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Summer Collegiate

Bells, Smoke take toll on NorthPaws

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Author: Larry Read

KAMLOOPS, BC—The Kamloops NorthPaws fell into some old habits and had Mother Nature go against them as they were only able to host the Bellingham Bells in two of three scheduled West Coast League baseball games this weekend.

The Bells took advantage of Kamloops not being able to get runs across and some spotty pitching as they took the Paws 3-0 on Friday (July 21) and 11-9 on Saturday (July 22).

The scheduled third game for Sunday (July 23) was cancelled due to poor air quality as a result of many wildfires in the BC Interior including the Ross Moore Lake blaze, 13 kilometres south of Kamloops.

Bellingham is now 6-8 in the second half and 26-15 overall on the season.  Kamloops is 2-12 on the back half of the campaign and is 9-32 overall.

After a day off, the NorthPaws close out their most recent homestand with a three-game series with the Victoria HarbourCats.

Game one of the series is Tuesday, July 25 th at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium. Opening pitch is 6:35 PM.  Victoria has lost their last two outings but have a second half record of 10-5 and are 29-13 overall.

Bellingham has a night off and continues their nine game in 11 night road swing with a stopover in Wenatchee, Washington against the AppleSox.  Game one of the Bells/AppleSox series is Tuesday July 25th.

All West Coast League games are available via their website: https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

SERIES RECAP:

Friday, July 21, 2023: Bells 3 NorthPaws 0

686 people at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium for “Country 103 Night”. The Bells opened the scoring in the top of the third when Coleman Schmidt (Reno, NV) hit a solo home run.  It was his second ‘dinger’ of the season.

Bellingham went up 2-0 in the seventh when Cole Yoshida (Vasalia, CA) doubled and scored driving in Ty Saunders (Anacordes, WA).  The other Bells run came in the eighth when Andrew Valdez (Visalia, CA) walked and scored on a wild pitch delivered by NorthPaws reliever Marty Recchi (Kamloops, BC).

Schmidt was 1-4 with a run scored and a run batted in. Yoshida was also 1-4 with a run batted in.  Sanders was 1-4 with a run scored. Riley Parker (Snohomish, WA) was 1-3 with a run batted in as well for Bellingham.

Offensively, Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) was 2-4.  Drew Giannini (Tracy, CA) was 2-3 while Phoenix Sommay (Temecula, CA) was 1-3. 

Ryan Beitel (Surrey, BC) was the winning pitcher for Bellingham. He moves to 4-1 on the year in his seventh start of the summer. He had a four hitter over four innings and had four strikeouts. Hunter Long (Ladera Ranch,CA) pitched three innings for the save.  He struck out five and gave up two hits. It was his first save in five appearances.

Christian Spitz (Overland Park, KS) started his fifth game of the year and was tagged with the loss for Kamloops, He is 1-3 .  In this game he went five innings, giving up two hits, one run, striking out four and walking five.

Link to Scoresheet:  http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598689

Saturday, July 22, 2023: Bells 11 NorthPaws 9

This was a see saw battle. Bellingham scored twice in the opening inning and were up 3-0 after an inning and a half.  Kamloops scored three times in the bottom of the second to tie it.

Then, with the score deadlocked at four in the bottom of the fifth, Kamloops scored four times to take an 8-4 lead.   The Bells would then score four in the sixth inning and add three more in the seventh to take an 11-8 lead before the NorthPaws would add one more.   Bellingham scored 11 runs on 10 hits and committed one error to Kamloops’ nine runs on 10 hits and four errors.

Yoshida was 2-3 with two runs scored and three runs batted in to lead Bellingham offensively.  Dean West (Woodland Hills, CA) hit a homer to lead off the second inning. It was his first ‘round tripper’ of the campaign. He was 3-5 with three runs scored and two runs batted in.

Kamloops was led by Gage Mestas (Durango, CA). He was 4-5 with a double and triple and five runs batted in. Sommay was 2-4 with two runs scored and had a run batted in. Giannini was 1-5 with a run batted in and a run scored.

Thompson Rivers University WolfPack player Lucas Maricle (Trail, BC) made his NorthPaws debut in relief and was tagged with the loss. He went two thirds of an inning giving up two hits, four runs, walking two and striking out one. He was the second of five Kamloops pitchers.   Tomas Urbina (Avondale, AZ) was the winner for Bellingham to increase his record to 3-1. He pitched one inning.  Trevin Hope (Blaine, WA) pitched three innings for his first save in six appearances. He gave up one run on two hits, walking one and striking out one.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598690

Sunday, July 23, 2023: Game Cancelled due to poor air quality

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

On two games:

“We were right there to win both of those games.  We cant get over the top for some reason. One night we hit the ball.  I think we had five hits the first night.  All of the five hits were with two outs.  No one was on base.  We couldn’t get a hit. Saturday, we scored well but unfortunately our pitching fell apart.  Unfortunately, we made some errors, which we hadn’t done for a while (NorthPaws with four errors).  Those errors led to runs by them. They came back and we weren’t able to get any closer.”

