May 6, 2016 4 min read

It’s still too early to know if infielder Matt Peters or pitchers Tyler Garkow and Brian O’Keefe will have their names somewhere on the Wild Things’ lineup card when the Frontier League team opens the regular season Friday in Sauget, Ill., against the Gateway Grizzlies.

What’s known is that Peters, Garkow and O’Keefe helped their cases for landing a roster spot with their performances Friday in Washington’s day-night exhibition doubleheader at Consol Energy Park.

Peters, a former standout at California University, went 2-for-2 and hit one of Washington’s two home runs, and Garkow started and pitched three scoreless innings, as the Wild Things defeated the New Jersey Black Sox, 7-3, in the day game.

O’Keefe, a lefty rookie out of Division II Bridgeport (Conn.), started the night game, a 7-0 Washington victory, and threw four hitless and scoreless innings. Four pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout.

“I saw some things I wanted to see. I saw a lot of positive signs and good things from a pitching standpoint,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn said. “We have a way to go in the evaluation process, but we have some difficult decisions to make to get down to 24 players.”

Peters is one of eight infielders battling for what could be as few as six roster spots. Signed last June by the Wild Things after a record-setting career at Cal, where his .446 batting average as a senior was the best in Vulcans history, Peters batted .241 in 42 games with the Wild Things. He knows that guarantees him nothing this season.

“That experience last year helped me,” said Peters, who went 0-for-2 in the evening game. “I feel comfortable … but there are a lot of guys here who hit very well.”

Peters put on weight in the offseason that he said has “added pop” to his swing. That was apparent in the eighth inning when he homered to center field, to the right of the green batter’s eye. The shot gave Washington a 7-2 lead.

Scott Carcaise also hit a solo homer, in the third inning. The Wild Things scored four runs in the first inning against Black Sox starter Josh Graves, a 6-10 right-hander. David Popkins drove in two runs with the first of his two doubles.

While Peters is playing in the ballpark where he played his home games for Cal, Garkow has taken a lengthy route to Washington. He played his final two years of college ball in 2013 at Point Loma Nazarene, which has a ballpark with the most scenic view in baseball, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Garkow began his pro career in the hitter-friendly independent Pecos League, playing in New Mexico for the Roswell Invaders. Pitching in small parks and at altitude, Garkow survived with his confidence intact, a 4-5 record and 3.65 ERA. The latter number is Cy Young-like in the Pecos.

Last year, Garkow planned to play in the upstart Heartland of America Baseball League, but after spending a month training in Ozark, Mo., he was given the bad news. The league was folding before playing its first game.

Garkow threw three innings against the Black Sox, a team of free agents who are playing several Frontier League teams during spring training. Working quickly, Garkow gave up three hits but did not issue a walk and struck out three. It continued a trend as Garkow has not walked a batter in any of the instrasquad games.

“I believe I helped my chances,” Garkow said. “I pounded the strike zone and that’s what I do best.

“I feel like I’ve done enough to earn a spot, but I can’t control the decisions of other people.”

Washington scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth in the night game. Garrett Fink started it with a solo homer and John Ziznewski had a two-run single.

Zack Grotz, Devon Davis and Andrew Woeck combined with O’Keefe on the shutout. … Prior to the exhibition games, Washington released four players: pitchers Jason Conley, Pat Dyer and Alex Williams and outfielder Alex Simone. Conley was Washington’s first pick in the Frontier League tryout and draft last month, and Dyer was acquired from Joliet in the offseason as the player to be named in Carter Bell trade last year. Williams and Simone were signed out of the California Winter League. Simone, who played college ball at La Roche, led the CWL in batting average. … Washington has 35 players (17 pitchers) on the roster and must be down to 28 Sunday. … The first game of the doubleheader was a Kids Day with more than 2,200 students in attendance.