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West Michigan Whitecaps Notebook: Week 3

By Emily Waldon #Tony Cappuccilli, #West Michigan Whitecaps
West Michigan Whitecaps
Image courtesy of Gavin Parm

West Michigan Week 3 Notebook: 1st place vibes

“They don’t quit.” It’s one of many phrases second-year West Michigan Whitecaps manager Tony Cappuccilli has come to use regularly regarding his 2025 roster. To date, five of the Whitecaps’ 15 games have gone into extra innings. Missing several of the larger names on the roster, including infielders Kevin McGonigle and Izaac Pacheco, onlookers are giving a lot of credit to the creativity of Cappuccilli and his staff. “It speaks to the coaching,” an American League scout said. “You can tell all of Cappuccilli’s guys respect him and that’s going to pull out another level of play when it’s needed.” GAME 1 Final Score: 2-1 (F/10) Hosting the South Bend Cubs in a six-game homestand, in typical West Michigan fashion, game one went into extra innings on a cold and sleet-filled evening. In addition to Josue Briceño’s second home run of the year, infielder Jack Penney led a quiet West Michigan office with his second multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with a double in a 4-for-30 night at the plate for West Michigan. A sacrifice fly from Max Clark gave West Michigan enough to take the night from the Cubs. GAME 2 Final Score: 17-3: Fast-forward a day, and the West Michigan offense came back to LMCU Ballpark ready to go. Thanks to multi-hit outings from Josue Briceño, Abel Bastidas, Brett Callahan, and Max Clark, the Whitecaps generated six extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs from Callahan, a career-first for the Tigers’ 2023 13th-round draft pick. The final offensive blow came courtesy of Josue Briceño with his second…yes, second grand slam of the season. West Michigan veteran Colin Fields picked up his first win, as the Whitecaps routed the Cubs with a 17-run evening. GAME 3 Final Score: 2-1: The offensive pendulum swung back in the other direction, resulting in a combined eight hits between West Michigan and South Bend. Despite the limited West Michigan offense, Whitecaps knuckleballer extraordinaire Kenny Serwa delivered an absolute gem for the home crowd. Working a season-high five innings in relief, Serwa was nearly untouchable, posting six strikeouts without a walk allowed. In the 2-1 West Michigan, Serwa secured his first professional win. GAME 4 Final Score: 6-4: In case you weren’t familiar with outfielder Seth Stephenson, the back half of the six-game stand made him pretty hard to ignore. Leading a seven-hit night for the Whitecaps, Stephenson posted his third multi-hit night, finishing 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI, and a triple. The combination of multiple walks and multiple hit batsman from the South Bend pitching staff resulted in the 6-4 West Michigan win. GAME 5 Final Score: 10-9 (F/10): Because, apparently, you can’t have too many extra-innings games, South Bend and West Michigan once again pushed the envelope in game five. Outfielder Brett Callahan continued his tear against South Bend pitching by posting his first four-hit night since August 4, 2023. Taking up the rear, Three-hit nights from Seth Stephenson and Abel Bastedas contributed to a 15-hit night for the Whitecaps offense. At the bottom of the 10th, it was Callahan once again with an RBI-single to give West Michigan the 10-inning victory. GAME 6 Final Score: 5-3: Entering the series finale against South Bend, West Michigan had not registered a six-game sweep since 2021. Thanks to an 11-hit day from the Whitecaps offense, that was about to change. Once again finding a way to shine at the plate, Seth Stephenson posted his third consecutive multi-hit campaign, including his first home run of the year. Josue Briceño extended his hit streak to 12 straight games. Briceño, Max Clark, John Peck and Seth Stephenson all posted multi-hit games, but it was Brett Callahan who, for the second consecutive night, posted the game winner by way of an RBI-single. The six-game sweep moved the Whitecaps to atop the 12-team Midwest League with 11 wins and a franchise-best nine straight wins at LMCU Ballpark. Up Next: West Michigan begins a 12-game road trip on Tuesday, April 22, starting with a six-game series with Dayton and a six-game series with Wisconsin.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Kenny Serwa

Kenny Serwa has gone from signing a free-agent contract in January to catapulting himself into being one of the most buzzed-about names in the Tigers’ farm system. Over three outings, Serwa has combined for 11 scoreless frames, three hits and one walk allowed, and 12 strikeouts. The viral knuckleballer has made the most of his time in the Midwest League while preparing for the hope of an eventual promotion. In addition to working a career-high five innings in his most recent relief appearance, Serwa’s six strikeouts also registered as a career-best.

Player of the Week: C/1B Josue Briceño

Since a sensational campaign in the Arizona Fall League in 2024, Briceño has had the eyes of the Tigers’ fan base on him since making his Midwest League debut earlier this month. Mixing his time between catching, first base, and being a designated hitter, Briceño is beginning to flash the power so many were talking about last fall. Throughout 13 games, Briceño has registered not one, but two grand slams as part of an active 12-game hit streak for West Michigan.

Sleeper of the Week: OF Brett Callahan

Brett Callahan continues to command attention through his first 13 games with West Michigan this season. The 23-year-old has hit successfully in 10 of his 13 games, including his first career two-home run outing. Five of the 10 games have produced multi-hit campaigns, and his first four-hit game since August 4, 2023. In five games against the Cubs, Callahan posted eight hits and just three strikeouts in 18 at-bats. Should Callahan be able to maintain his offensive production, promotion consideration shouldn’t be too far off.

Whitecaps to Watch: OF Seth Stephenson

Discovering your identity as a hitter is one of the most vital development steps you can make at the professional level. This has been a primary goal for Stephenson, and the numbers to start the year for the 24-year-old are showing the fruits of his investment. At 5’9 with elite speed, Stephenson hits successfully in three of his five outings against the Cubs, including three consecutive multi-hit games for seven hits. Stephenson’s first home run of the year showed the Tennessee alum can hit for power, but he’s come to a better understanding of his value on the base path, and with nine stolen bases, Stephenson is currently tracking for another career year, thanks to his organization-best speed.

Week Three Notes:

Izaac Pacheco has progressed to field conditioning and infield drills, and the organization is optimistic about his progress. While a specific return date is not locked in, it’s expected sooner rather than later. Kevin McGonigle is continuing his rehabilitation for an ankle sprain suffered on opening night with West Michigan. No return date has been confirmed at this time.

By Emily Waldon

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