Eleven games into the 2024 West Coast League season and the Bellingham Bells are finding themselves squarely in the middle of the pack of the North Division. But the early season hasn’t been void of excitement.
The Bells banged off two walk-off victories in the first three games of the year: Jason Shedlock’s walk-off single for a 5-4 win over Edmonton Riverhawks in the season opener May 31, then Jorge Olivera’s walk-off single two days later in a 14-13 victory over the same team.
And despite the 6-5 overall record, there have been other flashes of promise, including a three-game win streak. The front end of it, an 11-1 win, helped the Bells avoid a series sweep by the Kamloops NorthPaws. The latter two (3-1 and 4-0 victories) clinched a series win over the Ridgefield Raptors.
The Bells are currently in fourth place in the eight-team North Division, and two games back of the division-leading Wenatchee AppleSox (8-3).
Offensive performers
Shedlock’s season-opening walk-off wasn’t just a fluke, he’s been one of the Bells’ top hitters so far this season. The outfielder’s .281 batting average is third-highest on the team, and he has nine hits, four runs and two RBIs (all stats are current as of June 12).
Infielder Nate Kirkpatrick has also been a force at the plate (.326). Kirkpatrick and catcher Conner Smith (.310) are the only Bells’ players hitting above .300. Kirkpatrick also leads the league in doubles (six), has the second-most hits (15) along with seven RBIs (tied for fifth most) and seven runs scored (tied for sixth highest).
Also doing damage at the plate is infielder Jacob Mejia, whose 12 hits have him tied for fifth most in the league. And on the basepaths, outfielder Trent Mallonee has swiped the second-most stolen bases (6).
Pitching highlights
Bellingham’s top pitcher so far is RHP Ryan Beitel (1-0), who is tied for the second-most strikeouts (12) in the WCL. He also has the third-lowest ERA (0.90) while allowing just five hits and one earned run across 10 innings of work.
RHP Lathan Haywood has also been dealing with a 1.13 ERA while striking out 10 batters (tied for fourth highest) with one earned run off five hits in eight innings. RHP Will Franklin has added nine Ks with a 2.00 ERA on four hits and two earned runs in eight innings.
Local watch
One local to keep an eye on is recent Lynden grad and pitcher Lane Simonsen, who led the Lions to back-to-back top-3 finishes in the 2A state tournament. Simonsen, a University of Washington commit, has four Ks while allowing two hits and no earned runs in two innings of work so far.
Eli Knowlton, a Squalicum grad, has six strikeouts in 4.1 innings on the mound. Marques Brown, a 2021 Mount Baker grad, has a strikeout while allowing no earned runs in two appearances.
Outfielder Bryce Johnson, a 2022 Meridian grad, has a .269 batting average with seven hits, three RBIs and four stolen bases in 26 plate appearances.
Up next
The Bells have some ground to gain if they hope to clinch the North Division’s first-half championship for the third straight season.
And they also have high expectations to live up to.
Bellingham made it all the way to the North Division championship game last summer before getting ousted by Victoria. The Bells finished the season with a 35-18 regular season record, swept their first-round divisional opponent, the Kelowna Falcons, and lost a nail-biter in the division championship, falling only one game shy of the WCL championship.
With such a high roster turnover from year to year, it’s hard to tell what to expect from this year’s team so early in the season.
That picture will become clearer as the Bells wrap up a three-game series with the Wenatchee AppleSox on the road Thursday, June 13, then continue their road trip with a series against the Kelowna Falcons June 14–16.
For more information on the Bellingham Bells, such as the schedule and stats, visit the team website at bellinghambells.com.
Eric Trent is CDN’s news producer; reach him at erictrent@cascadiadaily.com.
