The Bellingham Bells are a collegiate summer baseball team in the West Coast League . The team is composed of college baseball players from teams around the U.S.
80-572: The Bells take their name from the original Bellingham Bells who played at Battersby Field off and on from the 1930s to 1988. The original Bells came to prominence under the leadership of Joe Martin (the namesake of the ballpark of the current incarnation of the Bells), who helped lead the Bells to 20 National Baseball Congress Washington State titles and multiple top five finishes at the NBC World Series during
160-510: A W.P.A. project to construct a new stadium. He presented an idea for a national, semi-professional baseball tournament to be held in Wichita. An idea that had not occurred to Dumont prior to the conversation. Lawrence Stadium was constructed prior to the 1934 baseball season. In 1978, Lawrence Stadium was renamed Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in honor of Dumont. Dumont continued to use gimmicks to promote his baseball tournaments. Games were held early in
240-678: A $ 25 million project which included an indoor football practice facility, an indoor track, the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame, and a physical therapy research center, known as the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute, available for both student-athletes and anyone from inside or outside of MU who needs help with sports medicine or work related rehab or training. The Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Facility opened in September 2014. MU legends Chad Pennington ,
320-648: A Bells squad that fought hard, but in the end was not able to make the WCL playoffs. Nick Proctor was a member the All WCL first team, while Jimmy Chatfield was named to the All WCL second team. The community in Bellingham rallied around the Bells, packing Joe Martin with 50,344 fans in 28 games for an average of almost 1,800 fans a game. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bells introduced new branding prior to
400-466: A WCL record for most games played, with 29 games in the season. As a whole team, the Bells had 20 saves on the season setting the record for the most saves by any team in WCL history. Their 0.202 opponents' batting average as a team tied the record set by the 2005 Aloha Knights. Bellingham saw 47,307 fans in the seats at Joe Martin Field in just 32 home games, with an average of 1,478 people per night. Following
480-446: A batting average of .571 while Grant Fink batted in four runs. Randy Button picked up one win. 2,125 fans attended the two non-league games for an average of 1,063. The Bells made the postseason for the first time since 2005 but fell to the eventual champion AppleSox in three games. Kai Hatch lead the league with a batting average of .500 with Joe Winterburn finishing with one home run and a batting average of .400. Adam Gunn finished on
560-502: A buzzer was installed on the outfield wall. If either team took more than 90 seconds between innings or 20 seconds between pitches, a ball or strike was awarded to penalize the offender In 1945, Dumont created a national uproar with a plan for a global tournament. Just five days after Japan surrendered in World War II , Dumont announced his plan for a September tournament that would include an invitation to Japan. Dumont quickly withdrew
640-507: A clubhouse, grandstands, pressbox and concession building, warmup areas, and the playing field. The field is named after Dorothy "Dot" Hicks, a pioneer of the women's sports program at Marshall University who led the school's female student-athletics from a time of intramural activities into the era of organized intercollegiate competition. At various times, she served as coach of Marshall's volleyball, badminton, women's tennis and women's golf teams. The Guyan Golf and Country Club has served as
720-595: A former NFL quarterback with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, and the current head coach of the Houston Rockets of the NBA, Mike D'Antoni headed up fund raising for the effort for Marshall Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick . In October 2019, Marshall announced a $ 150 million fundraising initiative. The Herd Rises campaign aims to raise money for Marshall with the primary goal of building an on-campus baseball stadium at
800-498: A game against Xavier in 1971, the live buffalo refused to return to its trailer and kickoff of the second half was delayed as handlers attempted to control the buffalo. The live mascot performances were discontinued afterward. Marshall school songs are typically performed by the Marshall University Marching Thunder at home sporting events. Marshall University's fight song is "Sons of Marshall", referring to
