WINNIPEG GOLDEYES DAILY CLIPPINGS

THURSDAY, JUNE 27th, 2019

- Goldeyes Hold On—Winnipeg Sun, 6/27/19 - Lambson Dominates as Goldeyes Clip X’s—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 6/26/19 - Winnipeg, Lambson End Sioux City’s Winning Streak—Sioux City Journal (Terry Hersom), 6/27/19 - Goldeyes Rally Behind Lambson for Win—Sioux City Explorers (Connor Ryan), 6/26/19 - Harris Grateful for Time With Rickey Henderson—Winnipeg Sun, 6/27/19 - Goldeyes Add Two, Take Injured Romanski Off Roster—Winnipeg Sun, 6/26/19 - Goldeyes Add Speedy Hill, Rookie Hovey—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 6/25/19 - Plenty of Parity in American Association—Winnipeg Sun, 6/25/19 - Winnipeg Pastor Goes to Bat for Goldeyes—Winnipeg Free Press (Brenda Suderman), 6/22/19 - Local Boy Living the Dream Pitching for the Winnipeg Goldeyes—Ken Gabel (CTV Winnipeg), 6/21/19 - Exchanging Words: Mitch Lambson (Video Link)—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Nigel Batchelor), 6/20/19 - Goldeyes’ Field is ‘Sodfather’ Fergie’s Canvas, Mower His Paintbrush—Winnipeg Free Press (Devon Shewchuk), 6/19/19

GOLDEYES HOLD ON WINNIPEG SUN – THURSDAY, JUNE 27th The Winnipeg Goldeyes held on for a 3-2 win over the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park on Wednesday night.

Tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Kevin Garcia beat out a potential inning-ending double play grounder that scored Abercrombie with the go- ahead run.

Sioux City loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning before Victor Capellan retired Dexture McCall and Dylan Kelly to notch his league- leading 13th save.

Winnipeg took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-out, two-run double from Harris.

Nate Samson hit a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the first to put the Explorers on the board. Sioux City tied the game in the third on a solo shot from rookie Sebastian Zawada.

Mitchell Lambson earned the win, and struck out a career-high 11 batters in eight-plus innings. Lambson allowed two earned runs on six hits in eight- plus innings.

WINNIPEG GOLDEYES 3, SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS 2 WINNING PITCHER: WPG: Mitchell Lambson (0-0) LOSING PITCHER: SC: Tyler Fallwell (0-0) SAVE WPG: Victor Capellan (0) HOME RUN SC: Nate Samson (4), Sebastian Zawada (3)

THE SKINNY: The Goldeyes scratched out the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth and survived an Explorers’ rally in the bottom half.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Goldeyes starter Mitchell Lambson fell three outs shy of a third consecutive complete game. Lambson set a career-high with 11 strikeouts.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Victor Capellan struck out Dylan Kelly on a slider to strand the bases loaded for the game’s final out. The pitch had enough movement that it trickled away from catcher Kevin Garcia, who scrambled after the ball and threw to first to complete the strikeout.

NEXT UP: The Goldeyes and Explorers play the rubber game of their series Thursday night. Ryan Johnson takes on former major league right-hander Taylor Jordan. First pitch is at 7:12 p.m. The game can be heard on 93.7 FM.

LAMBSON DOMINATES AS GOLDEYES CLIP X’S STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes (22-14) beat the Sioux City Explorers 3-2 at Lewis and Clark Park on Wednesday night.

Goldeyes’ starting pitcher Mitchell Lambson (5-1) picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on six hits in eight-plus innings. Lambson walked none and set a career-high with 11 strikeouts. Lambson’s previous high was nine strikeouts, which came on April 15th of last year while pitching for the Mexican League’s Pericos de Puebla.

Tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Reggie Abercrombie was hit by a pitch with one out. After Nathan Gercken relieved Tyler Fallwell, Wes Darvill lined a single to right-centre on a two-strike count. Abercrombie went first to third, and drew a throw from right fielder Michael Lang that allowed Darvill to advance to second. The Explorers intentionally walked Kyle Martin to load the bases, and the Goldeyes took a 3-2 lead when Kevin Garcia legged out a fielder’s choice on a potential inning-ending double play groundball to shortstop.

In the bottom of the ninth, Lang and Nate Samson opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Lambson was relieved by Victor Capellan, and the Explorers moved runners to second and third on a Jose Sermo sacrifice bunt. Winnipeg intentionally walked Adam Sasser before Capellan retired Dexture McCall on a foul popup to Martin at first. Capellan then struck out Dylan Kelly for the final out. The pitch briefly trickled away from Kevin Garcia, but the Goldeyes’ catcher scrambled after the ball and threw to first to complete the strikeout. Capellan earned his league-leading 13th save of the year.

