Barchus to Return as GreyWolves Head Coach
November 1, 2016 - West Coast League (WCL)
Gresham GreyWolves News Release
GRESHAM, Ore. - GreyWolves' inaugural-season head coach Justin Barchus will return for season No. 2 in Gresham the team announced on Tuesday. In his first season as the coach of the GreyWolves, Barchus led the team towards a late second half playoff push. The club began the second half of the West Coast League season on a five-game winning streak and finished with a 15-12 record. Barchus led a Gresham offense that finished second in the 11-team league in on-base percentage.
"I'm very excited to build on what we've established in Gresham already," Barchus said. "We were in the playoff hunt until the last few games of the season last summer, and we're really looking to take the next step this year."
The GreyWolves were led in 2016 by Ryan Smith (Southern Illinois) and Jeffrey Mitchell Jr. (Cal) with both players earning end-of-season All-WCL recognition and ranking first and second in the WCL in on-base percentage, respectively. Konnor Zickefoose (UC Irvine) was an honorable mention All-WCL at third base.
Barchus was originally tabbed GreyWolves' head coach in an announcement made by team owners Jerry and Lisa Walker on Nov. 9, 2015. Barchus is a native Oregonian who currently resides in West Linn.
"We are very happy that Justin will be returning to the GreyWolves," team owner Jerry Walker said. "He led the team on a great run late in the season and just narrowly missed the playoffs. We expect 2017 will even be better with Justin at the helm."
With a new set of players filing into Gresham this summer, Barchus is excited for the new team and its fan base to continue to grow.
"Your first year in a new location is tough," Barchus noted. "But fortunately the community embraced us, and I'm excited for that to continue this summer."
Gresham's newly-released schedule features a 56-game slate with 29 being played at Mt. Hood Community College's Oslund Field, once again the home of the GreyWolves. The home opener is set for Monday, June 5 vs. Cowlitz.
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West Coast League Stories from November 1, 2016
- Barchus to Return as GreyWolves Head Coach - Gresham GreyWolves
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