Ahh, the smells of spring time. The freshly mowed grass, the smell of pine tar and the sweet sound of a baseball being hit, as the field at Spitz Stadium is being prepared for a new, all-Canadian Bulls season.
After COVID-19 took its course on the 2020 WCBL season, the Bulls have arrived in 2021 excited to get back on the field at Spitz Stadium. The Lethbridge Bulls prepared for the 2021 season like any other season but with the announcement on March 25th that the league would be going all-Canadian, the Bulls had to tell our American players that they would not be able to make the trip North to Lethbridge this summer.
Unfortunately, this meant that the Bulls new Head Coach would also not be able to join the team for the 2021 season and Assistant Coach Chance Wheatley was promoted to Head Coach to lead the Bulls in 2021. Coach Wheatley has been working hard over the past month recruiting some home grown Canadian talent to replace the American players on the roster.
Prairie Baseball Academy players have been practicing over at Lloyd Nolan Yard since September and are eager to get outside and play some games! This year's Bulls team will feature 10 players who are local to the Lethbridge area of which 5 players are either currently on the PBA roster or have graduated from the program. The Bulls are excited to have lots of local players on the team this year, and hope these players will be a great asset to the team this summer.
In our 2019 season, we had five players from Prairie Baseball Academy play for the Bulls. To compare, this year we have 11 already signed to the team! There are more signings emerging every week from PBA as well as other areas of the country.
We spoke to Coach Wheatley, PBA Jr. Varsity Coach and the Bulls 2021 Head Coach. He stated, "There are quite a few local players from Prairie Baseball Academy, as well as Vauxhall Academy alumni that will be suiting up for us this Spring. We have a lot of talent that they're going to show off right from the opening game."
The Bulls are equipped with a few returnees from the 2019 season as well. Kyle Poapst, Ben Erwin, Levi Abbott, Ty Penner, and Torrin Vaselenak will be back on the field this Summer for the Bulls, as well as Ty Schaffer, who previously played for the Brooks Bombers. The newest additions to the Bulls roster from PBA include pitchers Kade Kahlert and Jordan Calibaba, infielder Brad Goodwin, Josh Kabayama and Dalton Demers in the outfield, and Ben Prediger behind home plate.
We can't wait to see what these guys can do for the home team! Come out and support your local boys this Summer by cheering on your Lethbridge Bulls!
