The Edmonton Riverhawks are proud to announce Kelly Stinnett as the first manager of the West Coast League baseball team. Stinnett is a retired catcher who played all or parts of 14 seasons in the majors.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Edmonton Riverhawks and coming to such a prestigious league,” says Stinnett. “This is one of the premier summer college leagues in North America.” 

“We received a tip Kelly might be interested in coaching in Canada and we moved quickly to secure his services,” says Riverhawks managing director Randy Gregg. “He brings so much to our team: tremendous major league experience, wonderful skill coaching talent plus outstanding character. He’s also helped us recruit an amazing line-up of players from top-flight college programs.”

Stinnett began his big league career in 1994 with the New York Mets. In the next decade, he also played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals. He made a comeback to the majors with the Diamondbacks before signing contracts with the New York Yankees, Mets, L.A. Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. After ten stops with eight teams, he retired with a .234 career batting average and a .313 on base percentage. 

The 51-year-old was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1989 out of Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma where he was National Junior College player of the year, sporting a .399 batting average as he led his team to third place in the Junior College World Series. He attended high school in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he was a letterman in both baseball and football. 

Stinnett has spent his post playing days coaching and currently leads the baseball program at Park University's Gilbert, Arizona, campus. 

He resides in Gilbert with his wife and four sons.

The Riverhawks also announced they’ve signed local product Ethan Elias as pitching coach. Elias had a successful playing career which saw him drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. He played 3 years in the Cubs system before heading to the Frontier League for a season. After a successful campaign there, he was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Elias also has a wealth of National Team experience in Canada. He is currently the Head Coach of the Edmonton Collegiate Baseball Club as well as coaching at the Absolute Human Performance skills development organization.

The Riverhawks are coming off a busy winter during which they signed 30 players, including three from California State University Long Beach, two from Pepperdine University and three from Oregon State University.

There has also been a lot of work to RE/MAX Field. Fresh turf is being installed, a new scoreboard is on order, the food and beverage services are being overhauled and the business offices have a sharp, new look.

The Riverhawks are ready to take flight as soon as they get a green light to play ball. The West Coast League announced last week there will be two divisions this year, a Canadian and American division. At this point in time, Kelly Stinnett has every intention of coming north this summer to make his debut coaching the Riverhawks in the West Coast League.

Kelley Stinnett, a 14 year veteran player of the MLB will be the first manager of the Edmonton Riverhawks in their inaugural season.

2021 Coaching Staff Announced

Tuesday’s announcement from Baseball Edmonton introduced the Edmonton Riverhawks as the West Coast League’s 15th member team.

The Riverhawks now join the Nanaimo NightOwls and Kamloops NorthPaws among three WCL expansion teams, all in Canada, set to begin play next June. The newest WCL team will play at RE/MAX Field, former home of the Pacific Coast League’s Edmonton Trappers.

“Adding a growing metropolis like Edmonton to the West Coast League,” said Commissioner Rob Neyer, “is obviously a real coup for us. Toss in this outstanding ownership group and a tremendous stadium, and it’s easy to see why we’re so thrilled to welcome the Riverhawks to what is already the West’s top collegiate summer league.”

The Riverhawks are part of a growing geographical footprint for the WCL, as Alberta’s capital city will host the first WCL team located outside of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

“We are very excited to bring one of the best summer collegiate leagues in all of North America to Edmonton,” says Randy Gregg, Baseball Edmonton’s Managing Director. “In the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft, 90 West Coast League players were picked, including the No. 1 and No. 3 selections. Local sports fans will see future major league stars while they are playing in Edmonton during their college careers.”

Gregg, the medical doctor who won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, is part of a group of people who formed Baseball Edmonton with an interest to build upon the traditional of exciting, entertaining summer baseball in the iconic stadium in the city’s river valley. The founders group also includes Dale Wishewan, the owner of Booster Juice; D’Arcy Durand, an orthopedic surgeon; and Gary Gregg, who oversees Gregg Distributors. In addition, there are another 24 shareholders from a wide variety of backgrounds working together with the founders for the greater good of the community.

Baseball Edmonton plans to upgrade RE/MAX Field with new artificial field turf, a new scoreboard, and new stadium lighting.

 The West Coast League is the West’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Encompassing Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta, the WCL showcases pro prospects from major conferences around the nation. Every summer, the league features unparalleled fan and player experiences, with the best summer weather in North America. Last year’s MLB amateur draft began with former Corvallis Knight Adley Rutschman selected with the overall No. 1 pick by the Baltimore Orioles. Also in 2019, 317 WCL alums appeared or were active in affiliated professional baseball, including 45 in the major leagues. In 2019, overall member attendance in the West Coast League increased to nearly half a million.

2021 IS A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME

2021 Coaching Staff Announced

West Coast League Expands to Edmonton

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