After an injury derailed nearly all of his 2022 season of college baseball, Spencer Shipman was a late spring addition to Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s roster. Looking to regain his playing form over the summer, he found an opportunity with the thanks to Kyle Krustangel, who at that time coached both the and the Pippins.
“I loved the environment and playing in that,” said Shipman. “When you’re playing against a bunch of Division I guys it’s a great opportunity to become better overall.”
Shipman would go on to play 19 games for the Yaks in 2023, hitting .246 with two doubles and two triples, before continuing his collegiate career at Whitworth University and spending two more summers with the Pippins.
The strong bonds between the Yaks and the Pippins over the past decade have benefited dozens of players like Shipman said Krustangel, who served as the Yaks head coach for seven years and is currently in his sixth season as head coach for the Pippins.
“YVC has a very rich baseball history dating back to and all the great coaches and teams they’ve had,” Krustangel said. “We’re excited as the Pippins to highlight the community and show the West Coast League what Yakima is as a whole.”
For college baseball players, the opportunity to play for the Pippins was a significant
enticement for those looking to take their game to a higher level.
“It’s a carrot that shows kids you’ve emerged as a top freshman, your hard work is paying off, you also get a chance to play in what is arguably a top three league in the entire country,” Krustangel said.
And for sophomores continuing their playing careers at a four-year program, playing for the Pippins helps them stay sharp against top competition.
“They can go out in the summer and make the switch to see high-level pitching, higher-level hitting,” he noted. “It allows them to come in I believe more ready and have a better chance for success at their next school.”
Shipman said playing for the Yaks helped ease his transition to the Pippins.
“My first summer, we stayed in the same apartment we were at for YVC, so we had the same environment, we know where the good food is,” Shipman said. “You also get put into a bit of a leadership role helping the guys from outside the area get settled.”
He also appreciated Pippins fans having his back.
“It helped some of the nerves, all the fans love the Yaks guys,” Shipman said. “They love when they see a guy from here.”
Krustangel said that support stems from the Pippins commitment to the community.
“Whenever we announce a Â鶹ĘÓƵ kid you hear a little extra cheer from the crowd,” he said. “There’s a good, strong core of a fan base who attend both Yaks and Pippins games and if you’re a baseball junkie you can get your fix February through August.”
ABOVE: Tyler Disch, a pitcher for the Yaks during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, on the mound for the Yakima Valley Pippins in 2024. MIDDLE: Lee Souza, a pitcher for the Yaks from 2022 through 2024, throws for the Pippins during the 2024 season. TOP: Yaks infielder Spencer Shipman during one of his three summers with the Pippins.
Yaks outfielder Garren Gooler attended Pippins skills camps and games growing up in the Yakima Valley.
“Being around players of that caliber and just being around the game at that age was always cool because you had people to look up to and something to strive for,” he said.
At the end of his freshman season, Gooler was one of three Yaks, along with pitchers Austin Murphy and Oliver Wilday, to join the Pippins for the team’s 2025 season.
“You’re getting guys who are coming in from the Division I level, Division II, who are some of the highest caliber pitchers and hitters that you’re going to see in the country,” Gooler said. “Being able to face that and come back to YVC, you come in with a whole new confidence for the season.”
Krustangel said the strong ties between the Yaks and Pippins contribute to the region’s strong baseball culture, with Gooler’s emergence as one of the top hitters in the Northwest Athletic Conference an illustration of that.
“A guy like Garren, he’s a home-grown kid who emerged as a Natches [Valley High School] player, became a Yak, and now he has a Division I offer,” Krustangel said. “It’s cool when you see a kid emerge like that and make himself into a big name from this valley."
Story by Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations. Photos courtesy of the Yakima Valley Pippins.