Winnipeg took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Alex Perez and Tyler Hill opened the game with back-to-back singles. Three batters later, James Harris lined a double to left-centre that scored both runners.

Samson hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the first, and the Explorers tied the game when Sebastian Zawada homered leading off the bottom of the third. Following Zawada’s home run, Lambson retired 18 of the next 21 batters to face him.

Fallwell (4-2) took the loss in relief for Sioux City.

Explorers’ starter Eric Karch took a no-decision, allowing two earned runs on six hits in five innings. Karch walked two and struck out three.

Hill had four hits for the Goldeyes.

The series concludes Thursday night at 7:12 p.m. Ryan Johnson (1-2, 2.96) takes on former Major League right-hander Taylor Jordan (3-4, 2.85). All the action can be heard locally on 93.7 FM CJNU and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes return home on Monday, July 1st when they host the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at 4:05 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now by visiting www.goldeyes.com/tickets or by visiting the box office at Shaw Park.

For information on 2019 season tickets, 10-game mini packs, and group tickets, call the Goldeyes’ office at (204) 982-BASE, or visit the Goldeyes’ official website at www.goldeyes.com

WINNIPEG, LAMBSON END SIOUX CITY’S WINNING STREAK TERRY HERSOM – SIOUX CITY JOURNAL – THURSDAY, JUNE 27th SIOUX CITY – The numbers said Mitchell Lambson was one of American Association baseball’s premier pitchers.

Wednesday night at Lewis and Clark Park, the Mercy Field scoreboard heartily concurred.

Striking out a career-high 11 batters in a complete-game performance, Lambson ran his record to 5-1 as the Winnipeg Goldeyes edged the Sioux City Explorers 3-2 to snap a four-game winning streak for the South Division leaders.

Lambson, whose earned run average of 2.70 already ranked sixth in the league, lowered that ratio to 2.64, surrendering only two solo homers that kept the X’s even with the Fish at 2-2 until the top of the ninth inning.

After working three shutout innings in relief, Sioux City’s Tyler Fallwell hit Winnipeg veteran Reggie Abercrombie with a pitch one out into the ninth inning. Nathan Gercken took over, but Wes Darvill’s singled to right-center and moved up to third as rightfielder Michael Lang made an unsuccessful throw to third base.

With first base unoccupied, Kyle Martin was issued an intentional walk, loading the bases. And the strategy might have worked if No. 9 hitter Kevin Garcia hadn’t beaten the double play relay on a slow roller that brought home Abercrombie with the eventual winning run.

Lambson, bidding to finish off a complete game, surrendered base hits to Lang and Nate Samson, leading off the bottom of the ninth.

Facing veteran closer Victor Capellan, struggling slugger Jose Sermo put down a sacrifice bunt, moving the tying and winning runs into scoring position. An intentional walk to Adam Sasser loaded the bases before Capellan retired Dexture McCall on a foul pop and fanned Dylan Kelly to nail down his league-leading 13th save.

Lambson, though, was the story, scattering six hits against a Sioux City team that had won four in a row and 11 of its last 12 contests. This was the 15th straight game in which the X’s either won (12 times) or lost a one-run verdict.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta tip your cap to the other pitcher,’’ said sixth-year Sioux City Manager Steve Montgomery. “(Lambson) did a great job. He kept us off balance all night, chasing. He kept the ball in the middle part of the plate, expanded when needed, was throwing his offspeed on to off and really had us on our heels.

“We’ve just got to come out tomorrow (Thursday’s series finale) and win the series. The goal’s attainable tomorrow. No reason to waiver on what we did. We put up a fight there in the ninth and were probably just a hair overaggressive.’’

X’s starter Eric Karch gave up base hits to Alex Perez and Tyler Hill, the Goldeyes’ first two batters in the contest, and they wound up scoring Winnipeg’s only runs until the final inning. Karch, the converted closer, struck out the next two Goldeyes, but Perez and Hill pulled off a double steal on the final strike to the second of those.

Winnipeg’s James Harris fell behind 0-2, but he came through with a clutch two-run double to left-center, staking the visitors to a 2-0 lead one night after the Explorers overcame a three-run first to post a 6-5 victory in the series opener.

Samson, coming off a 3-for-5 night that hiked his batting average to .340, got one run back in the home half of the first, sending a 1-0 pitch with two away over the left-field wall for his third home run of the year, all in the last nine games.

