Beach Bums Ready for Lucky 13th Season

May 10, 2018 - Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release


TRAVERSE CITY, MI - With fourteen days worth of spring training and the most-successful FANFest in the last few years, in the books, the 2018 of the Traverse City Beach Bums are set to battle for the Frontier League title. The coaching staff has made the difficult final decisions, and the players are eager to get the new campaign started.

Two-time All-Star shortstop Will Kengor will anchor the infield, and the offense, as the team's new player/coach. Josh Hauser's slick fielding is also returning from last year's squad. New to Traverse City, but no stranger to the league, is third-baseman Kenny Peoples-Walls, as he comes over from the Washington Wild Things. They'll be joined by newcomers Max Dutto and Stephen Lohr.

In the outfield, Alexis Rivera brings his power bat back to the Cherry Capital. Arby Fields' lightning speed and Orlando Rivera's versatility also are back for a second season. Isaac Benard, Donald Glover Jr., and Jason Heinrich, although new to the club, are expected to add their own brand of excitement.

Kendall Patrick, the lone player left from the 2015 championship team, is back for his fourth season, and, in addition to catching, will see some time playing at first base. Joining him behind the dish is Luke Lowery, who joined the Beach Bums in the middle of last year in a trade with Evansville, and Jake Simpson, who spent 2017's spring training with the Bums.

On the mound, John Havird and Reinaldo Lopez will lead the starters as returnees from last year. Jordan Desguin, Seth Brenner, and Adam Cornwell round out the starting rotation to start the season. Looking at the bullpen, Sam Burton, Kris Goodman, Will Coursen-Carr, and Frontier League top pick John Michael Knighton arrive to join Beach Bum vets Kenneth Knudsen and Matt Williams.

The Beach Bums will get the new season going tomorrow night at 8:05pm(eastern) as they start the season with a nine game road trip, beginning with the Normal Cornbelters. After a three game set in Normal, the team will head to suburban St. Louis to visit the River City Rascals, before returning to Illinois to battle the defending Frontier League Champions, the Schaumburg Boomers.

All Beach Bums games in 2018 will be exclusively streamed online at TCBeachBums.com, with Tom Willms returning for his third season as the radio voice of the Traverse City Beach Bums. Just click on the link on the front page and you will be taken all over the Frontier League, wherever the Beach Bums play. The Budweiser pre-game show will start things off twenty minutes before each scheduled first pitch. Plus, for all home games, there will be a live webcam feed from the press box of Wuerfel Park.

In addition to our broadcasts, the Beach Bums will have an expanded social media presence. There will be snapshots, interviews, and live announcements of upcoming events at Wuerfel Park. We'll even go live with batting practices for an inside look at your favorite Beach Bums. So, make sure to like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Opening night is Wednesday, May 23rd, and you'll get double the bang for your buck with a doubleheader against the Florence Freedom. Magnet schedules will be given out to the first 500 fans, so arrive early and don't miss out! The gates open at 4pm with first pitch for game one set to begin at 5:05pm. For information and tickets, go to TCBeachBums.com or call the office at (231) 943-0100.



Frontier League Stories from May 10, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central