The Wenatchee AppleSox of the West Coast League has been sold by founder Jim Corcoran to Jose Oglesby, a former Microsoft manager.

The team, entering its 19th year, will continue to play at Paul Thomas Sr. Field on the campus of Wenatchee Valley College. Assistant general manager and co-owner Ken Osborne will remain with the AppleSox and has been promoted to the team’s general manager and chief operating officer. Corcoran will stay on as an advisor with the team over the summer to assist with the transition.

The new owner, Jose Oglesby, is a lifelong baseball fan who grew up in Colombia and the Panama Canal Zone listening from far away to Major League Baseball radio broadcasts. After coming to the United States, Oglesby got the chance to attend hundreds of major and minor league games in person over the years.

“I’d like to thank all the fans, sponsors, coaches, and players that made owning and operating the AppleSox such a wonderful experience since our launch in 2000,” said Corcoran. “The last twelve years I have been extremely fortunate to work side-by-side with Ken Osborne. Ken became a part-owner and has been such an integral part of the AppleSox for over a decade, I know he will be fantastic in his new role. Between Jose’s vision for the future of the team and Ken’s promotion, this makes for the smoothest possible passing of the torch.”

After a long career in software engineering including 26 years at Microsoft, Oglesby is realizing a lifelong dream by operating the AppleSox franchise. His goal is to continue the team’s commitment to customer service and community involvement.

“The AppleSox will continue to provide a wonderful entertainment value for the community. We will maintain all our current community relationships and develop new ones. We intend to maintain our tradition of excellence on and off the field,” said Oglesby.

Corcoran started the AppleSox in 2000 and has owned and operated the team since. The team has enjoyed considerable on-field success, winning five West Coast League Championships (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2012) and one Pacific International League Championship (2003). Eleven former AppleSox players have gone on to reach the major leagues, including Marco Gonzales of the Seattle Mariners and Jason Hammel of the Kansas City Royals.

ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE

The West Coast League (WCL) is the premier summer collegiate baseball league west of the Mississippi. The 14-year-old, 11-team, professionally operated wood-bat league located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest showcases pro prospects from major conferences across the nation June through August. Out west, the league features an unparalleled history of memorable fan and player experiences and the best summer weather in North America. 83 players with WCL experience were selected in the MLB 2017 June draft. 271 WCL alums appeared or were active in affiliated professional baseball in 2017 including 31 in the major leagues, such as 2015 home-run leader Chris Davis (Baltimore); record-breaking rookie slugger Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia); rising star pitchers James Paxton (Seattle) and Matt Boyd (Detroit); and outfielder Mitch Haniger (Seattle). Overall member attendance was 412,392 this past summer, an increase of 8.6% in total attendance.