| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country(ies) | United States Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Wenatchee AppleSox |
| Official website | West Coast League |
The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. The league is designed to develop college talent. As such, only current college players are allowed to participate in the league. Top college players compete in the West Coast League, which has produced dozens of professional players and a number of major leaguers. League teams are operated just like professional minor league teams.
The WCL season runs from early June to mid-August, with each team playing 54 games. For the 2007 season, the league adopted a new two-division format. It expanded the schedule from 42 games to 48 games in 2009 and went to an unbalanced schedule. In 2010 the league went back to a balanced schedule and in 2011 the schedule was again expanded, to 54 games. The top two teams in both the East and West divisions play a best-of-three Divisional Series to determine who will play for the championship. The Championship Series is also best-of-three.
For the first time in 2006, the WCL held an All-Star game. The inaugural game was held at Avista Stadium in Spokane, Washington, with players assigned to either the East or West squad, although this was before actual divisions were created in the league. The 2007 game was played in Bellingham, Washington, and the 2008 game was played in Moses Lake, Washington. The All-Star Game was eliminated after the 2008 season. In 2011, the league announced it would revive the All-Star Game, and assigned the 2011 game to Goss Stadium on the campus of Oregon State University, home of the league's Corvallis Knights.
The league added Longview/Kelso, Washington for the 2010 season, along with Walla Walla, Washington. The Moses Lake Pirates ceased operations following the 2010 season, while the Klamath Falls Gems began their first season in the WCL in 2011.
The league will play the 2012 season with a 54-game schedule and nine teams, expecting to expand for the 2013 season.
Contents |
| Division | Team | City | Home field | Capacity | Head Coach | 2011 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | Bellingham Bells | Bellingham, WA | Joe Martin Field | 2100 | Gary Hatch | 21-32 |
| Bend Elks | Bend, OR | Vince Genna Stadium | 3500 | Sean Kinney | 29-25 | |
| *Corvallis Knights | Corvallis, OR | Goss Stadium | 3000 | Brooke Knight | 37-17 | |
| Cowlitz Black Bears | Kelso / Longview, WA | David Story Field | 1229 | Bryson LeBlanc | 28-26 | |
| Kitsap BlueJackets | Bremerton, WA | Kitsap Fairgrounds | 1200 | Matt Acker | 24 - 30 | |
| East | Kelowna Falcons | Kelowna, BC | Elks Stadium | 1250 | Al Cantrell | 19-34 |
| Klamath Falls Gems | Klamath Falls, OR | Kiger Stadium | 2878 | John Welker | 19-35 | |
| Walla Walla Sweets | Walla Walla, WA | Borleske Stadium | 2,378 | J.C. Biagi | 26-28 | |
| Wenatchee AppleSox | Wenatchee, WA | Paul Thomas Field | 1200 | Ed Knaggs | 39-15 |
* = Denotes 2011 WCL Champion
| 2011 | Corvallis Knights | Walla Walla Sweets | 2-0 |
| 2010 | Wenatchee AppleSox | Bend Elks | 2-1 |
| 2009 | Wenatchee AppleSox | Corvallis Knights | 2-0 |
| 2008 | Corvallis Knights | Wenatchee AppleSox | 2-0 |
| 2007 | Moses Lake Pirates | Corvallis Knights | 2-0 |
| 2006 | Wenatchee AppleSox | Spokane RiverHawks | 2-0 |
| 2005 | Wenatchee AppleSox | Bellingham Bells | 1-0 |
| Position | Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| President | Ken Wilson | |
| Vice President | Jim Corcoran | Wenatchee AppleSox |
| Treasurer | Tony Bonacci | Cowlitz Black Bears |
| Secretary | Dan Segel | Corvallis Knighs |
| Board of Directors | Eddie Poplawski | Bellingham Bells |
| Board of Directors | Jim Richards | Bend Elks |
| Board of Directors | Dan Segel | Corvallis Knights |
| Board of Directors | Tony Bonacci | Cowlitz Black Bears |
| Board of Directors | Dan Nonis | Kelowna Falcons |
| Board of Directors | Rick Smith | Kitsap BlueJackets |
| Board of Directors | Chuck Heeman | Klamath Falls Gems |
| Board of Directors | John Stanton | Walla Walla Sweets |
| Board of Directors | Jim Corcoran | Wenatchee AppleSox |
| Board of Directors | Irv Zakheim | Coeur d'Alene RiverHawks* |
| Umpires Supervisor | Dave Perez | |
| Conference Stats Administration | Pointstreak |
"*" = Formerly the Spokane RiverHawks. Planning to move franchise to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
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