Fayetteville, NC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, a farm team of the Houston Astros, are Carolina League champions for the first time in franchise history.
On September 15 at Segra Stadium the Woodpeckers completed a perfect 4-0 sweep of the postseason, taking down the Charleston RiverDogs, 7-4, in game two of the championship series to clinch the league title.
After sparking a massive 10-run inning with a solo homer in Charleston on Sunday, Fayetteville first baseman Ben Tryon was once again the driving force behind an early lead in game two. Kam Durnin led off the bottom of the first with a double, Kevin Alvarez reached on a single, and Owen Nowak drew a walk to load the bases for Tryon.
Tryon, the Astros’ 17th round pick from this year’s draft, connected on an elevated pitch from Jacob Kuhn (L, 0-1) and sent it sailing into the right-field bar for a grand-slam and instant 4-0 lead. Tryon went 4-for-16 at the plate during the postseason with three extra-base hits.
Juan Fraide (W, 1-0) cruised with run support behind him and did not allow a hit until the top of the fifth inning. The 20-year-old top-30 prospect from Mexico allowed just two baserunners across five innings and struck out six.
Charleston got on the board in the top of the sixth inning when Cooper Flemming, who was named Carolina League MVP prior to the game, hit a solo homer off Jesus Carrera out to right-center field and cut the game to 4-1.
Three more runs scored for the Woodpeckers in the bottom of the seventh after Charleston pitching loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and two walks. Alvarez delivered the critical swing that helped decide the game, grounding a ball past the shallow infield and into center field to plate two runs for a 6-1 advantage. Waner Luciano upped the score to 7-1 with an RBI groundout and Fayetteville moved within six outs of a title.
Carrera returned for the eighth and surrendered another run on a Slater de Brun double. Brandon Cassedy was called upon from the bullpen and inherited the 7-2 lead with no outs and two runners in scoring position. The undrafted free agent from George Mason immediately flipped the momentum of the inning, striking out three straight hitters and holding the five-run lead.
Cassedy returned for the ninth, hunting three more outs. He surrendered a two-run homer to Dean Moss that cut the game to 7-4, but found a way to bounce back. He struck out two in a row, walked Alberth Palma, then struck out Slater de Brun with a pitch in the dirt that secured the Carolina League crown.
The Woodpeckers 2026 title marks the first minor league championship in the city of Fayetteville in 70 years, ending a drought that extended back to 1956 when the Fayetteville Hilanders won the eight-team Class-B Carolina League as an Indians affiliate.
Fayetteville finished the regular season with a 71-58 overall record and swept both Fredericksburg and Charleston en route to the Carolina League championship.
The Woodpeckers will begin their title defense on April 2, 2027 for Opening Day on the road in Salem.
