A look back

Every baseball season is memorable for multiple reasons. Wins or losses. Comebacks. Players. Plays. Games. The following are a few of the things that would make it on a Wild Things 2012 Highlights/Lowlights video:

* Starting with the most recent ... Andrew Heck becomes only second player in Wild Things history to play all nine positions in a game, doing so in the regular-season finale against Schaumburg. Heck does not commit an error and pitches two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run (unearned) with a strikeout.

* The Wild Things' bus broke down near Columbus, Ohio, during a trip from Lake Erie to Florence, Ky. It ended up being a 7-hour delay until a new bus arrived.

* Washington released outfielder James Simmons, who was signed in the offseason and had Class AAA experience, only five games into the season. Simmons later signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League, where he is hitting .284 with 11 home runs and had Bridgeport's only hit off Roger Clemens during the future Hall of Famer's comeback game.

* There was the night the lights went out in Washington. During a July 17 game against Evansville, the majority of the lights at Consol Energy Park are knocked out and the game is suspended because of insufficient illumination. It was completed the next morning.

* During a series at Windy City, and following a game against the ThunderBolts, the Wild Things' bus does not go directly back to the hotel, instead going to the airport to allow the team to pick up a new player. This is a first in franchise history, and it had to leave more than one player who was already on the bus wondering if he was about to be released to make room for the new guy. An uncomfortable situation to say the least.

* In Washington's first 10 seasons, only once did a player steal four bases in a game. After being acquired Aug. 1 in a trade with South Illinois, outfielder Darian Sandford stole four bases in a game twice for Washington. In 30 games with the Wild Things, Sandford stole 26 bases, but also was thrown out 16 times. Sandford led the Frontier League with 71 stolen bases.

* Prior to a game against Rockford in early July, pitching coach Tim Ferguson "resigns." It's the second time in 11 seasons that Washington's pitching coach resigned before the season reached the all-star break.

* The most bizarre event of the year happened after a July 24 home game against the London Rippers. Earlier in the evening, the Frontier League announced the Rippers would be suspending operations at 12:01 a.m. that night. The league did not prevent London from making trades. After the game, Washington manager Chris Bando and hitting coach Jim Tatum, along with two front office representatives, stood outside the Rippers' clubhouse and tried to broker trades for London players. They managed to get four players to agree to join the Wild Things in exchange for four players who would be assigned to the traveling Road Warriors.

* During an August series at West Division champion Gateway, the Wild Things went 14 consecutive innings without a hit.

* After having four players signed by affiliated teams last year, the Wild Things had only one this season, relief pitcher Nate Striz, who had his contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox. Striz ended the year as the closer for Boston's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

* In a series at Southern Illinois, Washington starts a game with pitcher Orlando Santos as the designated hitter. And he doesn't bat in the No. 9 spot.He bats cleanup.

* Washington signed two players, infielder Anthony Long and catcher Cody Coffman, had them on the active roster for three games, did not put them in a game and then released them. The Wild Things also drafted outfielder Michael Miller in the first round at the league tryout. Miller made the regular-season roster but was traded after five games and not getting an at-bat.

* The Wild Things had a fixation with the independent Pecos League. They either signed or drafted eight players from the Pecos. There were three pitchers, and only one made the team. He was released after appearing in only eight games. Of the five hitters signed, only two were on the team in the regular season, one did not register an at-bat and the other went 4-for-29 before being released.

* Washington tied the record for its longest game, playing a 17-inning contest at home Aug. 4 against Lake Erie. The Wild Things overcame 23 strikeouts by Lake Erie pitchers to win 2-1.

Striz signed by Sox

According to the Twitter accounts of Matt McConnell and Chris Smith, Wild Things closer Nate Striz (pictured) had his contract putchased by the Boston Red Sox.

Striz has a 2-1 record, 3 saves and a 1.46 ERA in nine games with the Wild Things. He has 17 strikeouts and only one walk in 12.1 innings.

