PORTLAND, Ore. — Tonight’s West Coast League Game of the Week features the Ridgefield Raptors visiting the Bend Elks at historic Vince Genna Stadium, with first pitch set for 6:35 Pacific.

Ridgefield enters having claimed the South Division’s first-half title.

The setting carries its own storylines. Vince Genna Stadium opened in 1964 as Municipal Ball Park and has hosted professional and summer collegiate baseball in Bend on and off (mostly on) ever since, from the Rainbows and Timber Hawks to the Phillies, Bucks, Rockies, and Bandits. The Elks have played there every summer since 2000, joining the Pacific International League that year before becoming one of the WCL’s charter franchises in 2005.

A long list of future big leaguers has called Vince Genna home over the decades, including Elks alumnus Jacoby Ellsbury, three-time All-Star Jim Edmonds, 1993 A.L. Rookie of the Year Tim Salmon, longtime major leaguers Julio Franco, Juan Samuel, Andy Ashby, and (current Cubs manager) Craig Counsell. One movie star played home games there, too: Kurt Russell, who batted .285 with the ’71 Bend Rainbows.

Second-year Bend Elks broadcaster Aidan O’Neill has the call tonight, with Bend operating owner Kelsie Hirko joining Aidan as a guest during the game. Fans may watch live on the Elks’ YouTube channel, or stream free through WCL Live, the League’s platform, available on the web and via the WCL Live apps on iPhone and Android.

Next week’s Game of the Week will feature the Portland Pickles hosting the Walla Walla Sweets.

About the West Coast League
The West Coast League is North America’s premier summer collegiate baseball league, now in its 21st season. Sixteen teams span the region from Oregon to Alberta, giving top amateur athletes a grand stage for competition, development, and connection with the communities they represent, in the finest summer baseball weather on the continent. In each of the last three seasons, a WCL alumnus has been selected in the top five of the MLB Draft, and 10 players have come off the board in the first 10 picks over the last decade.