The Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League recently announced they are adding a new scoreboard to Joe Martin Field for the 2018 season. The scoreboard, which will completely replace the current existing structure, will feature a new design and full video display capabilities.

The new scoreboard has been made possible by financial support from the IBEW Local 191 & National Electrical Contractor’s Association – Cascade Chapter. The City of Bellingham and VECA Electric have also offered support and assistance on the project.

“We are extremely excited for the facility to receive this major upgrade,” Bells’ general manager Stephanie Morrell said. “IBEW 191 & NECA – Cascade are wonderfully supportive of our team and community and we are so thankful for their partnership on this project. Without their support, this project simply would not have been possible. Additionally, we are grateful to the City of Bellingham and VECA Electric for their support, coordination and assistance in making this new scoreboard a reality. This is a very exciting addition to an already incredible City of Bellingham facility.”

The scoreboard is a gift to the City of Bellingham and will be enjoyed by the hundreds of community user groups who utilize the facility annually, including high school and community athletic groups.

“When we approached IBEW 191 & NECA – Cascade about partnering on this project, one of the things we were all equally excited about was the ability not only to have a state-of-the-art scoreboard for the Bells’ season, but also to be able to share this new amazing resource with all the entire community and all of the groups that use this facility,” Morrell said. “This will be an amazing community asset and addition to the facility and we are very grateful to everyone who has helped make this a reality.”

In other West Coast League news, the Victoria HarbourCats announced that they are adding a new group party deck at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park called the Strathcona-Hotel Rooftop Party Deck. Victoria also announced that the HarbourCats will be donning special Humboldt Broncos hats at their Opening Night game to honor the fallen Broncos, who recently experienced a tragic travel accident. Victoria donated $2,424 to the Broncos hockey program thanks to HarbourCats fans purchases of merchandise as part of a fundraising program to assist Humboldt. To learn more, please visit the HarbourCats website.

ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE

The West Coast League (WCL) is the premier summer collegiate baseball league west of the Mississippi. The 14-year-old, 11-team, professionally operated wood-bat league located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest showcases pro prospects from major conferences across the nation June through August. Out west, the league features an unparalleled history of memorable fan and player experiences and the best summer weather in North America. 83 players with WCL experience were selected in the MLB 2017 June draft. 271 WCL alums appeared or were active in affiliated professional baseball in 2017 including 31 in the major leagues, such as 2015 home-run leader Chris Davis (Baltimore); record-breaking rookie slugger Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia); rising star pitchers James Paxton (Seattle) and Matt Boyd (Detroit); and outfielder Mitch Haniger (Seattle). Overall member attendance was 412,392 this past summer, an increase of 8.6% in total attendance.