PaddleHeads Aquire Villa In Trade For Postseason Push

The final week of the Pioneer League regular season is here and the Missoula PaddleHeads are on the stretch run headed toward the postseason. Missoula will complete the final 6 games of their schedule on the road in their first ever series with the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. Missoula has its eyes on the Pioneer League Postseason that will kick off next week in Missoula and will use these contests against the defending Pioneer League Champions as a primer for just that. The PaddleHeads will also have some reinforcements coming for this run in the return of one of their most dominant starting pitchers. 

The Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League have been a common trade partner with the PaddleHeads in 2025 having completed numerous transactions with the club this season. Missoula added to this list Tuesday acquiring a familiar name back into the fold. 2-year PaddleHeads starter Alfredo Villa was obtained in a trade with the Titans for future Considerations. The former Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year will join the team on the current road trip in Central California and is eligible to pitch throughout Missoula's postseason run. 

Ottawa completed its regular season on August 31 and did not qualify for the Frontier League Playoffs. This sequence of events most likely opened the door for Villa to join the PaddleHeads for one last run at a Pioneer League Championship after being a part of 2 postseason runs in Missoula in 2023, and 2024. The corresponding transaction involved pitcher Mike Peterson who was placed on the inactive list Tuesday retroactive to August 29.

Villa enjoyed a solid season in the Titans starting rotation this summer finishing with a 10-4 record in 19 starts. Villa held a 4.34 ERA in those outings striking out 98 batters in 93 innings of work. The Arizona native has been outstanding across his professional career that began in 2022 with the Grand Junction Rockies. The Right hander holds a 39-8 career record with a 3.90 ERA in 61 starts in professional baseball dating back to that time in 367 ⅓ innings of work.

The Adams State product has been especially good in a PaddleHeads uniform in 2 full seasons in their starting rotation.  Villa holds a 32-3 career mark with the PaddleHeads in 37 starts in that span. Villa was awarded the league Pitcher of the Year award for his efforts in 2023 finishing 13-1 that season with a 2.82 ERA. Villa held a 9-2 mark for Missoula last season to continue this run of success. The PaddleHeads now will hope that Villa can be an added ingredient to their potential success in the Pioneer League playoffs. 

The PaddleHeads (61-29) will get a 6-game set with the High Wheelers (47-43) started on Wednesday in Marysville, California. This series was scheduled to begin Tuesday night but an extremely rare thunderstorm in the area ended those plans. These 2 teams will now play in a double header Friday. 

Missoula will take on Yuba Sutter Wednesday night in a 9-inning affair as scheduled. Action gets rolling with a 7:00 p.m. (Pacific) first pitch from Bryant Field in Central California.