Pioneer League Second Half Preview
by Nick Clementi
The Long Beach Coast and Billings Mustangs have clinched their spots in the 2026 PBL postseason, finishing with the top two records in the first half. Luckily for the rest of the Pioneer League, there are two more playoff spots that will be secured in the remaining 48 regular season games.
Long Beach and Billings had respective first half records of 37-11 and 36-11, two of the most impressive starts to a season in league history. While middle of the pack in hitting stats, Long Beach leads the PBL in team ERA, WHIP, and is second-least in walks allowed. The Coast have won ten of their first eleven series matchups, with their worst series being a six-game split at home versus Yuba-Sutter. The Billings Mustangs were just as impressive, leading the league in homers, average, OBP, and slugging. Their pitching was quite respectable as well, finishing the first half with the fourth best ERA despite all of their games coming in high elevation. Long Beach and Billings now have their sights set on Oakland’s record-breaking 73 wins, as they prepare their respective rosters for the postseason.
The Second Half Contenders
The Glacier Range Riders, Ogden Raptors, and Modesto Roadsters come in next for the first half PBL standings. Glacier and Ogden both went 29-19, while Modesto was 27-21. These three get an advantage toward making the postseason, as a playoff spot or two could come down to overall record (instead of second half record) if Long Beach or Billings have one of the top two records in second half. Ogden ended the first half with a bang, taking four of six from Glacier, on their way to an 8-3 start in the month of July. The Raptors logo appears all over the Pioneer League hitting leaders page. Kyler Stancato leads the PBL with an absurd .462 average; Colson Lawrence is third in average, t-third in RBI, and fourth in home runs; Chase Valentine is second in stolen bases (five ahead of B’s SS Tremayne Cobb). The question for teams in elevation is usually regarding whether or not their pitching can hold up. Ogden’s team ERA of 8.96 leaves much to be desired, though the recent signing of Jason Schaaf (3.81 ERA in four starts) provides some optimism.
The Glacier Range Riders and Modesto Roadsters on the other hand, have been carried by their pitching thus far. They enter the second half tied for the second-best team ERA in the league, just behind Long Beach. Left-hander Zach Longshore has been Glacier’s ace, recording quality starts in each of his last four outings. The concern for Glacier moving forward has to be their offense. Despite playing in the hitter-friendly confines of Kalispell, MT, the Range Riders have the second-lowest slugging percentage and have struck out the second-most times of any PBL team. This lack of power is not a new concern; Glacier finished dead last in home runs last season. San Jose State grad Alex Fernandes was a boost to the Range Rider offense, but was signed today by the Athletics organization.
Modesto has also been below average offensively, though that comes with a major asterisk. The Roadsters have had to face Long Beach’s vaunted pitching staff in 12 of their first 48 games. Their inaugural core has been led by former Marlins prospect Osiris Johnson and Ballers-killer Max Handron. The infield duo both have an OPS over 1.000; Handron has eight home runs, seven have come against Oakland. Lastly, look for OF Justin Williams to lengthen the Roadsters offense. Since coming over from the Atlantic League on June 15th, Williams has nearly a 1.000 OPS in his first 22 games for Modesto. The Roadsters’ pitching staff has been led by PBL rookie right-hander Omar Serrano. Serrano’s ERA sits at 3.68 and had recorded six straight quality starts up until his outing versus Long Beach three days ago.
The next trio of Missoula, Boise, and Oakland found themselves in 6th, 7th, and 8th in the first half standings. All three have hope going into the second half for a playoff push, but did not do themselves any favors if overall record comes into play. The Missoula Paddleheads went 1-7 versus Billings, but went 23-15 against all other PBL competition. Missoula’s balance might be their biggest attribute. Their team ERA ranks 5th in the PBL while their team on-base percentage is third best. The trio of Klemp, Casserilla, and Bermudez have been among the best in the league, all slugging over .600 for a combined total of 46 home runs.
The Boise Hawks stumbled down the stretch in the first half, losing 9 of their last 11 games to finish at 22-25. Boise’s struggles can be targeted at their alarming lack of pop. They rank dead last in the league in home runs, a staggering 62 less home runs than Billings who leads in the category. Third year Boise Hawk OF Joseph Kalafut has been one of the few bright spots; his .398 batting average ranks sixth in the PBL. Six of their wins coming by one run could signal that regression is looming.
The defending champion Oakland Ballers have had a disappointing start to their third season in the PBL, going 22-26 in the first half. Despite the offseason departures of players like Christian Almanza and Dillon Tatum, Oakland’s offense hasn’t missed a beat. PBL rookie 1B Jeter Ybarra had one of the best first halves in Ballers history, leading the league with 21 home runs and getting on base about 40% of the time. Ybarra is only ten home runs from Almanza’s single season B’s record of 31 home runs last season.
