Series Preview: Bells
- Updated: June 3, 2019
The Kelowna Falcons begin their North Division title defence on Tuesday as the 2019 West Coast League season opens against the Bellingham Bells for a three-game series at Joe Martin Field.
2019 Season Series:
Tuesday, June 4th @ Joe Martin Field (7:05 PM)
Wednesday, June 5th @ Joe Martin Field (7:05 PM)
Thursday, June 6th @ Joe Martin Field (7:05 PM)
Friday, August 9th @ Elks Stadium (6:35 PM)
Saturday, August 10th @ Elks Stadium (6:35 PM)
Sunday, August 11th @ Elks Stadium (6:05 PM)
2019 Returnees:
P Wyatt Hummel (Okanagan College/West Kelowna, BC)
P Ian Turner (Mt. Hood Community College/Maple Valley, Washington)
INF Jake Fischer (Okanagan College/Edmonton, AB)
INF Ezra Samperi (Mt. Hood Community College/Gresham, Oregon)
INF Tylor Nixon (Yakima Valley Community College/Hamilton, Montana)
INF Dan Pruitt (Western Oklahoma State/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
INF Matt Voelzke (George Fox University/Lake Oswego, Oregon)
OF Austen Butler (University of British Columbia/Port Coquitlam, BC)
OF Trent Tinglestad (University of Louisiana-Monroe/Marysville, Washington)
Between The Foul Poles:
Kelowna:
- The Falcons have a strong contingent of players returning for the summer of 2019 with 9 players coming back for the new season after winning the team’s second North Division championship. Included in that mix is pitcher Niall Windeler, who returns to the club after playing the 2017 season in Kelowna. The 2019 roster as a whole includes six Canadians including three members of the Okanagan College Coyotes and three University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The West Coast League’s Most Valuable Player from a season ago in Trent Tinglestad makes his way back to the Okanagan while 2018 All-Star Dan Pruitt is also back with the Falcons after a fantastic summer.
- Manager Ryan Wright will take the helm of the Falcons for the first time in Bellingham as he enters his first season with the club. After completing his third season with the Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets, Wright brings his impressive resume to the Okanagan. MSUB claimed their third Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season title in the last four years.
- Kelowna will be taking on the Bells on Opening Day for the third time in the last four seasons and will start their summer on the road for the first time since opening up in Victoria in 2015. The Falcons have won each of their last two season opening games, including a 5-4 win over the Bells last season at Elks Stadium in 12 innings of play.
Bellingham:
- The Bells bring back five players from the 2018 team that fell short in the postseason to the Falcons as pitchers Justin Armbruester, Marcos Cuenca and Will Smith return to Bellingham for the summer as well as infielder Dusty Stroup and outfielder Guthrie Morrison. The Bells added a big bat that has WCL experience, however, as Mason Marenco comes from the Wenatchee AppleSox to suit up at Joe Martin Field for the Bells.
- Bob Miller enters his second season as the manager for the Bells, leading them to a North Division regular season leading 35 wins last summer, posting a 35-19 record in his first season as manager. Miller has overlooked Cuesta College as the head coach there since 2003 while working in his second stint in the WCL after time with the Victoria HarbourCats as a manager in 2013 and 2014.
- Bellingham comes into this season having finished in the top spot in the North Division regular season standings each of the past two years. The Bells won the North Division crown in 2017 before falling to the Corvallis Knights in the WCL Final while bowing out to the Falcons in last year’s North Division Final. Bellingham has qualified for the postseason each of the last four years.
Players To Watch:
Kelowna:
OF Trent Tinglestad (5’11/213 lbs/University of
Louisiana-Monroe)
The reigning West Coast League MVP is back for his third season in the Okanagan and comes at the heels of an outstanding 2018 campaign. Tinglestad placed 2nd in the West Coast League with a .350 batting average in 157 at-bats and 44 games. The 5’11”, 213-pound outfielder finished with the most home runs in the WCL with 9 while collecting 40 runs batted in, which ranked 2nd in the league. Tingelstad also finished with 13 doubles which ranked him tied for 3rd in the league in that regard. In his first season with the University of Louisiana-Monroe, the Marysville, Washington native led the Warhawks with a .374 batting average, 37 hits, 9 doubles and 23 RBI’s.
INF Dan Pruitt (6’5”/245 lbs/Western Oklahoma State)
The 2019 collegiate season was good to Pruitt as well as he dominated at Western Oklahoma State in NCAA Division II action. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma native led the Pioneers in homeruns with 20 and RBI’s with 76 over 157 at-bats, where he compiled an impressive .522 batting average. Those numbers were good enough to lead all of Division II baseball after he showed well in his first season with the Falcons in 2018.Pruitt hit .331 with seven homers and 26 RBI’s with the Falcons, last year in which he was honoured with an All-Star selection and went 1-for-4 in the All-Star Game in Port Angeles.
P Niall Windeler (6’4”/210 lbs/University of British Columbia)
Windeler returns to the Falcons after completing his 3rd season at UBC with the Thunderbirds for his second summer in Kelowna. The 6’4”, 205-pound left hander toed the mound for the Falcons during the 2017 season, pitching to a 4-1 record along with a 2.74 earned run average in 39.1 innings pitched through 6 games, including going 7 innings in five of his six starts that summer. The Toronto, Ontario native had an outstanding season with the T-Birds, compiling an 8-8 record with a 3.72 ERA in 94.1 innings pitched with his biggest game coming against Oregon Tech where he threw a no-hitter, striking out 10 in the process.
Bellingham:
INF Mason Marenco (5’10”/190 lbs/Gonzaga
University)
Back for his second season in the WCL, Marenco will suit up for a new squad after playing with the Wenatchee AppleSox a year ago. The sophomore from Gonzaga hit .283 with 2 home runs and 17 RBI’s this season with the Bulldogs in 106 total at-bats. The North Bend, Washington native had identical numbers with the AppleSox from a season ago, hitting .285 in 149 at-bats while also compiling 2 home runs and 17 RBI’s in Wenatchee.
INF Dusty Stroup (6’1”,175 lbs/Western Missouri State)
One of the most reliable players for Bob Miller and his team from a season ago is back again for the 2019 campaign as Stroup returns to the Bells this summer. The Lees Summit, Missouri native hit .249 with a home run and 22 RBI’s to go along with 9 doubles and a triple in 170 at-bats with the Bells. Stroup had a strong season with Western Missouri State in 2019, posting a .311 batting average with 6 home runs and 35 RBI’s in 167 at-bats as a Griffon this season.
P Justin Armbruester (6’3”/230 lbs/Pacific Lutheran University)
The big right-hander makes his way back to the Bells after posting some strong numbers with Bellingham during the 2018 season, earning a spot on the North Division All-Star team that competed in Port Angeles, Washington. Armbruester pitched to a 2-1 record with a 1.37 earned run average in 39.1 innings pitched. Armbruester led the league in strikeouts, tallying 63 K’s to just 11 walks in 12 games, four of those counting for starts. The Sammamish, Washington native pitching in 88 innings for PLU this season, boasting a 3.07 ERA while striking out 121 batters and surrendering just 21 walks.
The Falcons kick off their season with a three-game series against the Bells, beginning on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM from Joe Martin Field. All the games can be heard through http://mixlr.com/kelowna_falcons/ with the Voice of the Falcons, Trevor Miller. The Falcons home opener is set for Friday, June 7th against the Ridgefield Raptors at 6:35 PM from Elks Stadium. Admission is FREE courtesy of Gord Anton of ReMax Kelowna.
Related Posts
Sponsors
