Aviators to play for PCL championship despite roster turnover

The Aviators benefited from a strong first half of the Pacific Coast League season.

They went 49-26 and finished first in the overall league standings to win the first-half championship. The first half included winning streaks of 12 and 10 games.

Securing the first-half championship clinched Las Vegas a spot in the PCL championship series against the second-half champion Tacoma Rainiers.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series will begin at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Las Vegas Ballpark. The winner of the series will advance to Saturday’s Triple-A national championship game at 7:05 p.m. at Las Vegas Ballpark against the International League champion.

But Las Vegas now has a much different club from the one that captured the first-half title and secured the team’s first postseason appearance since 2019.

With the Athletics, the team’s MLB affiliate, making frequent call-ups to Sacramento, the Aviators and two-time PCL manager of the year Fran Riordan have needed to adjust with a fluctuating roster.

Among the many call-ups from the first-half roster were outfielders Colby Thomas and Carlos Cortes, catcher Willie MacIver and infielders Darell Hernaiz and Nick Kurtz.

The Aviators were also depleted on the mound, with Mason Barnett, Joey Estes, JT Ginn and Jack Perkins among starters who are on the A’s current roster.

The second half of the season was an opportunity for players to get into rhythm and find their roles for the postseason. The Aviators leaned on infielder Alejo Lopez (.268 batting average and 48 RBIs) and outfielder Nick Martini (.259, 44 RBIs) to lead the way.

On the mound, Kade Morris (7-7, 5.22 ERA and 80 strikeouts) was Las Vegas’ top starter, and Anthony Maldonado (12 saves) led the bullpen.

The Aviators finished third in the overall standings with an 83-66 record. They went 34-40 in the second half, finishing seventh out of 10 teams.

Tacoma went 47-27 in the second half to get the second spot in the championship series. The Rainiers finished first overall in the PCL with an 85-64 record.

Las Vegas went 14-4 against Tacoma in the regular season. The Aviators won four of six games in their most recent series in August.

The Aviators had the best run differential in the PCL at plus-137.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.