Cowlitz Black Bears
| Cowlitz Black Bears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | West Coast League (South) |
| Location | Kelso / Longview, Washington |
| Ballpark | David Story Field |
| Year founded | 2010 |
| Colors | Black & Orange |
| Mascot | Corby The Bear |
| Last season | 23-31 |
| Ownership | Tony Bonacci[1] |
| Manager | Grady Tweit (Head Coach)[2] |
The Cowlitz Black Bears is an amateur baseball team located in Kelso / Longview, Washington. They play in the West Coast League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league comprises teams from British Columbia, Oregon and Washington. Cowlitz calls David Story Field on the campus of Lower Columbia College home.[3]
History
2010
The Black Bears began play as an expansion team in the West Coast League in 2010. In their inaugural season, they were coached by Bryson LeBlanc and managed a record of 18 wins and 30 losses, They finished fifth in the West division with an overall attendance of 22,301.
2011
The following season, LeBlanc returned as Head Coach and their record improved to 28 wins and 26 losses, placing them third in the West division. The team narrowly missed the West Coast League playoffs by losing the final game of the season. The attendance also improved to 30,102.
2012 And First Playoff Appearance
In 2012, the Black Bears welcomed Tim Matz as their new head coach. With a record of 26 wins and 28 losses, the Black Bears made it to their first playoff appearance by coming in second in the West division. They were eliminated in the first two games by the Corvallis Knights.
2013
The next season, Matz returned as Head coach and the Bears repeated their 2011 record with 28 wins and 26 losses, finishing fourth in the South division.
2014
The Black Bears returned with Tim Matz and had a record of 24 wins and 30 losses on the season, finishing third in the South division. The Bears had a season high overall attendance of 31,138.
2015
In 2014, the Black Bears welcomed Grady Tweit as their new head coach. They produced a record of 21 wins and 33 losses, finishing fourth in the West division.
2016
The seventh season of Cowlitz Black Bears baseball brought the return of Grady Tweit and a new split season format in which the WCL season was split equally into two parts, with the winner from each division of each half securing a playoff berth. The 54-game league schedule was divided into a first and second half, each 27 games long. In the first half, the Bears finished third in the South division with a record of 12 wins and 15 losses. In the second half, they finished fourth with a record of 11 wins and 16 losses. They completed the entire season with a record of 23 wins and 31 losses, finishing fourth in the South division.
External links
References
- ↑ Cowlitz Black Bears. Front Office Staff.
- ↑ "Coaching Staff". Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- ↑ "West Coast League - Cowlitz". Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- ↑ "Black Bears narrowly miss playoffs". 10 August 2011.