880-424: A game between circus clowns and firemen in 1925. Kansas had blue laws at the time that limited business activities on Sundays; that included the circus but not baseball. Sparks Bros Circus clowns and roustabouts inquired about playing a local baseball team to earn some extra money on their day off. Dumont setup the game at Island Park located on Ackerman Island in Wichita. Abe Goldstein, a famous clown, performed on
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#1732845161295960-560: A national system to prevent "team jumping". The organization also sold trophies, medals, baseballs, umpire equipment and even insurance. Wichita businessman Dee Hubbard purchased the National Baseball Congress in 1972, following the death of Hap Dumont. The organization was renamed National Baseball Congress of America. In 1931, Dumont established the Kansas Invitation Baseball Tournament to determine
1040-404: A perfect 3-0 record with pitcher John Albert finishing with one win and pitcher Chris VanDyke finishing with a perfect ERA of 0.000. 3,870 fans attended the Bells' three non-league games for an average of 1,290 per game. The Bells were unable to qualify for the postseason. The Bellingham Bells became the 4th team in WCL history to win a championship, going 37-17 for the season. David Bigelow set
1120-432: A semi-pro champion in the state of Kansas. Thirty-two teams were invited to the inaugural event, a single elimination tournament held at Island Park in Wichita. Abilene won the first Kansas tournament. Additional state tournaments were organized in the following years, eventually including all fifty states. When the national tournament, NBC World Series, was established in 1935 the state tournament champions qualified for
1200-552: Is a 1,006-capacity soccer-specific stadium and is home to the Herd's men's and women's soccer teams. It was built on the former site of the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse , which was demolished in order to build the stadium at a cost of $ 8 million. An inaugural double-header took place on August 23, 2013. The men's team held a scrimmage against Marshall alumni from past years resulting in a 2–0 victory. The women's team faced
1280-539: Is a 213,000 square-foot facility which houses much of Marshall University's athletic department staff offices, the ticket office, an 800-seat natatorium, a state of the art training room, a basketball-specific weight room, and spacious locker rooms. The single game attendance record at the Cam Henderson Center was set on February 18, 1984, against The Citadel when 10,705 fans witnessed the 85-71 Marshall victory. Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex
1360-630: Is an annual collegiate and semi-pro baseball tournament held in Wichita, Kansas . Satchel Paige , Don Sutton , Tom Seaver , Ozzie Smith , Tony Gwynn , Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are just a few of the Major League Baseball stars who have played in the tournament. When the national tournament started in 1935, participants were primarily town teams and industrial teams. Team rosters featured aging former minor league and major league ballplayers and players ineligible for major league baseball. In
1440-407: Is best known for promoting amateur baseball games, but their reach extended beyond the games. The National Baseball Congress printed an Official Baseball Annual that included two hundred pages of rules and records. A pocket size version of baseball rules was also printed. Certification was provided for umpires, scorers and leagues through the National Baseball Congress. Player contracts were tracked via
1520-544: The Cam Henderson Center named in his honor. Historically, the Herd played on Central Field through 1928, at Fairfield Stadium from 1928 until 1990, and at Joan C. Edwards Stadium since 1991. On November 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed near Kenova, West Virginia and killed all 75 passengers on board, including 37 members of the Thundering Herd football team. The plane disaster and rebuilding of
1600-617: The Campbell University Fighting Camels and won 3–0. The largest crowd in the stadium's history occurred on September 17, 2021, when 3,033 witnessed Marshall and West Virginia draw, 2–2. Jack Cook Field is a 3,500 seat baseball stadium that is home to the Marshall Thundering Herd baseball team, as well as the Appalachian League member Tri-State Coal Cats . The facility opened on March 1, 2024 when