On upcoming series hosting Victoria/pitching and cancelled game Sunday.:

“They beat us pretty good to start the season.  We weren’t hitting or didn’t pitch well.  We have three good starters going against them.  Even though it was bad we couldn’t play today (Sunday), it actually helps us for the standpoint of our pitching. They got an extra day off.  The numbers (of pitchers) are way down. It is just like ‘chess pieces’ now.  Just trying to match guys—having them pitch an inning or so out of the pen. It is a struggle. We have to get nine innings done and sometimes we just don’t have enough arms.  We got starters. We have enough for every game. It’s the guys coming in behind them where we aren’t getting it done right now.”

NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:

The Victoria HarbourCats will be in town for a three game series (July 25-27).   The teams met in Victoria on the opening weekend of the season where the HarbourCats swept the NorthPaws.  

Wednesday (July 26) will see the NorthPaws honor their “Host Families” during the contest.

PLAYERS TO WATCH ON THE HARBOURCATS:

Hudson Shupe (West Richland, WA). The shortstop leads the West Coast League in hitting at .394.

Tyler Davis (Fresno, CA)  has the second most homers in the WCL with 6. He is eighth in the league in hitting with an average of .331.

Dalls Macias (Marker, Col) is 10th in the West Coast League in hitting at .327.

Nick Dumesnil (Huntington, CA) is tied for sixth in the league in homers with four.

Logan MacNeil (Vancouver, BC) leads the HarbourCats in Earned Run Average at 1.50. He has played seven games and has a record of 4-0.

If you can’t make the home games, they are all webcast on  https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ .   Some home games will also be shown on Shaw TV in Kamloops (Cable 10 or 105 with Blue Curve).

NEW FAN PROMOTION:

The NorthPaws are looking for their newest fans.  The team is running a promotion right now which sees you capture a $15 ticket for any home game for the remainder of the season. There are only 100 of these tickets avvilable.  Visit tickets.northpawsbaseball.ca and click “Find tickets” on the game you would like to attend. Enter “NEWESTFAN’ into the promo code box and the tickets are unlocked!.

TAILGATE PARTY:

The Molson’s Tailgate Party is operating before every NorthPaws home game.   It runs Tuesday through Saturday 5-630 PM.  The Party runs Sundays noon-1 PM.  Hotdogs and a Pilsner are sold for $ 12.00 plus tax.

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Summer Collegiate

Arrived as a Golden Bear, leaves as a Fighting Camel: How Elijah Clayton navigated the transfer portal amid a busy season

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In April of 2024, the NCAA changed a long-standing rule regarding transfer portal eligibility. Previously, athletes had to sit out a season if they transferred, resulting in very few transfers and players often staying in one spot for longer. The new rules allow instant eligibility for athletes, meaning players no longer have to sit out a season after transferring to a new school.

It’s all part of a new era in the NCAA, along with NIL deals that allow athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness. In college athletics today, it’s very common for underclassmen to transfer out of their program to find a spot where they can get more playing time sooner.

For NorthPaws utility man Elijah Clayton, he found himself coming to Kamloops with the portal being a possibility. Clayton just finished his freshman season at CAL, which saw him make just three starts with two hits in 12 at-bats. The purpose of Clayton coming to Kamloops was to gain additional playing time and develop ahead of the fall.

Collegiate summer baseball is the ideal setting for underclassmen development, with leagues across North America offering a condensed, pro-style schedule that allows players to log additional playing time. For Clayton, the goal shifted when decisions were made at CAL, and it became in his best interest to find a new home and enter the portal.

“I definitely thought it could be a possibility, but I wasn’t 100% set on anything,” said Clayton.

When the goal shifted from developing to showcasing skills for schools in the portal, being an everyday player for the NorthPaws helped his case. Clayton has made 25 starts for the team this season and has played at five different positions in the field. Clayton has been a mainstay at the top of the batting order, hitting .287. Clayton is also the West Coast League stolen base leader and is in a tie for first with three triples this season.

“It’s definitely nice to be in the lineup almost every day because I’m able to show coaches that I can play anywhere in the infield as well as the outfield and showcase my skills night after night,” said Clayton.

The West Coast league schedule certainly isn’t an easy one, and being an everyday player can be tough. When you add the element of now needing to find a new school to play at, it can get overwhelming, but Clayton credits the NorthPaws staff with helping him through the process.

“It was hectic at times trying to find a place to play for next year while also trying to focus on coming out every day and performing, but I had some good teammates and coaches helping me out with everything,” said Clayton.

Ultimately, Clayton chose to transfer to Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The Fighting Cammels play in the Coastal Athletic Association. Clayton couldn’t be happier and is eager to get started.

“I just felt like I’m a perfect fit for them, I’m going to work hard and get developed, and that’s a place I think can make me better,” said Clayton.

Heading into the second half of the season, Clayton’s goal has changed once again: he will prepare to impress the coaches during the fall and try to earn an everyday spot on the roster.

