Gameday Magazine

appearances (19 starts) for the Hillcats last year. The right-hander went 6-5 with a 3.06 ERA, good for best in the league among qualifying pitchers. Hartson’s best work came when he moved into the starting rotation full- time after the All Star Break, posting a 2.63 ERA through 11 starts. Triston McKenzie’s powerful right arm struck out a league-leading 186 batters in 143 innings for the ‘Cats last season. A 19-year-old for most of the season, McKenzie logged a 12-6 record with a 3.46 ERA (third-best in the league) in 25 starts. He posted double-digit strikeouts in six starts, including a career-high 14 punch outs on May 9 against Carolina. In the winning series against the Keys in the postseason, McKenzie struck out 10 in seven score- less innings. The third member of the outstanding pitching trio for the Hillcats last year, Shao-Ching Chiang, had the league’s fifth-best ERA at 3.67. He went 8-8 in 19 starts, including two complete games with one shutout. Lynchburg lost Chiang in August, as the right- hander and Taiwan native was promot- ed to Double-A Akron where he made six starts to finish the year. All three pitchers were Carolina League All Stars in 2017. On the hitting side, Willi Castro led the Hillcats with a .290 average throughout

the championship run, good for fourth- best in the league. Castro clobbered 11 homers and drove in a career-high 58 runs. The 20-year-old also homered in the clinching series against Frederick in the postseason. Ka’ai Tom tied for the team lead with 65 RBI and led the club with 31 doubles last season. The Hawaii native belted 10 homers and hit .254 as a main fixture in the ‘Cats everyday lineup. Sicnarf Loopstok also drove in 65 runs and led the Hillcats by popping a career-high 17 home runs. He drove in three runs in the postseason series against Frederick. Finishing with the Carolina League’s eighth-best batting average was Martin Cervenka. Lynchburg’s starting catcher hit .278 with eight homers and 57 RBI and hit a two-run double in the third inning of the 7-1 win against the Keys to clinch the championship. The Hillcats finished the 2017 sea- son with a 46-27 home record, tying Frederick for the most home wins in the league. Last season marked the first Carolina League title for an Indians affili- ate since Kinston won in 2006. Lynch- burg embarks on a 2018 season looking to repeat as champions for the second time in franchise history. The Lynchburg Mets won back-to-back titles during the 1983-1984 seasons.