1680-585: The Sun Belt Conference , which are members of the NCAA Division I . The school's official colors are kelly green and white. The Marshall Thundering Herd have won 3 NCAA national championships and one NAIA national championship. Early Marshall baseball teams played on what is now Buskirk Field on campus, but had long since been handicapped by a lack of on-campus facilities and no permanent home field. A new on-Campus facility, Jack Cook Field, opened for
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#17328451612951760-548: The 1935 tournament. A victim of the baseball color barrier , Paige was not eligible to play minor league or major league baseball. Paige won four games, striking out 60 batters while leading the Bismarck Churchills to the first NBC World Series championship. He was named MVP of the tournament. Dumont recruited Baseball Hall of Fame member Honus Wagner as the guest of honor at the 1935 opening night banquet. In addition to Wagner, celebrity guests who have been honored at
1840-616: The 1954 NBC World Series with the Goodland, Kansas Tigers. A new rule making major league "name" stars unavailable in National Baseball Congress tournaments was implemented following the 1955 NBC World Series. Notably, the Santa Barbara Foresters and the Seattle Studs have made up one or both of the teams in every championship game since 2005, save for 2007, 2009, 2017, and 2024. NBC World Series Champions and MVPs. Since 1975
1920-605: The 2016 MLB Draft to the Philadelphia Phillies and is #20 on their Top 30 prospect list. Despite falling one game short of the playoffs in 2017 after going 31-23 on the season, the fight for the post season provided a variety of very dramatic endings. Kyle Stowers ( Stanford ) provided two occasions where he was responsible for the walk-off hit to win the game. A non-league game ended in a Home Run Derby tie-breaker after extra innings, including an exciting finish and game-winning dinger by Chase Illig ( West Virginia ). Illig also
2000-406: The 2024 season. Marshall men's basketball gained notoriety under Cam Henderson , inventor of the fast break and the 2-3 zone defense who coached the team from 1935 to 1955. As head coach of the Herd men's basketball team, Henderson compiled a record of 362-159 and won the 1947 NAIA National Championship . His Marshall teams produced 2 All-Americans, Jule Rivlin and Andy Tonkovich - the latter
2080-475: The AppleSox. Nate Kirkpatrick (Virginia Commonwealth) finished with a .327 batting average and with 35 runs batted in. Jacob Mejia (Cal State San Bernardino) hit six home runs and was responsible for 40 runs batted in. The Bells were fourth in league attendance with 67,147 attending for an average of 2,487 fans per game. The Bells qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight season as a wildcard. The Bells faced
2160-437: The Bells as pitching coach/recruiting coordinator (2011 - 2021, 2025) and 1 season (2023) as head coach. Clem joined the Bells in 2011 as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator on Coach Gary Hatch’s staff. Throughout the years, Coach Clem was a constant force for the Bells, remaining in place as pitching coach for eleven seasons and working with six head coaches during that time. Clem’s pitching staffs were consistently among
2240-668: The Bells, Clem has long been known as a legendary coach throughout the area and has had success at various levels of the game. He has been named to multiple hall-of-fames, including the WIAA Coaches Hall of Fame, the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Central Washington University Hall of Fame. National Baseball Congress The National Baseball Congress World Series or NBC World Series
2320-697: The Colorado Rockies organization), Andrew Kemmerer, Bronson Larsen, Andrew Reichenbach, Dustin Breshears, and Aaron Stroosma. The Bells finished the 2015 season fourth in attendance, with 34,435 attendees to Joe Martin Field. The Bells made it back to the WCL Championship Series after going 32-22 in the regular season. The North Division Champs faced the Corvallis Knights of the South Division for
2400-683: The Eastern United States. It had been held annually in April until being moved to September in 2010. It was renamed the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational in 2013 in honor of the Herd's longtime coach who led the program from 1972 to 2012. Marshall initially fielded a women's golf team from 1974 to 1983 and competed in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships . The program relaunched in 2002 competing in
