Eight Bellingham Bells were named to the 2023 all-West Coast League teams, as announced by the league on Thursday, Aug. 17.
Starting pitcher Ryan Beitel was the lone first-team selection for the Bells. Beitel went 5-1 on the year with a 1.60 ERA and tied for the ninth-most strikeouts in the league with 38 in 39 1/3 innings of work.
Reliever James Trimble and outfielder Andrew Valdez each earned second-team honors. Trimble tallied three saves with a blistering 0.83 ERA, while fanning 25 batters in 22 2/3 innings of relief. Valdez tied for the third-most hits in the league with 59 while batting 3.26. He also tied for the fifth-most home runs in the league with four bombs.
Honorable mention selections for Bellingham included Will Armbruester, Daniel Paret, Will Franklin, Carter Parcher (Lynden) and Tomas Urbina.
Yakima Valley first baseman Jace Phelan was named the league MVP, while Edmonton hurler Halen Knoll earned Pitcher of the Year.
“With every passing year, I’m more impressed with how much talent and commitment we’re blessed with each summer in the West Coast League,” league commissioner Rob Neyer said in Thursday’s announcement. “We saw that in the draft earlier this summer, and now we’re seeing this breadth of talent in our all-league teams.”
The Bells finished the season 35-18 overall, sweeping Kelowna in the first round of the playoffs before getting eliminated by Victoria in the North Division Championship; one game shy of the WCL title game.
