jackson Ferris. The #5 Los Angeles Dodgers and Left-Handed Pitching prospect in baseball, per MLB.com, joined Tulsa from the High-A Great Lakes Loons on August 2, a little less than a month after the last games in the season series between the Drillers and Wichita. Although he’s still looking for his first Double-A victory, Ferris has leveled out at a 3.09 ERA over six starts on a Tulsa team that stands fourth in the Texas League North Division.
REINTRODUCING THE KR POWER CORP.: There are two Drillers players who are in the Top-10 Texas League Home Run Standings in Damon Keith and Jose Ramos, both tied for eighth place with 16. Ramos tied Keith at that number in the series finale against San Antonio at ONEOK Field and is three away from tying his 2023 total at 19. Interestingly enough, they’ve only combined for three of their 32 total blasts in the season series with the Wind Surge.
THESE BASEPATHS BELONG TO TAYLOR: Currently ranking as the Texas League stolen base king with 44 swipes on the season, Taylor Young is in elite Tulsa company. While his number is the most in that category for a single season since the Drillers became the Dodgers Double-A affiliate in 2015, the next closest man on the list that Young sits behind is former big leaguer Eric Young Jr., who converted 46 steals back in 2008, when Tulsa played under the Colorado Rockies organizational umbrella. There’s a very probable chance that Young can catch and surpass that marking this week as he’s a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base opportunities against Wichita this season.
BROADCAST
You can listen to Wind Surge games with Tim Grubbs on the call on ESPN Wichita 92.3 FM and windsurge.com, or watch them online at MiLB.TV and Bally Live.