It’s time for our annual look back at the just completed Williamsport Crosscutters season from a numerological standpoint. 2024 was certainly a tale of two seasons. An oft used, but very appropriate, cliché when describing the Cutters season.
The campaign got off to an exciting start with an 8-0 victory over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at home on opening night. RHP Zachary Murray, who would prove to be the staff ace, pitched 6 innings of shutout baseball allowing just 3 hits and striking out 8. The next night, the Cutters treated the home crowd to MLB Draft League Sudden Death in picking up win number two on the young season.
Williamsport never really relinquished first place for more than 24 hours during the season’s 1st half, finishing with a record of 22-8 and dominating in most every category. Capturing the 1st half title not only meant the Cutters would be in the 2024 MLB Draft League Championship Game but also assured them that it would be played at Williamsport’s Journey Bank Ballpark.
Then, on July 18, the 2nd half of the MLB Draft League season began. The 2nd half means teams in the MLB Draft League get a virtually new roster with very few holdovers from the just completed 1st half. In the past Williamsport has had maybe one or two players per season appear on the roster in both halves.
As luck would have it, upwards of NINE players who saw action with the team in the 1st half were going to be on the roster for the 2nd half. Those players included RHP Zachary Murray who was 6-1 in the 1st half for Williamsport. Also added to the mix, for good measure, was RHP Shaun Gamelin. Yes, the same Shaun Gamelin who was the Cutters 2023 Pitcher of the Year and tied for the league lead in wins while going 6-0 with a 3.32 ERA
The 2nd half started out in dominating fashion with an 8-4 home victory over Frederick. Gamelin matched Murray’s opening night stat line going 6 innings while allowing just 3 hits and striking out 8. He allowed juts one unearned run in picking up the W.
The Cutters would go on to lose the next 2 games while sprinkling in just a few wins between two 6-game losing streaks and a 7-game losing streak. After a 4-2 loss to the rival State College Spikes on August 25, the Cutters were buried in last place with a 2nd half record of 7-25. It seemed that the race to win the 2nd half was simply an exercise to see who would get the opportunity to beat Williamsport and win the overall 2024 MLB Draft League title.
But a strange thing happened the next time the Cutters took the field. They WON, in MLB Sudden Death to beat the 1st place Trenton Thunder, followed by a win over the Thunder the very next night. It had been a full month since Williamsport had won back-to-back games.
The Cutters went 6-3 in the final 9 games of the regular season including a 16-3 loss to State College on the final day of the regular season that saw the Cutters pitch only position players in an effort to rest all hurlers for the championship game to be played the next night.
The 2nd half title would go down to the final night of the season as Trenton prevailed, just edging West Virginia via tie-breaker for the opportunity to face Williamsport in the title game.
September 5, Championship Night, saw the Cutters ready for battle with new-found confidence and a near sold-out crowd, beating Trenton 5-4 in an exciting game. Despite a lackluster 2nd half, Ryan Hanigan’s Crosscutters squad peaked at the right time, had a rested pitching staff and battled to capture the 2024 MLB Draft League Title, the third in franchise history (2001, 2003) and their first in the MLB Draft League.
SS Carter Dorighi, who hit .373 during the Cutters 1st half was named the team MVP and RHP Zachary Murray who lead the league with a record 8 wins was the Cutters Pitcher of the Year
Here's a look at the 2024 season, By the Numbers…
49,000 – Approximate dollars donated to local charities via Cutters in-season charitable programs & events
4,000 - Packs of Topps Baseball cards given out to fans
3,500 – Number of Pop-Tarts given away on Salute to Pop-Tarts Night
1,000 –Knoebels Bargain Night passes given away to fans
1,000 – Number of hot dogs given away on Free Hot Dog Mondays
333 – Walks allowed by Cutters’ pitchers. 153 less than 2023!
61 – Number of players appearing in a Cutters uniform in 2024
52 – Team-leading number of games played by OF Porter Brown
49 – Consecutive games without an error by OF Porter Brown, tops in the MLB Draft League
41 – Number of hits by Carter Dorighi who played just 25 games
34 – League leading number of sacrifice flies hit by the Cutters
28 - Penn State Football tickets given away
22 – Number of Cutters wins in the first half (compared to 11 in 2023)
15 – Consecutive game hitting streak by Carter Dorighi, longest in the league in 2024
10 – Cutters taken in the 2024 MLB Draft
7 – Number of times the Cutters took the field as the “Williamsport Potato Capers”
8 – Number of wins by RHP Zachary Murray, setting a new MLB Draft League record
8 - Different Cutter’s pitchers who recorded saves, including OF Jacob Corson
6 – Number of Cutters home games canceled due to weather
5 –Home runs by McGwire Holbrook to lead the team
5 – Post-game firework shows during the 2024 season
4 – Number of road wins by the Cutters in the 2nd half
Thanks to all Cutters fans, players and coaches who helped make our 2024 championship season a special one!
