Springdale, AR – For just the second time in nearly 100 years, a Tulsa player has hit 33 home runs in a single season as Jake Gelof reached that number on Thursday night, tying the Tulsa modern-era record set by Tim Wheeler. Gelof’s home run was also huge in giving the Drillers their 86th win as it gave them a lead they never lost in what was 3-2 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Ballpark. The win was the Drillers third straight and their eighth in their last nine games.
Gelof’s homer also gave him 100 runs batted in on the season to join Josue De Paula, who had 104 RBI. It is the first time in Drillers history that two players have collected 100 RBI in the same season.
His 33 home runs matches Wheeler’s record he set in 2011. It is the most in the modern era of Tulsa professional baseball which is considered to have started with the 1932 season.
As a team the Drillers now have 194 home runs this season. They are just two homers from matching the franchise record of 196 long balls hit during the 2022 season.
Tulsa did not have an issue reaching base in the early stages of Thursday’s game, as five hitters reached over the first two innings, but the Drillers had just one run to show for the multiple runners. With one out in the second, Sean McLain earned a single, stole second base and scored when Taylor Young singled to give the Drillers a 1-0 lead.
The Drillers remained out in front through the first three innings thanks to an outstanding spot start from Myles Caba. The University of Miami product made his fifth start in 30 appearances with Tulsa and gave up just one hit and struck out four to open the game.
The Naturals struck for a run against Caba in the fourth when Spencer Nivens led off the inning with a solo home run.
Gelof put Tulsa back in front 3-1 with his record-tying, two-run homer in the fifth inning that traveled 419 feet to left-center field.
Having just returned from the Injured List earlier in the day, Payton Martin took over for Caba to begin the fifth inning. Martin had a near-perfect night as he gave up just two hits and struck out one in two scoreless innings.
The Naturals cut the Drillers lead to one in the seventh inning when Angel Acosta doubled home Canyon Brown against Tulsa pitcher Lucas Wepf.
Cam Day took over for Wepf with two outs in the seventh and recorded the next four outs and kept Tulsa out front.
Carson Hobbs was the final pitcher to enter the game, and he made quick work of Northwest Arkansas in the ninth inning to secure the victory. The scoreless inning from Hobbs gave him his fifth save of 2026 and his third save in his last five appearances.
GAME NOTES
*The Drillers win raised their total to 86 on the season, the most of any team in Minor League Baseball. It is also the most in franchise history and the most for a Tulsa professional team since the Triple-A Oilers won 95 games in the 1968 Pacific Coast League season.
*Martin was credited with the win to improve his record to 6-3.
*The Drillers were held without a hit over the final four innings by Naturals pitching. Young and Gelof combined to earn four of Tulsa’s five hits in the game.
*Gelof’s homer gave him 100 runs batted in on the season to join Josue De Paula who had 104 RBI on the season. It is the first time in Drillers history that two players have collected 100 RBI in the same season.
*The Drillers lineup suffered a big loss before Thursday’s game. Tulsa announced that outfielder Josue De Paula was transferred to the Dodgers Taxi Squad and outfielder Agustin Acosta was added to the Drillers from the Dodgers Arizona Complex. In addition, pitcher Aidan Foeller was placed on the Injured List, and Martin was activated from the IL.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Naturals will play the fourth game of their six-game series on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark. First pitch is again scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Christian Zazueta (3-2, 3.42 ERA)
Northwest Arkansas – LHP Chase Jessee (2-2, 3.75 ERA)