With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, crunch time is here for Pioneer Baseball League teams hoping to earn a second half playoff berth.

The top Montana team in the second half has been the Missoula PaddleHeads, who continue to position themselves as one of those postseason-bound teams. Missoula has gone 18-6 since the midseason break, putting themselves in second place for the second half standings behind only the Modesto Roadsters (23-1).

The PaddleHeads have won 8 of their past 10 contests and are currently riding a five-game winning streak. Most recently Missoula took five out of six games in their home series against the Ogden Raptors.

The Billings Mustangs, who have already clinched a spot in the postseason due to their terrific first half performance, are currently sixth in the second half standings with a record of 13-11. Last week the Mustangs dropped four out of their six games at the Great Falls Voyagers (9-15). Billings’ overall record this season of 49-22 is third pest in the PBL behind only the Long Beach Coast (53-19) and the Modesto Roadsters (50-22).

The Glacier Range Riders have struggled to a 7-17 record in the second half, most recently splitting their three-game series against the Long Beach Coast. In that series, Saturday’s contest was called after the sixth inning due to poor air quality, resulting in a 4-2 win for Glacier. The Coast then forfeited Sinday’s game, resulting in a 9-0 victory for the Range Riders. Although the PBL has not given any official reason for the forfeit, the likely cause seems to be a disagreement over the air quality and whether it was good enough for play.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER HEADLINES

Billings outfielder A.J. Shaver continues to be one of the toughest outs in the league as his .430 batting average is tops in the PBL while he ranks fourth in RBIs (96) and the Florida native’s 24 steals rank as the 10th-most.

Fellow Mustang Charlie Muniz has been a headliner bat as well, as the catcher ranks fourth in home runs (23) and seventh in RBIs (90).

Missoula PaddleHeads third baseman Xavier Casserilla has been impressive, especially over the last few weeks, as his .398 batting average ranks seventh-highest and he’s ninth in RBIs (87).

On the pitching side, Billings’ Julian Garcia has had an impressive season in which he ranks second in the league for wins (7) and fourth in strikeouts (77).

Glacier’s Zach Longshore has also been a key contributor on the bump this season as his seven wins ranks second-most in the PBL and he ranks third in strikeouts with 78.

PaddleHeads ace Jaren Jackson has earned five wins in his last six appearances, his seven wins this season tie him for second on the league leaderboard while his 72 strikeouts rank seventh-most.

NEXT UP

This week the PaddleHeads will play the second half of their 12-game homestand by hosting Great Falls for six games while the Billings Mustangs will host the Glacier Range Riders for six games.