Although the team is three games into their second half schedule, the first half concluded with the NorthPaws finishing 14-13. With last week’s three-game sweep of the Wenatchee AppleSox, the team has now surpassed last year’s win total. Head Coach Riley Jepson and assistants Trey Newman and Jack Slominski had a goal of changing the team’s vibe and becoming a winning ball club again.
“I think it’s huge to be winning games and in a lot of games, we want to put a good product out there for the community and encourage them to come out to more games,” said Jepson.
The team proved their point early on with an opening weekend sweep over the Port Anglels Lefties and continued to be consistent, including at Norbrock stadium, where they won four of their first five series at home.
Coming into the season, all eyes would be on the bats as the team featured several significant additions, but the bullpen has been one of the biggest keys to success so far, according to the coaches.
“At the beginning of the year, our starters struggled a bit, so the bullpen helped save us a few times, but the starters have been getting better every day, and the bullpen has still been just as good,” said Slominski.
The NorthPaws have taken the league by storm on the basepaths, having over 80 stolen bases and sitting second in the West Coast League. The team also has stolen base leader Elijah Clayton, who has 19 to this point. The coaches believe that this identity has been easy to adopt, given the team’s makeup.
“We preach to the guys every day to play your game, and we have a lot of team speed and athletes one through nine in our lineup, so we can’t get away from that, knowing that’s how we’re going to beat teams,” said Newman.
The West Coast League schedule isn’t an easy one to navigate, and the team hasn’t been immune to tough stretches at the plate, but Newman gives his group credit for staying tough.
“I give the guys a lot of credit, they show up every day, get their work in and take it seriously. They never had their heads down, they just kept battling, which is cool to see, and I think that mentality is infectious and runs through our whole team,” said Newman.
After a pair of disappointing seasons, the team has dramatically turned things around, including opening the second half with a sweep and sitting four games over .500. The NorthPaws last made the postseason in 2022, a year when Newman played on the team. The coaches are trying to revive that vibe in the community.
” We’ve played well so far, but I think we can play even better going forward. I think the guys are starting to realize that and believe it, and if those guys buy in, this is going to be a tough team to beat,” said Newman.
The NorthPaws will return from their days off Tuesday night when they visit the Wenatchee AppleSox as they look to extend their winning streak to a season-long four games.
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