2480-657: The Herd Vision campaign. The university accepted ownership of the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse located five blocks from campus, which was demolished and replaced by the Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex , a soccer specific stadium that opened in August 2013. MU's former soccer facility next to Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Sam Hood Field , was replaced by the Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Facility,
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2560-774: The NBC World Series champion representing the United States and the Puerto Rico national champion from Guayama . In 1948, a Can-Am Series with Canada was billed as the Sandlot Baseball World Series. 1950 and 1952 matched the NBC World Series champion against Japan in the Inter-Hemisphere Series. International Series In 1955, a non-professional Global Series was organized. Teams representing Canada , Columbia , Hawaii (a U.S. Territory until 1959), Holland , Japan, Mexico , Puerto Rico and Spain played in
2640-524: The NBC World Series has recognized a former participant as "Graduate of the Year". Founder Raymond Harry "Hap" Dumont (1904–1971) spent his career working in sports. Early in life, he was a sports editor for newspapers in Wichita and Hutchinson. He also promoted boxing and wrestling matches. When the opportunity arose, he sold sporting equipment, succeeding in the mail-order business even as the great depression lingered. Dumont got his start promoting baseball with
2720-532: The NBC World Series held in Wichita. The Bells of 1999 heralded local players from Bellingham, Skagit as well as a few players from across the US. Kevin Richardson (Bellingham High School) won MVP honors and set a PIL record for homeruns (19). Sehome Standouts, Ben Demond, Paul Lockhart, Adam Kim, Josh Turell were among local players who made the historic run for the Bells in 1999. The Bells improved on their 22-26 record from
2800-534: The NCAA. The team plays its home games at Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex in Huntington. The Thundering Herd have made 5 straight NCAA tournament appearances 2019-2023, including winning the national championship in the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament . Initially, Marshall athletic teams used the nickname "Big Green" for much of its early history. However, Huntington sportswriter Duke Ridgley first used
2880-714: The NorthPaws. Four former Bells were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Detroit Tigers drafted 2021 Bell of the Year Bennett Lee while the Houston Astros drafted Joey Dixon. Will Simpson and Diego Barrera were picked up by the Oakland Athletics. Will McGillis who went undrafted signed with the Los Angeles Angels. The Bells improved on their 32-20 record from the previous season finishing 35-18, but they struggled in
2960-669: The Riverhawks in the North Divisional Series winning in two games. The Bells travelled to Wenatchee to face the AppleSox in the North Division Championship Game losing in a 0-1 shutout. Pitcher Lathan Haywood (Edmonds Community College) threw for an ERA of 0.000 and picked up the win in his one appearance in the playoffs while pitcher Nic Pederson (UC Santa Barbara) earned seven strikeouts. On September 19th, Ralston stepped down for personal reasons. Five days later,
3040-544: The Sun Belt Conference, Marshall has a budding rivalry with Appalachian State University which is a carry-over from both teams' days in the SoCon . Marshall plays football at Joan C. Edwards Stadium , which seats 38,019. The stadium, which opened for the 1991 season as Marshall University Stadium with a then-record crowd of 33,116 for a 24–23 win over New Hampshire, hosted a record crowd of 41,382 on September 10, 2010, when
3120-428: The Thundering Herd defeated Manhattan, 3-0, in front of an inaugural game crowd of 3,124. The $ 23 million facility is named in memory of former Marshall baseball coach Jack Cook , and the clubhouse beyond left field is named in honor of former Marshall baseball player Alex Lawrence. The Marshall softball team has played its games at Dot Hicks Field since the facility opened in 2008. The $ 2.5 million facility features
3200-507: The Thundering Herd played the in-state rival West Virginia Mountaineers . On a façade on the stadium's west side is a bronze memorial dedicated to the 1970 plane-crash victims. In 2003, Marshall renamed its stadium, honoring a major donor, Joan C. Edwards to the university and its athletic program. The facility became the first football stadium in Division I-A to be named after a woman; Mrs. Edwards' husband, James F. Edwards, has his name on
