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Kelowna Falcons
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| Kelowna Falcons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | West Coast League |
| Location | Kelowna, British Columbia |
| Ballpark | Elks Stadium |
| Founded | 2000 |
| League championships | 0 |
| Division championships | 2 (2015, 2018) |
| Former league(s) | Pacific International League (2000-2004) |
| Colours | Red, navy blue, white |
| Ownership | Dan Nonis |
| General manager | Mark Nonis |
| Manager | Doug Nose |
The Kelowna Falcons are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Falcons are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at Elks Stadium.
Originally an expansion team in the Pacific International League, the Falcons left the league following the 2004 season and became a founding member of the West Coast League. The Falcons have won two division titles and have made two appearances in the WCL Championship; most recently in 2018.
History
[edit]The franchise traces its roots back to the Kelowna Grizzlies, who were founded in 1993. The Grizzlies were members of the Pacific International League. During their tenure the Grizzlies won the 1995 league championship. Following the 1998 the club suspended operations. The franchise was sold in 2000 and rebranded as the Falcons. Kelowna continued this membership with the Pacific International League playing from 2000 through 2004. In 2005, the Falcons along with Bellingham, Bend, Spokane, and Wenatchee left the league to form the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCBL).[1]
2010
[edit]The Falcons finished second in the East Division with a 22-26 record.[2] Pitcher Dayne Quist lead the league with an ERA of 1.40 and finished with 50 strikeouts and six wins on the mound. Ben Edlestein finished with a batting average of .347.[3] 16,027 fans attended games for an average of 668 per game.[4]
The Falcons were swept in the Division Series by the AppleSox 0-2.[5] 1,132 total fans attended Kelowna's only home game in the playoffs.[6]
2022 season
[edit]The Falcons failed to make it to the postseason for the second straight season, finishing seventh in the north division with a record of 20-33, 13 games behind the division winning Bellingham Bells.[7] The Falcons saw 22,722 total fans for an average of 947 per game.[8] Jasper Nelson (Sacramento State) and Nick Woodcock (Yavapai College) received honorable mentions in the All-WCL team after the season.[9]
2023 season
[edit]On July 17, Koen Van't Klooster was named pitcher of the week.[10]
The Falcons finished fourth in the north division.[11] The team averaged 1,064 fans per game, below the league average.[12]
2024
[edit]On July 9th, Trey Duffield and Gavyn Jones were selected to represent the Falcons in the All Star Game.[13]
The Falcons failed to improve on their 31-23 record from the previous season, posting a 20-34 record and finishing sixth in the north division, 15 games behind the division leading AppleSox.[14] 23,776 fans attended home games for an average of 914 per game.[15]
The Falcons failed to make the postseason.
2025
[edit]The Falcons are last in the North Division with an 8-18 record and are 9.5 games behind the division leading Bells.[16] Gio De Graauw (Newman) leads the league with thirty-three strikeouts and a 0.57 ERA.[17] 7,167 fans have attended Kelowna's thirteen home games for an average of 551 fans per game.[18]
Joel Hogan was named pitcher of the week by the league on June 9th.[19] Gio De Graau (Newman) earned the same honor on June 30th.[20]
Results by Season
[edit]| Season | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Postseason | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | PIL | 16 | 13 | .551 | Did Not Qualify | ||||
| 2001 | PIL | 16 | 19 | .457 | Did Not Qualify | Mike McGuire | |||
| 2002 | PIL | 18 | 18 | .500 | Did Not Qualify | Kevin Tucker | |||
| 2003 | PIL | 14 | 16 | .466 | Did Not Qualify | Dax Leone | |||
| 2004 | PIL | 22 | 14 | .611 | Runner-Up | Dax Leone | |||
| 2005 | WCL | 16 | 20 | .444 | Did Not Qualify | Brian Hoop | |||
| 2006 | WCL | 13 | 29 | .309 | Did Not Qualify | David Robb | |||
| 2007 | WCL | 12 | 30 | .285 | Did Not Qualify | Duane Bozic | |||
| 2008 | WCL | 21 | 20 | .512 | Lost Division Series | Kevin Frady | |||
| 2009 | WCL | 24 | 24 | .500 | Lost Division Series | Kevin Frady | |||
| 2010 | WCL | East | 2nd | 22 | 26 | .458 | 7 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Wenatchee) | Kevin Frady |
| 2011 | WCL | East | 4th | 19 | 34 | .358 | 19.5 | Did Not Qualify | Al Cantwell |
| 2012 | WCL | East | 3rd | 28 | 26 | .519 | 9 | Did Not Qualify | Al Cantwell |
| 2013 | WCL | North | 5th | 19 | 35 | .352 | 12.5 | Did Not Qualify | Geoff White |
| 2014 | WCL | East | 4th | 14 | 39 | .264 | 20.5 | Did Not Qualify | Billy Clontz |
| 2015 | WCL | East | 1st | 34 | 19 | .642 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Bellingham) Lost Championship Series 0-2 (Bend) |
Billy Clontz |
| 2016 | WCL | North | 4th | 25 | 29 | .463 | 15 | Did Not Qualify | Bryan Donahue |
| 2017 | WCL | North | 2nd | 28 | 26 | .519 | 1 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Victoria) | Bryan Donahue |
| 2018 | WCL | North | 2nd | 28 | 26 | .519 | 7 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Bellingham) Lost Championship Series 0-2 (Corvallis) |
Bryan Donahue |
| 2019 | WCL | North | 6th | 17 | 35 | .327 | 21 | Did Not Qualify | Ryan Wright |
| 2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||||||||
| 2021 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||||||||
| 2022 | WCL | North | 7th | 20 | 33 | .377 | 13 | Did Not Qualify | Doug Noce |
| 2023 | WCL | North | 4th | 31 | 23 | .574 | 7.5 | Lost North Divisional Series 0-2 (Bells) | Doug Noce |
| 2024 | WCL | North | 6th | 20 | 32 | .385 | 14 | Did Not Qualify | Doug Noce |
| 2025 | WCL | North | 8th | 10 | 18 | .357 | 7.5 | Doug Noce | |
| League Champions | Runner-Up | Playoff Team |
Playoff Appearances
[edit]- 2004
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2015 East Division Champions
- 2017 North Division First Half Champions
- 2018 North Division Champions
- 2023 Wildcard Berth
Alumni in Major League Baseball
[edit]- David Riske
- Aaron Harang
- Jason Bay
- Nyjer Morgan
- Chris Davis
- Jess Todd
- James Paxton
- Tyler Wagner
- Phil Maton
- Connor Joe
References
[edit]- ^ "New Summer College League launches in Pacific Northwest". West Coast League. 2005-03-01. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
- ^ "West Coast League - standings".
- ^ "West Coast League - leaders".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ "West Coast League - schedule".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ "West Coast League - standings".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ "All-WCL Teams Announced". 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Davis and Van 't Klooster Earn WCL's Moss Adams Weekly Honors". West Coast League. July 17, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-23.
- ^ "West Coast League - standings".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ "WCL All-Star Game Rosters Announced". 9 July 2024.
- ^ "West Coast League - standings".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/standings.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=34070
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/leaders.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=34070
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=34070
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/hogan-and-schleichardt-receive-weekly-honors/
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/markey-and-de-graauw-capture-weekly-honors/
External links
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