Flyboys, Axmen to clash in Appy League West title game

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Appalachian League regular season is all wrapped up. Now, only four teams remain with a shot at a championship.

The league added an extra round of postseason action in 2024. So, for the first time since the league’s re-creation, there will be a West Division championship game.

The Flyboys were a dominant force both in the batters box and on the mound this summer, ranking second in the league in batting average, as well as ERA. It’s part of the reason they ended up on top of the division standings with 28 wins.

Greeneville will play host to a red-hot Kingsport squad in the title bout. The Axmen have tallied a 9-1 record in the last ten games headed into the regular season’s final night.

The season matchup between the two teams has resulted in two wins for either side, as well as two extra-inning tiebreakers. It’s been about as even as it gets.

The Flyboys know they’ll have to use what’s gotten them to this point to pull out another win – an unselfish approach at the plate.

“They’re always close games,” Flyboys head coach Jack Wilson said. “We had that one – we broke out the other night, but for the most part every game has been within one or two runs of each other. It’s a very even squad-against-squad type of lineup card.”

“They’ve got good pitching, they’ve got a good offensive lineup,” Flyboys infielder Brodie Johnston said. “We’ve just got to bring it tomorrow if we want to win.”

“We have a lot of competitors on our team and we like to win,” Flyboys infielder Nick Arias explained. “So, putting down your pride and getting jammed and hitting the ball the other way is kind of just what baseball is.”

First pitch of the West Division championship at Pioneer Park is slated for Thursday at 7 p.m.

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