3280-591: The WCL Championship Season, the Bells were looking to defend their title. Though they went 33-21 on the season, they were unable to make it back to the playoffs. The highlight of the season though was the 2015 WCL All-Star Game, hosted by the Bells at Joe Martin Field. The Bells were able to represent themselves at the game by having six players in the All-Star Game. These players include Justin Calomeni (now with
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3360-575: The WCL North division with 33 wins and 20 losses. Pitcher and "Bell of the Year" Trevin Hope led the league with an ERA of 2.64 while Ryan Beitel threw a 3.57 ERA and won five games on the mound. The Bells saw 62,979 total fans for an average of 1,968 per game, third overall in the league. The Bells swept the HarbourCats in the divisional series and defeated the AppleSox in the division championship game 5-2 to make
3440-614: The WCL north in 2018 going 35-19 and winning both the first and second half titles for their division. The Bells had many stand out performers on their squad, including Matt McLain ( UCLA ) who was named the WCL top prospect as an incoming freshman. The Bells were well represented in the WCL All Star Game with Justin Armbruester ( PLU ) being the winning pitcher, Taylor Davis ( Gonzaga ), Bellingham local Ernie Yake (Gonzaga), and team homerun leader Matt James ( Notre Dame ) all representing
3520-607: The West Coast League's official streaming site. Radio broadcasts of home games can be heard on the Bells' Mixlr channel. Zen Hill is the current broadcaster. In the 25 years since the Bellingham Bells have been a summer collegiate team competing in the PIL and WCL, Jim Clem has been the longest tenured Bellingham Bells coach, spending twelve seasons with the team before retiring at the end of the 2023 season. Clem spent 12 seasons with
3600-437: The actual playing field. Men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball teams play their home games at the 9,048-seat Cam Henderson Center , named for the innovative Cam Henderson who guided the school's basketball team from 1935 to 1955 and football from 1935 to 1949. Henderson won 358 games against just 158 losses as a basketball coach. The facility opened in 1981 and saw a major renovation in 1998. The Henderson Center
3680-404: The baseball heroes of the past and name the team the Bells. Wanting to create a "minor league feel', George Daniels (an Attorney from Philadelphia) joined forces with Crawford to bring a team into the PIL. The PIL was a member of the National Baseball Congress (NBC). the 1999 Bells started the season with a surprising 19 wins in a row and eventually went on to win the 11-team PIL and participated in
3760-611: The championship for the first time since 2016. The Bells were shut out by the Corvallis Knights 0-5 in the championship. After the season, Hope was named WCL Pitcher of the Year. Christopher Campos who played for the Bells in the first half of the season was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers . Former Bell Seth Martinez won the World Series that fall as part of the Houston Astros . On August 25, 2022, former Bells coach Jim Clem
3840-539: The editors of the Marshall University yearbook created a buffalo character roaming through the pages and named their character "Marco", derived from the term "Marshall College" as the school was known at the time. A buffalo costume was purchased for a booster club in 1965, and Marco would return to sporting events that year. In 1970, a live buffalo was introduced as Marco the mascot and was trained to perform at halftime for football games. However, after halftime during
3920-527: The eight team tournament. The NBC World Series champion represented the United States. The Global Series only lasted three seasons. Global Series 1955–1957 Marshall Thundering Herd The Marshall Thundering Herd is the intercollegiate athletic collection of teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia . Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in
4000-450: The field and in the stands. The clowns did not provide all of the tricks as the Firemen's centerfielder patrolled the outfield on the back of a motorcycle driven by a policeman. A sellout crowd of 3,500 turned out to see the game. Island Park burnt down in 1933 when a cigarette ignited the wooden structure. Without a venue to host his baseball games, Dumont petitioned the city of Wichita for
