Our ballclub is excited to announce the return of Raphael Smeenk to our 2024 roster and he’s bringing a friend.

He was a big part of our success last season in qualifying for the West Coast League playoffs. He batted .306 over the course of 33 games, collected 33 hits, eight for doubles, he had a triple and three homeruns along with 19 RBIs. Defensively he was solid in the infield primarily playing at shortstop and made 26 putouts and 35 assists.

As a sophomore at Panola Junior College in Texas, he’s played in 44 games this spring and has recorded 34 hits, seven doubles, seven homers and 26 RBIs.

The switch hitter will need to play an important role this summer for our club to make it back to the playoffs. The experience he gained last year will be valuable and will be a player our coaching staff can look to as a familiar face.

Righthanded pitcher Thomas Reinholt is a teammate of Smeenk’s at Panola and will travel up at the same time and join our pitching staff. He’s a big righty at 6’4, 210 pounds from Port Neches Texas. This spring he has started 12 games and leads his school with 50 strikeouts in 43.1 innings of work.

The 2024 schedule opens on May 31st when the Nanaimo NightOwls come to Elks Stadium.

We are still in search of a few good billet families for the upcoming season. Hosting a Falcons student athlete is a very rewarding experience, for the most part giving them their first exposure to life in Canada. Families receive a grocery allowance, season tickets and a recognition BBQ at the end of the year. Connect with Alex Draper at adraper29@shaw.ca for more information.