Black Bears Open Summer with Columbia River Cup
The 2022 Cowlitz Black Bears open their 12th season in the West Coast League with a non-league game in Ridgefield on Wednesday evening at 6:35 p.m. against the rival Ridgefield Raptors, in the first game of the Columbia River Cup.
Last year, the Black Bears won the season series against the Raptors, 4-3, taking the Columbia River Cup trophy to Longview as the first ever champion of the cup.
Cowlitz will be under direction of new manager and World Series champion, Alan Embree. A 16-year veteran in the MLB, the lefty was a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that ended an 86 year World Series drought for Boston. Embree played for 10 teams over his career before retiring in 2009. The Dalles, Oregon native got into coaching in 2012 with the Bend Elks of the West Coast League, and looks to bring his past experience to the Bears of Summer.
The Black Bears return to action after finishing 24-24 a season ago missing the West Coast League playoffs by two games. The West Coast League announced this winter that the postseason has expanded from four teams to eight after the league expanded from 10 teams to 16.
After a one-year pause, the Kelowna Falcons and Victoria HarborCats have returned to the league, while teams in Nanaimo, Edmonton, Kamloops, and Springfield have joined the league. The Black Bears open league play Friday in Springfield, part of the Black Bears four game road stand to open the season
Following the road swing, the Black Bears will return home to David Story Field for the home opener on June 6th against the Kamloops NorthPaws, kicking off a four-game home stand in Longview.
Tickets and audio streams to every Black Bears game this summer can be found on the official website of the Black Bears, cowlitzblackbears.com, while video streaming will be available for all 30 home games this summer.
Make sure to follow the Black Bears all season long starting on Wednesday as Cowlitz goes on the hunt for the postseason!