4080-676: The first Bells player of his time to make an MLB pitching staff. Howard pitched with the Phillies and Rangers for four MLB seasons (2020 – 2023). Howard is currently pitching in AAA with the New York Mets. Clem also served as the primary architect for the team’s rosters, working closely with the Bells head coach and front office/ownership to assemble players each season. He engineered one championship team, and many others that contended for titles, with seven post-season appearances in 12 years. Beyond his work with
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#17328451612954160-417: The first half. The team's first half performance produced 5 all stars with Guthrie Morrison OF ( Gonzaga ), Jack Machtolf OF (Gonzaga), Troy Viola 3B ( San Jose St ), Jimmy Chatfield RP ( Yale ), and Nick Proctor SP ( Cal - Berkeley ) all representing the squad. Troy was also invited to participate in the home run derby and ended up leading the team with 8 homers on the year. The second half saw many new faces on
4240-655: The height of their semi-pro prominence from 1946 to 1972, when the Bellingham Dodgers brought minor league baseball to Bellingham. The original Bells played in leagues with the Alaska Goldpanners , Humboldt Crabs , Grand Junction Eagles , Anchorage Glacier Pilots , and Wichita Service Auto Glass. Seeking to put a team together to compete in the Pacific International League, former Skagit Valley College Head Coach, Rob Crawford chose to pay homage to
4320-484: The home course for Marshall's golf teams since the late 1940s. The Huntington course is 6,446 yards and a par-71. It has also served as the site of numerous tournaments throughout the years including the Marshall Invitational and Lady Herd Fall Classic. The golf pro of the course is Paul Bailey, a former Marshall University golfer. In 2012, Marshall University announced a multi-facility expansion project known as
4400-683: The league’s best, with numerous pitchers over the years being named to all-league teams and two (Seth Martinez – 2014, Eric Chavarria – 2021) being named WCL Pitcher of the Year. In September 2022, Clem was named the Bells head coach and led the 2023 Bells to a 37-19 record and an appearance in the West Coast League North Division title game. Two pitchers whom Clem worked with for multiple seasons, Michael Rucker (Chicago Cubs) and Seth Martinez (Houston Astros), are now part of Major League Baseball pitching staffs. Clem also worked closely with two-year Bell Spencer Howard (Triple-A New York Mets),
4480-428: The mid-1960s team rosters transitioned to collegiate players, including prospects on the fast path to the major leagues. In 1975, the NBC World Series began recognizing a tournament participant who went on to a major league career as Graduate of the Year. The first NBC World Series called the "Little World Series" was held August 13–27, 1935 at Lawrence Stadium in Wichita. National Baseball Congress founder Hap Dumont
4560-472: The morning when graveyard shifts ended. An emphasis was put on "wumps", women umpires. One rule allowed the batter to run to either first or third base when the bases were unoccupied. Dumont had a microphone installed at home plate. When activated the microphone would rise up from the ground, allowing arguments at the plate to be broadcast to the whole stadium. To keep games moving at a rapid pace, he implemented an air device that could dust home plate. A timer with
4640-652: The mound with an ERA of 0.000 in the Bells' one win in the postseason. 811 total fans attended the Bells one home playoff game. The Bells failed to improve on their 32-22 record from previous season posting a 27-27 record and finishing third in the north division. Third Baseman Alex Calbick (University of Maine Orono) lead the league with a .384 batting average and also finished five home runs. Pitchers Nate Cole (Abilene Christian University) and Andrew Olson (Seattle University) finished with ERA's of 1.63 and 1.84 respectively. 30,641 fans attended league games for an average of 1,135 per game. The Bells finished in non-league play with
4720-410: The national tournament. The state tournaments eventually became qualifying tournaments to regional tournaments, rather than the national tournament. Regional tournament champions qualified for the national tournament. With district, state, regional and a national tournament in place, Dumont set out to establish a non-professional global tournament. He started in 1939, with a seven-game series between
4800-535: The opening night banquet include: Stan Musial , Mickey Mantle , Dizzy Dean , Connie Mack , Allie Reynolds , Fred Clarke and Rin Tin Tin . Teams bolstered by military service players dominated the WWII (1943–1945) and Korean War (1952–1955) tournaments. During these eras, major league players were serving at military bases across the country and playing for the base teams. 1953 World Series MVP Billy Martin played in