Clayton and so many others have similar stories, and it’s yet another example of how beneficial Collegiate League Baseball can be for young players in the new era of NCAA sports.

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Summer Collegiate

New Country, same mentality: How four UT Tyler teammates are trying to bring a winning culture back to the NorthPaws

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When the NorthPaws made Riley Jepson their new head coach at the end of last summer, he got full autonomy in constructing this season’s roster. Jepson played at the University of Texas at Tyler from 2020 to 2021 and still has excellent connections with their coaching staff since becoming a coach.

When building the roster, one of his first calls was to UT Tyler. He was able to sign infielders Drew Schmidt and Tanner Hornback, outfielder Connor Clark, and right-handed pitcher Julio Garcia. Schmidt, Clark, and Garcia were all teammates last summer with the Victoria Generals in the Texas Collegiate League.

With the Generals, they won the TCL and continued their success this past spring as UT Tyler took a huge step, going 49-13 and advancing to the NCAA Division II World Series for the first time in program history. It’s been a very successful year of baseball for those players, and they bring a unique perspective to the team, having played in very meaningful games both in the TCL and at UT Tyler.

“Last summer, we had this expectation to win in Victoria, and we did so. For us, going into the fall, we learned how to win games,” said Clark.

Collegiate Summer baseball and the NCAA have some significant differences, but Schmidt notes that winning in both settings shares some commonalities.

“I think it’s all about camaraderie, especially in the summer, you need to be a close-knit group to win games, and we certainly did that last summer as well as in the spring,” said Schmidt.

Clark and Schmidt each played 20+ games with the Generals last summer, and Garcia logged 12.2 Innings. Clark played 43 games in the spring, and Garcia made 17 appearances out of the bullpen. Schmidt, however, took the most significant strides playing 62 games and hitting a staggering .410 in the spring.

The three of them are once again on the same squad, but joining them this time around is fellow middle infielder Tanner Hornback, who, like Schmidt, played 62 games and hit .410. Coming to a new country can be difficult, but the transition has been easier.

“Tanner and I played up the middle all year at Tyler, so that’s just tremendous to have a guy you’re so close with be on the same team as you in the summer,” said Schmidt.

For all of them, the West Coast league and the country of Canada are all new, but the familiarity with each other makes it easier.

“Having buddies from home and familiar faces with me in a different country is always cool, it’s good to have them around,” said Garcia.

Injecting winners into your lineup can always be a boost to teams, especially for the NorthPaws, who have already won more games than in 2024 and are looking at making their second-ever playoff appearance.

“I feel like we walk around with the mentality of we’re not going to let people come here and push us around, we’re here to win,” said Schmidt.

The UT Tyler teammates have been instrumental in the team’s success, with Clark and Schmidt combining for 15 RBIs, Garcia cementing himself as the team’s closer, and Hornback hitting .340. Every night, one of these players has an impact on the game, and it’s all part of an effort to get the NorthPaws back to the postseason.

The team is already turning heads this season, and the “Tyler Boys,” as they’re known, are looking to continue leading the charge and building a winning culture with Jepson and the rest of the NorthPaws.

 

 

 

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The NightOwls Break The Losing Streak With a 3-1 Win Over The RiverHawks

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EDMONTON, A.B. — The NightOwls break the losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Edmonton RiverHawks. A big second inning and some amazing pitching were all Nanaimo needed to break their losing streak. Nanaimo looks to take the series in game three on Sunday.

The NightOwls only needed five hits to score their three runs, thanks to a double from Jacob Hayes, Brock Wirthgen, and Owen Wessel. They moved the runners around at a pivotal point in the game in the second inning, and the team turned things over to their pitching staff. Edmonton had one run on eight hits with an error in the loss.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=622689

Starting pitcher for the NightOwls tonight was Zach Horwith, and he had a great night on the mound. He went three innings, giving up just one hit while walking and striking out two batters.

NightOwls vs RiverHawks (Photo Credit: James Maclennan)

Dawson Schultz was the pitcher of record on the night, going two innings, giving up no runs and no hits while striking out two RiverHawks. Jaedeyn Edwards went two innings, allowing one run on two hits.

https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

I mentioned the NightOwls only had five hits on the night, and two of them were thanks to Catcher Brock Wirthgen. The newly Hawai’i Pacific University commit, went two for four with a double, a single, and a run.

Jacob Hayes continues to wield a hot bat and had a double and walk for the NightOwls. Owen Wessel went one for three but had the big double in the second inning for two RBI, he also scored a run. Spencer Sullivan had the only other hit for the NightOwls.

http://Nanaimonightowls.com/tickets

It’s an early start on Sunday morning as the NightOwls and Riverhawks get back at it at 11:30 am PST. Make sure to stream the game with the link above.

The NightOwls will have a well deserved day off after 10 straight days of games. Them Nanaimo returns home with a three game series against the Kelowna Falcons in a mid week matchup. That starts Tuesday July 8th at 6:35pm and continues Wednesday and Thursday at the same time. Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest NightOwls news and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark!

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