Kelowna Falcons

Ringing In The Season

The Falcons will open the 2016 season against long time foe the Bellingham Bells on Friday night at Elks Stadium.

Admission to the home opener is FREE thanks to the corporate support of TELUS.

The Falcons are coming off their best season in franchise history, winning the Eastern Division pennant and coming within two wins of a West Coast League title.  Hunter Villanueva was the first Falcon to be named the League’s Most Valuable Player, after hitting a league best .378 with a team best 62 hits, 12 doubles, seven homeruns and 33 RBIs.

Offensively a season ago the Falcons were very talented, finishing with a team average of .297 with 542 hits and 316 runs scored.

On the bump the pitching staff finished with a 4.17 ERA and struck out 358 batters, almost seven a game.

All that said, this is a new year with many new faces, including at the top.  Manager Bryan Donohue from Mt. Hood Community College takes over from Billy Clontz, who leaves following a record setting 34 wins last year.  Donohue has seen plenty of success wherever he has managed.  Former Bend Elk Mike Bennett takes over the pitching coach role, while Scott Stone slides into the Assistant Coach role.

The 2016 roster is filled with 34 talented players, including returners Max Carter (2015 All-Star), Lane Lacrone and Joey Crunkleton.
West Kelowna’s Trevor Mlait gives the Falcons some local flavour after he was a standout for the Okanagan Athletics.  This past spring he attended Utah State University Eastern, of the Scenic West Athletic Conference.

Last season the Falcons bounced the Bells from the playoffs, winning the last two games to advance.  In the regular season the Falcons beat the Bells four times in six meetings including twice at home and a pair on the road.

The last time these two teams opened a season was in 2011 in Bellingham when the Bells won 5-2.

The gates on Friday night open at 5:30pm, with the first pitch set for 6:35pm.  Admission is FREE courtesy of TELUS, so get there early for a good seat.

Photo courtesy of Greystoke Photography

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