4880-402: The phrase "Thundering Herd" in 1925 to describe the football team. The headlines of that football season, coupled with the popularity of Zane Grey's novel at the time, "The Thundering Herd", saw the nickname stick. As early as the 1930s, buffalo mascots appearances on the sideline of Marshall sporting events. However, the mascot would remain nameless and sporadic in appearances until 1954, when
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#17328451612954960-472: The postseason for the sixth straight year. This was the first season under head coach Gary Hatch. The Bells improved on their 21-32 record from the previous season posting a 32-22 record and finishing second in the east division. Infielder Johnny Farrington finished the regular season with 28 runs batted in. 26,073 fans attended games for an average of 1,043 per game. The Bells finished with an undefeated 2-0 record in non-league play. Michael Leach finished with
5040-420: The postseason with one win on the mound. Beitel also threw seven strikeouts and finished with an ERA of 0.00 alongside Trevor Moore. Despite only hosting one home playoff game (game 2 of the division series), the Bells finished third in attendance for the playoffs with 2,612 total fans attending. On September 21st, 2023, the team announced Jim Clem would retire from his role as head coach after twelve seasons with
5120-407: The previous season posting a 21-32 record and finishing third in the north division. Adrian Sampson threw 71 strikeouts and finished with an ERA of 1.71. Andrew Pulido was second in the league with an ERA of 1.57. Andy Fortuna finished with a perfect batting average of 1.000 in the one non league game the Bells played. 16,556 total fans attended for an average of 613 per game. The Bells failed to make
5200-458: The previous season posting a 25-22 record and finishing third in the north division. Pitcher and Infielder Ben Ruff finished tied for third in the league with three home runs hit. Pitcher Cody Fassold finished second with 55 strikeouts and tied for third with a 1.75 ERA. Pitcher James Wise finished tied for second with five wins. 11,488 fans attended the Bells' 23 home games for an average of 499. The Bells failed to improve on their 25-22 record from
5280-400: The program was the subject of the documentary Marshall University: Ashes to Glory , and these events were depicted in the 2006 Warner Brothers motion picture, We Are Marshall , starring Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox . Men's Golf Since its inception in 1968, the Marshall Invitational held at the Guyan Golf and Country Club has become one of the top collegiate golf tournaments in
5360-433: The proposal and the tournament was not held. Five years later with the authorization of General Douglas MacArthur , the series was held in Tokyo and Osaka Japan. Dumont died in his office on July 3, 1971 while preparing for the 1971 National Baseball Congress World Series. His wife, Anne Dumont, retained ownership of the National Baseball Congress with Larry Davis leading the organization. The National Baseball Congress
5440-522: The second half and finished third in the North after winning the First Half with the league's best 20–7 record. Ryan Beitel finished with five wins on the mound while Daniel Paret threw 43 strikeouts. The Bells saw 58,220 total fans for an average of 2,156 per game. The Bells swept the Falcons in the division series but fell on the road against the HarbourCats 6-7 after leading 5-0. Coleman Schmidt and Daryl Ruiz each hit one home run while Andrew Valdez brought in four runs. Sheldon Egger and Ryan Beitel finished
5520-525: The start of the season. The color scheme was updated with Northwest Green being removed. The West Coast League and Bells returned for the 2021 season after COVID-19 shut down the league the previous season. The Bells finished second in the North Division with a 24–24 record. The Bells made it back to the postseason but fell in the division series to the Pippins 1-2. The Bells finished third in league attendance with 51,248 total tickets sold for an average of 1,464 fans per game. The 2022 Bells finished first in
5600-488: The students of the institution, and was written by Marshall alum Ralph A. Williams in 1935. The Marshall University Alma Mater was written in 1906 by C.E. and James Haworth Marshall University has won 3 NCAA team national championships. Below are national team titles in current and former NCAA sports that were not bestowed by the NCAA: Marshall's biggest rivalries are out of conference with Ohio University , East Carolina University , and West Virginia University . In
