With a playoff berth already secured midway through the season, the faced the challenge of staying both sharp and motivated over the final 27 games of the campaign.
With injuries, a roster in flux and the temptation to take their feet off the gas, that can be easier said than done.
Still, despite a somewhat bumpy second half of the season, Falcons乌鸦传媒� manager Bryan Donohue remains upbeat about his club and the effort the players are displaying on a daily basis.
乌鸦传媒淭he guys have been showing up, staying focused and putting in good work, day in and day out,乌鸦传媒� said Donohue, in his second season as Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 field manager. 乌鸦传媒淲hen we clinched that spot, the end goal seemed like a mile away, so we addressed the need to stay sharp.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e lost some guys and had some injuries that乌鸦传媒檚 really changed the dynamic of our pitching staff in the second half, so we乌鸦传媒檝e struggled a bit乌鸦传媒t乌鸦传媒檚 been a tough stretch,乌鸦传媒� Donohue added. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e lost a lot of close games but I think it乌鸦传媒檚 good, the adversity we乌鸦传媒檝e faced has made us tougher. Now it乌鸦传媒檚 time to build up some momentum heading into the playoffs.乌鸦传媒�
The Falcons locked up a WCL postseason berth thanks to claiming the North Division乌鸦传媒檚 first half title with a 17-10 record. Kelowna will meet the second half winner Aug. 8 to 10 in the best-of-three North final.
Heading into Thursday乌鸦传媒檚 action in Victoria, the Falcons were 4-13 in the season乌鸦传媒檚 second half, with 11 games remaining leading up to the playoffs.
Kelowna kicks off a six-game homestand Friday night乌鸦传媒攖heir last regular season games at Elks Stadium乌鸦传媒攁gainst the Bellingham Bells. The Walla Walla Sweets will visit for three games next week, before Kelowna closes out the 2017 regular season on the road Aug. 4 to 6 against the Sweets in Washington.
Donohue stressed the importance of putting together a good home-stand, both for the Kelowna fans and to establish some positive energy heading into the playoffs.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 important that we defend our home field,乌鸦传媒� said Donohue. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e dropped some games there in the second half, and we乌鸦传媒檝e really appreciated the fan support we乌鸦传媒檝e been getting. We love playing in front of those people.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e got a job to do, we need to play the right way, find a way to win at home to get moving in the right direction for the playoffs.
First pitch Friday night at Elks Stadium against Bellingham is 6:35 p.m.
