Regular Season Final Weekend: Ten Things to Know in the American Association This Week

The American Association of Professional Baseball (@AA_Baseball) regularseason winds down with this weekend’s wraparound series through Monday; the playoffs begin on Wednesday. All AAPB games are available for free live viewing at aabaseball.tv.

Here are 10 (or so) Things to Know about the AAPB this week:

• Five teams have secured AAPB playoff berths, with five vying for the final three slots. In the league’s innovative Wolff Cup Playoff format, the East and West Division winners (currently led by the Cleburne Railroaders and Winnipeg Goldeyes, respectively), can choose their first round opponent from among the other qualifiers in their division, with the remaining higher seed hosting the other team in the best-of-three Division Series from Wednesday through Sept. 7. Those winners meet in a best-of-three Division Championship Series between Sept. 9-12, and those winners meet in the Wolff Cup Final, Sept. 14-19, in a best-of-five set.
• A peek at the League leaders shows Sioux City’s John Nogowski (Tallahassee, Fla.) (.346) extending to an eight-point edge over Chicago’s Jacob Teter (Melbourne, Fla.) (.338) for the batting crown, while Lake Country’ slugger Ryan Hernandez (Hyde Park, Mass.) looks to have locked up the home run (29) crown and maintains a three-RBI lead over Teter, 91-88.
• On the pitching side, Ty Culbreth (Bryan, Texas) won his 12^th game of the season on Tuesday, one more than Winnipeg’s Joey Matulovich (Danville, Calif.), who had dominated with league-bests of 145 strikeouts and a 2.13 ERA over an AAPB-best 122 1/3 innings.
• Wisconsin Brewing Company Park and the Lake Country DockHounds were the hosts on Friday for the annual National Night Out Kickball Game between the City of Oconomowoc Police and Fire department. An estimated crowd of better than 1,000 was on hand for a night of fun that included squads, ladder trucks, drones, K9 unit, demonstrations, open Kids Zone and more.
• While Cleburne Railroaders fans are hoping their team can clinch their first-ever Division title shortly, they’re also keeping their eye on first baseman Thomas Dillard (Oxford, Miss.), whose 90 walks are four short of the league record of 94 set by T.J. Mittelstaedt in 2014. Dillard, a former fifth-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, celebrated his 27^th birthday on Wednesday, and has 15 home runs and an .891 OPS, while stealing 22 bases without being caught.
• George Tsamis, who pitched for the Minnesota Twins in 1993 and took over as Kane County manager in 2021, is one win away from the 200 victory mark at the Cougars’ helm.
• AAPB alums continue to find success at other professional levels, and this week’s case in point is 2023 Starting Pitcher of the Year Solomon Bates, who posted a 10-6 record and 3.57 ERA, logging 126 innings for Sioux City last year. This year, pitching for Oaxaxa in the Mexican League, he outdueled former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer of the Diablos Rojos de Mexico in the playoffs on Monday, winning 5-4.
• Another week brings another season-high attendance mark as the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks hosted Fan Appreciation Night on Friday, with 5,051 fans, the largest crowd at Newman Outdoor Field since June 2016 on hand.
• AAPB teams are connected to their communities, and in Fargo, North Dakota State University Bison football is also a big deal. So tonight’s opener at the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes will be shown live at Newman Outdoor Field.
• Lincoln is another big college town, with the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ fall sports getting underway in the shadow of Haymarket Park. And women’s sports are a huge part of the experience there, prompting last Saturday’s “Women in Sports” celebration at the Saltdogs’ park. Student-athletes from 11 sports met fans of all ages, signed autographs and threw out ceremonial pitches before the team’s game against Sioux City.
• Last Thursday was “Cully’s Kids Night” in Fargo-Moorhead, benefiting the Cullen Children’s Foundation. Former NHL player and 3-time Stanley Cup champion, Matt Cullen and his wife Bridget, started the foundation as a way to raise money in support of area causes pertaining to children’s healthcare, especially those fighting childhood cancer. Cullen handed off first pitch duties to Jaxon, one of the “Cully’s Kids” being recognized that evening.
• Some fun theme nights coming up:
  • Friday, Dino Night, Gary SouthShore
  • Friday, DC Supervillain Night, Kane County
  • Saturday, 80s Night, Gary SouthShore
  • Saturday, Hispanic Heritage Night, Sioux City
  • Saturday, Autism Awareness Night, Kane County
  • Sunday, “Cram the Van” for Homeless Veterans, Kane County