Image credit: Allen Douglas Photography via Kamloops NorthPaws

By Aaron Schulze

NorthPaws

NorthPaws play final home games of 2024 season, lose three-game series to Falcons

Aug 6, 2024 | 5:14 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops NorthPaws wrapped up the home portion of their schedule over the B.C. Day long weekend.

In a home-and-home-and-home series against the Kelowna Falcons, the NorthPaws won one of the three games on the road although they dropped their two final home games at Norbrock Stadium.

The NorthPaws came close but couldn’t find the equalizer in a 3-2 home loss on Friday, exploded offensively with a 13-6 win in Kelowna on Saturday then fell in the series finale 7-4 on Sunday.

Prior to the end of the series, the NorthPaws announced Riley Jepson, its current hitting and fielding coach, will get promoted to the big chair in 2025 and serve as head coach. The team’s current head coach, Jose Bautista, will leave the game of baseball to spend more time with his family in Florida. Bautista has been with the NorthPaws since they began West Coast League (WCL) play, spending all three seasons with the Kamloops baseball club, two as the pitching coach and the third as head coach.

“It’s been a great experience for me. Really nice people that I really enjoy. This is going to be my last game here, then a few more and I’m going to hang them up,” Bautista said following Sunday’s loss. “The kids have given me a great experience over the three years. I’ve had fun teaching them how to play the game.”

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The NorthPaws have an 8-17 record in the second half of the 2024 WCL season and a 15-36 record overall, which is last place respectively in the North Division.

The NorthPaws wrap up their 2024 season with a three-game series in Washington State against the Yakima Valley Pippins. The first game is Tuesday, Aug. 6.