Here Kitty, Kitty
- Updated: June 12, 2018
The Kelowna Falcons return home for a rematch of their 2017 playoff series with a three-game set against the Victoria HarbourCats in an All-Canadian match-up beginning tonight at Elks Stadium.
2018 Season Series
Tuesday, June 12th @ Elks Stadium (6:35 PM)
Wednesday, June 13th @ Elks Stadium (6:35 PM)
Thursday, June 14th @ Elks Stadium (6:35 PM)
Friday, June 29th @ Royal Athletic Park (6:35 PM)
Saturday, June 30th @ Royal Athletic Park (6:35 PM)
Sunday, July 1st @ Royal Athletic Park (1:05 PM)
2017 Season Wrap
The Falcons come into the 2018 season after making the playoffs for the second time in three seasons in 2017 where Kelowna finished atop of the North Division during the first half of the season with a 17-10 record before wrapping up the year with a 28-26 record and were one of four teams to qualify for the postseason. The Falcons met with the Victoria HarbourCats before bowing out of the playoffs in two games to their Canadian foes.
Victoria enters the 2018 season after an appearance in the West Coast League Championship a season ago, finishing with a 29-25 record before playing Kelowna in the North Division Final. The HarbourCats swept the Falcons in two games before taking on the Corvallis Knights in the Final, registering a 5-4 win in Game #1 of the series at home bit could not find a win on the road, dropping Game #2 by a 6-0 score with Corvallis winning the championship thanks to a 4-2 victory.
2017 Season Series
The series was a tight one between the two lone Canadian squads in the WCL with Victoria earning a sweep in Kelowna, outscoring the Falcons by a 36-8 margin at Elks Stadium. The Falcons fortunes took a turn for the better as the scene shifted to Vancouver Island with Kelowna winning two of the three games at Royal Athletic Park as the HarbourCats would win the season series by a 4-2 margin.
A Series Ago
The Falcons will look to rebound after a tough series in Longview, Washington against the Cowlitz Black Bears. Kelowna fell in the opening matchup on Friday night after a long bus trip down south by a 6-2 score before the Falcons picked up an 8-6 extra innings victory on Saturday. Sunday started well Kelowna, taking an 8-1 lead through 5 and a half innings before the Black Bears mounted a come-from-behind win of 9-8 to win the series.
The HarbourCats come into this series after playing a weekend on non-league games on home soil against the Coquitlam Angels on Saturday and Sunday. In WCL play before the weekend, Victoria earned a series win against the Yakima Valley Pippins at Royal Athletic Park thanks to 6-3 and 6-5 wins before falling in the final game of the series by a 5-2 score.
Returnees
Kelowna:
P Cal Hehnke (Junior, University of Nebraska-Omaha)
INF Taylor Wright (Freshman, University of Maryland)
INF Matt Voelzke (Sophomore, George Fox University)
OF Lucas Soper (Junior, University of British Columbia)
OF Davis Todosichuk (Junior, Okanagan College)
OF Trent Tinglestad (Sophomore, Everett Community College)
Victoria:
P Claire Eccles (Junior, University of British Columbia)
P Ethan Fox (Junior, Avila University)
OF Hunter Vansau (Junior, Mississippi State)
Who’s Hot
Kelowna:
INF Steffen Torgerson (5’10, 185 lbs/Shoreline, Washington, USA)
The Junior from Dartmouth University made his Falcons debut over the weekend in Longview and impressed with the bat as well as his versatility in the field. Torgerson went hitless in his first game on Friday night before following that up with a three-hit effort on Saturday, including a big two-run single in the 8th inning of the Falcons 8-6 extra innings victory. In the finale on Sunday, the Shoreline, WA native collected an RBI double and reached base a total of three times.
P Cal Hehnke (6’3, 215 lbs/Grand Island, Nebraska, USA)
Saturday’s victory might not have been possible if it weren’t for the incredible relief effort of the Falcons opening day starter in Cal Hehnke. The University of Nebraska-Omaha junior allowed a three-run homer in the 8th inning of the second game of the three-game set versus the Black Bears but shut the door after that, finishing with 5 innings pitched and 11 strikeouts while earning the win. In 10 innings pitched this season, Hehnke holds a 2.70 ERA along with 18 K’s to just 1 walk while allowing 5 hits.
OF Cody Crowder (6’2, 185 lbs/Shepard, Texas, USA)
The sophomore from Centenary School has vaulted to one of the most consistent hitters for Head Coach Bryan Donohue in the early part of the season. Crowder has hit in 5 of the 6 games he has gotten into, including a 2-for-2 pinch-hitting performance on Saturday night and hammering out a three-run home run on Sunday in the 4th inning. The Shepard, Texas native is tied for the team lead in hits (9) and RBI (5).
Victoria:
OF Nate Pecota (5’9, 170 lbs/Lee’s Summit, Missouri, USA)
Playing his college ball at William Jewell with the Cardinals, Pecota has been a positive start on the offensive side of the ball for the HarbourCats this season. The Lee’s Summit, Missouri native has 4 hits in his first 13 at-bats with a pair of walks but the biggest impact he has made is on the base paths. Pecota has a team leading 4 stolen bases and has only been caught once, something he did well with the Cardinals as he had 16 through the school season.
P Claire Eccles (5’8/Surrey, BC, Canada)
The fan favourite in Victoria and throughout the West Coast League will take to the mound for one more season in 2018 after Eccles made a strong impression in her first season in Victoria in 2017. The University of British Columbia softball outfielder has found a place on the mound for the HarbourCats and has represented Canada on the national level, playing in the 2016 Woman’s Baseball World Cup in South Korea. Eccles features a two-seam fastball, curveball and a knuckleball while getting into a non-league game for Victoria on Sunday, pitching an inning and giving up a hit along with two unearned runs.
P Tyler Hilton (5’11, 175 lbs/Mesa, Arizona, USA)
A sophomore at Mesa Community College, Hilton made a strong debut with the HarbourCats on June 6th when he went 6 innings strong in a victory over the Yakima Valley Pippins. The Mesa, Arizona native allowed just one earned run and two hits through those six innings while striking out five and walking a batter in picking up the victory for the HarbourCats and will likely see some action against the Falcons through this mid-week series.
The Falcons and HarbourCats open their three-game series on Tuesday night at Elks Stadium on Bingo Night where fans can win great prizes while playing bingo throughout the night. Wednesday is Trivia Night at the ballpark while the series finale on Thursday is Canadian Night with both Canadian WCL teams battling as fans are encouraged to wear red and white to show their Canadian spirit! All games are scheduled for 6:35 PM first pitches and tickets can be purchased HERE.
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