SS Tremayne Cobb signaled his return to the squad early in the offseason, and he has taken his game to a new level in his second year of pro ball. After a very respectable .296/.389/.419 slash line in 2025, Cobb has already surpassed last year’s home run total and raised his OPS nearly 200 points. “Tre” has also dramatically increased his impact on the basepaths, stealing nine more bases than he did all of last season. His 25 stolen bases rank third in the PBL and should give Cobb a strong chance at breaking Darryl Buggs’ Ballers record of 35 steals. Jake Allgeyer, Esai Santos, and Noah Blythe have also been steady contributors, creating a very deep lineup for Oakland. Despite their first half record, the Ballers offense has actually improved from last year, raising their slugging percentage from .510 to .546.
The key for Oakland in the second half will be whether their pitching staff can make enough improvements. Replacing Noah Millikan, Luke Short, and recently Gabe Tanner has proven to be a difficult challenge so far. The Ballers' staff ranks fourth-worst in ERA, behind several ballclubs located in higher elevation. I talked with Ballers assistant general manager Tyler Peterson who explained the situation:
“First, I’m over the moon to have two players signed straight off our roster, Tanner and [Grant] Manning [signed by the Nationals this offseason before debuting for Oakland]. Unfortunately, that takes away two starters that we thought would be throwing around 30 games for us this year…I think the last two weeks were a good evaluation period for our coaching staff. [Hurley and Risse] have given us good innings and they would be the first to say they wanted to have a better first half than they did. If we have success they will be a big part of it.”
Want hope for B’s pitching? Reed Butz is back in Oakland (as reported by Dispatches last night), returning to the Ballers after being released by Sioux City. His 2025 ERA would immediately rank first on this year’s club by a wide margin.
The last group to discuss in the Pioneer League involves the Great Falls Voyagers, Idaho Falls Chukars, Yuba-Sutter Freebirds, and RedPocket Mobiles. Great Falls sits atop the group with a first half record of 18-30. The Voyagers have a quality enough offense to have a competitive second half if they can make the right additions to their pitching staff. PBL rookie OF Vincent Temesvary has been the Voyagers’ best player, currently ranking inside the top 15 in batting average and top 10 in steals. Idaho Falls’ pitching has limited their chances at making another playoff run, despite a capable offense. Chukars fans have at least had the pleasure of watching OF Sam Canton in his first year of professional baseball. Canton is hitting for an astounding .406 average, with 15 home runs and 20 doubles. Yuba-Sutter and RedPocket are in similar positions, needing a dramatic improvement from their respective rosters to become contenders. Zach Chamizo for the Freebirds and Jordan Harrison-Dudley for the Mobiles have been two bright spots in an otherwise challenging season.
MVP race
1B Jeter Ybarra, Oakland (.308/.395/.546, 21 home runs)
OF A.J. Shaver, Billings (.460/.523/.933, 14 home runs)
OF Kyler Stancato, Ogden (.451/.518/.582, 16 steals)
OF Colson Lawrence, Ogden (.409/.485/.768, 16 home runs)
C Charlie Muniz, Billings (.383/.493/.679, 16 home runs)
OF Emilio Corona, Long Beach (.340/.412/.660, 14 HRs, 22 SBs)
SS Chase Valentine, Ogden (.353/.450/.629, 32 steals)
SS Osiris Johnson, Modesto (.382/.459/.639, 11 HRs, 23 SBs)
SS Tremayne Cobb, Oakland (.346/.430/.576, 12 HRs, 25 SBs)
OF Vincent Temesvary, Great Falls (.373/.495/.681, 10 HRs, 19 SBs)
Pitcher of the Year Race
LHP Brett Wozniak, Long Beach (Injured, 2.21 ERA in 6 starts)
RHP Omar Serrano, Modesto (3.68 ERA, 59 K’s in 58.2 IP)
Reliever Alex Bustamante, Glacier (2.89 ERA in 28 IP)
RHP Reece Fields, Missoula (3.59 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in 42.2 IP)
RHP Devyn Hernandez, Modesto (3.65 ERA, 1.20 WHIP in 44.1 IP)
Nick Clementi is an Oakland native and lifelong Oakland baseball fan. He enjoys long walks on the beach and summer nights at Raimondi Park. He’s a Scrappy enthusiast who doesn't believe in sacrifice bunts. Sports content moderator by day, Ballers beat writer by night. Find him on Instagram and Twitter.