Striz pitched 1.1 hitless innings Friday night in Washington's 3-2 win at Florence.

This brings to five the number of former Wild Things in affiliated ball. Striz joins Tom Cochran (Lehigh Valley, Triple-A Phillies), Vidal Nuno (Trenton, Double-A Yankees), Alan Williams (Brevard County, Single-A Brewers) and Mark Williams (Wisconsin, Single-A Brewers).

Striz's wild week

In the last week, Nate Striz has driven his car halfway across the country, been told by two teams that they had no place for him on their roster, won two games (including one over a team that declined to sign him) and saved another game.

"Amazing week, huh?" said Striz, who went from unemployed to the Wild Things' closer in roughly four hours Sunday.

Striz, who played his college ball at North Carolina and spent two years in the Cleveland Indians system, was the final cut earlier this month for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the independent American Association (former Wild Things pitcher Justin Edwards plays for Lincoln).

Hoping to catch on with a Frontier League team, Striz called Nick Belmonte, a University of Florida broadcaster who is a consultant for many independent teams, and asked for advice. Belmonte told Striz to drive from Lincoln to Marion, Ill., because the London Rippers, who were playing in Marion against the Southern Illinois Miners, might be able to use another relief pitcher.

Last Saturday, Striz threw for the Rippers but they told him it was too early in the season to make a move with a pitcher who is classified as Experienced.

"They said they weren't going top jump ship on the guys they already have," Striz recalled.
Striz, however, is nothing if not determined. He put in a phone call to Brooks Carey, the pitching coach of the Evansville Otters. Striz knew Carey because the two worked at the same baseball academy in Lakeland, Fla., during the offseason.

Carey said he would watch Striz throw late Sunday afternoon at Bosse Field, if Striz could get to Evansville before the Otters' game against the Wild Things. Carey knew that Evansville didn't have a roster spot open, so he went to the Wild Things' clubhouse and invited Washington pitching coach Tim Ferguson to watch Striz's bullpen session.

Ferguson was actively looking for a power arm for the Wild Things' bullpen and liked what he saw from Striz. Carey said the Otters indeed couldn't sign Striz, so Ferguson and manager Chris Bando offered Striz a contract. There was just one catch: Carey had asked that the Wild Things not pitch Striz against the Otters that night.

"Tim had asked me if I could pitch tonight if I was needed," Striz said. "I said 'Sure' and they signed me to a contract and had it turned in to the league about 40 minutes before the game started. About the third inning, they told me that if there was a save situation, then they'd put me in."

Ferguson didn't plan to use Striz, but as the game approached extra innings, and with the Wild Things' bullpen becoming depleted, Striz was brought in to pitch with two outs in the ninth inning. He benefited from Trevor Pippin's solo home run in the top of the 10th inning, pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th and earned his first win.

"That was the third time I had thrown in about 24 hours, but the one thing I learned from this is when you think your job is secure, it isn't," Striz said. "Every outing you have to take the approach that you have to prove something. You can't take anything for granted."

As the rest of his new teammates rode the bus back to Washington Sunday night/Monday morning, Striz drove his car back from Evansville.

"I drove three hours that night, stopped and then drove the other four Monday," Striz said.

Two nights after making his Wild Things debut, Striz pitched to one batter in the 10th inning and was credited with the win in a 1-0 victory over Gateway in Washington's home opener. Two days later, he earned his first save.

Striz comes to Washington with an impressive background. He was drafted in  the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins out of high school but did not sign.

"I just wasn't mature enough mentally to play pro baseball at that time," Striz said.

So he attended North Carolina and helped the Tar Heels advance to the College World Series in his freshman and sophomore seasons. A shoulder injury late in his sophomore year gave him a late start to the junior season, but he impressed enough that the Indians drafted him in the 22nd round in 2010.

"I've never been a closer, but it's a job I can like. You throw as hard as you can for one inning," said Striz, who has a fastball that has hit 92 mph. "I like it that a team can think enough of you to put the outcome of the game on your shoulders."