5680-464: The team Bob Ralston was announced as the new manager on October 19th. On February 17th, it was announced that the 2024 WCL All Star Game would be hosted by the Bells. This is the first time the Bells have hosted the All Star Game since 2015. On July 9th, Josh Flaugher, Nate Kirkpatrick, Roman Martin, Jacob Meija, Conner Smith, and Tyler Van Dyke were selected to represent the Bells in the All Star Game. On July 14th, Tyler Van Dyke (Stetson University)
5760-404: The team announced that former AppleSox coach Ed Knaggs had taken the helm for the 2025 season. Knaggs coached the AppleSox from 2001 to 2014 and also had two stints as assistant coach for the Corvallis Knights. Knaggs won six championships with Wenatchee and four with Corvallis. The Bells also announced that Jim Clem would be returning as the team's pitching coach. Bells home games are broadcast on
5840-530: The team. The team also boasted 3 1st team (Ernie Yake SS, Nick Nastrini SP (UCLA), and Theron Kay RP ( Cal-State Northridge ), and 3 2nd team All WCL players (Zach Needham 1B ( Lewis-Clark State ), Taylor Davis RP, and Justin Armbruester SP). The first round of the playoffs featured a matchup between the Bells and the Kelowna Falcons, where the Bells were defeated in the deciding third game of the series. There
5920-454: The title in a hard-fought three-game series. Even though the Knights ended up winning the title (2 games to 1), the Bells still had a very successful season overall. Shane Hanon ( Marshall University ) was crowned WCL Batting Champ, finishing the season with a .331 batting average. The Bells also had one of their standout pitchers from the 2015 and 2016 season, Spencer Howard, drafted 45th overall in
6000-414: Was a large spike in attendance as the Bells saw a rise in popularity in 2018, with 51,635 fans making it to 35 for an average crowd of 1,475, good for third in the WCL. The 2019 season proved to be an up and down campaign for the team. The Bells came within one game of winning the first half WCL north crown to put them in the playoffs, losing a heartbreaker to WCL North champion Victoria in the final game of
6080-593: Was announced as the team manager for the 2023 season. Former Bell Matt McLain made his debut for the Cincinnati Reds on May 15. On June 19, Jack Erdman was honored by the league as one of the two selected players of the week. Erdman was on the mound for five innings against the Kelowna Falcons allowing no runs, ten strikeouts, and only two base hits. On July 6th, the Bells clinched their second consecutive north division first half championship and third consecutive playoff berth following their 7-5 comeback win against
6160-658: Was awarded Player of the Week mid-season, set the record for most home runs during the WCL season at 15 and was awarded WCL Player of the Year Honors. Hometown kid, and 2019 5th round draft pick Austin Shenton, was the WCL Batting Champ, finishing the season with a .409 batting average. The attendance at Bells games also grew in 2017, finishing third in overall attendance, 36,569, which averages to 1,407 fans per game. The Bells dominated
6240-481: Was director of the National Tournament Committee of Wichita that put on the tournament. Thirty-two teams were invited to the first national tournament. A focus was put on diversity with five teams classified as "integrated," one team consisted of Native American players and another of Japanese players. Future Baseball Hall of Famer Satchel Paige was signed to a $ 1,000 personal appearance contract for
6320-511: Was named the league's pitcher of the week. Van Dyke threw for six innings and only allowed two base hits against the NightOwls the previous Friday. That same day, former Bell Malcolm Moore was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round. The Bells failed to improve on their 35-18 record from the previous season posting a 32-22 record and finishing second in the north division 2.5 games behind
6400-419: Was selected as the #1 overall pick in the 1948 NBA draft . Henderson also recruited the first African-American to play at the formerly all-white colleges of West Virginia when he signed Hal Greer in 1954. His 1947 championship basketball team spurred the move into the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse , a 6,500-seat arena that was Marshall's basketball home from 1950 to 1980. The Fieldhouse was replaced in 1981 with
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