The Kelowna Falcons are pleased to announce the winners of the annual year end awards for the 2024 season.

Most Improved Player (from the start of the season to the end)

Eddie Fines was a second year Falcon who came back to Kelowna following his freshman season at Sacramento City College.  At the beginning of the summer Fines seemed a bit unsure of his ability and talents, but then did find a groove and path to success later in the summer.  He finished batting a very respectable .283 with 30 hits, three of them doubles and hit his only WCL homerun on the road in Kamloops.  He also contributed with 18 RBIs and stole three bases, scoring 17 runs.

Most Improved Pitcher (from the start of the season to the end)

Caleb Taylor threw 19.2 innings this summer, winning three games for the Falcons and saving another over the course of 10 appearances.  He struck out 25 while allowing only 12 earned runs.  In his first appearance this year he threw one inning and coughed up three runs while striking out two…fast forward to his final appearance on August 2^nd, as he threw five innings, picked up a win, didn’t allow a run and struck out seven.

Most Dedicated Player of the Year

Righthanded pitcher Zach Sutton came to the Falcons following his sophomore season at Blinn junior college in Texas.  He didn’t have the greatest summer, but Sutton was not discouraged.  He would show up at the park early to get his stretches and work in, even on off days.    He appeared in nine games this summer, starting seven of them, throwing a total of 32 innings while striking out 19.

Best Defender

Nate Castellon came to Kelowna following his senior year at high school en route to a collegiate career at Cal Poly in California.   He played in only 13 games but was absolutely terrific at shortstop showing incredible potential moving forward.  He finished the season with a .966 fielding percentage, collecting 21 putouts and assisting with 36 others.  He played 86 innings in total at shortstop this summer.

Pitcher with Best Stuff

Reece Bueno came to the Falcons pitching staff late in the summer, joining Kelowna for his second season.   He threw in only six games, but had an ERA of 2.41, striking out 22 in 21 innings of work.   His fastball was deceiving at 88-92mph while a strong cutter, slider and change-up rounded out his scouting report as he seemed to improve with each of his outings.  His best outing was on July 13^th against the Cowlitz Black Bears when he threw 4.2 innings, fanning six batters and didn’t give up a hit in a no-decision.

Best Hitter

Nate Gray Jr was an outstanding player and teammate this summer.  He let his bat do most of the talking as he hit .331 over the course of 121 at bats, recording an impressive 40 hits, six of them doubles and had one triple.  He also knocked in 11 runs and would score 20 of his own.   As the leadoff man for the majority of the summer, he simply got on base, setting the table for the hitters behind him.

Pitcher of the Year

Ethan Coronel was lights out this summer for the Falcons on the mound.  For a pitching staff that struggled with consistency, Coronel was locked in during his six appearances.  He threw 26.2 innings and finished with an outstanding 1.05 ERA and a 2-0 record.  He struck out 26 in the process and allowed only three earned runs during the season.   His 1.05 ERA is the second lowest in team history, just a fraction of a point behind Austin Todd’s team record of 1.04 set in 2007.

Team MVP

Matthew Pena (pictured) was a consistent bright spot in the Falcons batting order that struggled this season.  Pena was simply awesome with his team leading 47 games played, coming to the plate 165 times.  He tallied 51 hits, eighth most in franchise history, including eight doubles, three homeruns and 31 RBIs. He also walked a team high 28 times, was hit by 12 pitches and scored 23 runs.   On the defensive side he was the most consistent, playing at first base.

The Kelowna Falcons would like to thank the fans that attended the ballpark in 2024 and followed the team throughout the summer.  See you in 2025!  

Photo courtesy of Tami Quan Photography