Sebastian Zawada knotted things up with another wind-blow fly ball to left in the third inning, clearing the wall for the third round-tripper from the rookie leftfielder out of Arizona State.

Winnipeg made the first serious bid to break the tie when Alex Perez led off the fifth inning with a walk and moved up 90 feet on Tyler Hill’s single, the third hit of the game for the newly acquired leftfielder. Karch, though, struck out Willy Garcia and catcher Dylan Kelly gunned down Perez at third base on a stolen base attempt. Dominic Ficociello’s routine fly to left got Karch through the fifth, quelling the rally.

The Explorers threatened in the bottom of the inning with Dexture McCall’s leadoff double to the gap in left-center. However, McCall never left second base as Lambson recorded two fly ball outs and a strikeout.

Keeping the hosts alive, meanwhile, was Kelly, the third-year catcher, who came into the game ranked second in baserunners caught stealing with eight. Mowing down three more, Kelly is now 11 of 32 on the season.

GOLDEYES RALLY BEHIND LAMBSON FOR WIN CONNOR RYAN – SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th Sioux City, IA - The Sioux City Explorers and Winnipeg Goldeyes rivalry in 2019 always seems to have games that come down to gut wrenching, heart racing, dramatic finishes and this one was no different as Winnipeg scores late to win 3-2.

The star of the game was Goldeyes south paw Mitchell Lambson. Coming off of back to back complete games Lambson came close to making it a hat trick as he tossed eight innings of two run ball allowing just six hits and no walks while striking out eleven in the contest.

Incredibly enough of the 24 outs Lambson recorded on the night only two of them came on ground balls. Lambson even came out for the ninth inning of this one before being pulled from the game after the first two men reached base. In his last three starts now Lambson has thrown 26 innings and allowed only three runs.

Eric Karch was also good for Sioux City though a high pitch count allowed him to only go five innings. He would take the no decision allowing two runs, scattering six hits, walking two and striking out three.

Winnipeg for the second straight night put multiple runs on the board in the first inning as back to back singles opened the game against Karch. After consecutive strikeouts James Harris delivered a two out two run double to put the Goldeyes up 2-0.

Nate Samson responded in the bottom half of the first with his fourth home run of the year, the solo blast cutting the deficit in half. Sebastian Zawada would tie the game 2-2 with his third home run of the season to lead off the third inning.

And that is how the score would stay till the ninth. Tyler Fallwell pitched brilliantly out of the pen for Sioux City tossing three and a thirds innings but he would take the tough luck loss for the X’s. After striking out the lead off batter in the ninth, Fallwell plunked Reggie Abercrombie. Nathan Gercken would take over on the mound for the Explorers but would surrender a base hit to Wes Darvill putting runners at second and third. An intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. Kevin Garcia hit a ground ball to short but was able to beat out the potential double play, allowing Abercrombie to score from third and put the Goldeyes up 3-2.

In the home half of the ninth, Michael Lang and Samson lead off with singles knocking Lambson out of the game. Victor Capellan would come on in relief. Jose Sermo dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the tying run to third and the winning run to second. Adam Sasser was then intentionally walked bringing up bases loaded and one out. But Capellan earned his thirteenth save of the season getting Dexture McCall to pop out and striking out the Explorers hottest hitter in the lineup in Dylan Kelly to secure the victory.

The Goldeyes win sets up a rubber game in the three game series on Thursday between Winnipeg and Sioux City with the Explorers throwing right hander Taylor Jordan against lefty Ryan Johnson for the Goldeyes. First pitch is scheduled for 7:12 pm.

HARRIS GRATEFUL FOR TIME WITH RICKEY HENDERSON WINNIPEG SUN – THURSDAY, JUNE 27th Winnipeg Goldeyes’ veteran outfielder James Harris was just 10 years old when Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson played his final major league game. In addition to growing up in Oakland, Calif. — the city Henderson spent the majority of his legendary major-league career — Harris also attended the same high school as baseball’s stolen base king.

Originally drafted 60th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, Harris eventually made his way to the Oakland Athletics’ farm system in 2015, where he had the chance to meet Henderson in person.

“Rickey is a fan favourite in Oakland, and I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to work with him in my time with the A’s,” said Harris. “We talked about base stealing, hitting, and professional stuff. Just talking baseball, handling yourself on and off the field within the game. It was a great opportunity to actually be able to work with him and be around him. I’m very grateful for that.”

Harris and Henderson both attended Oakland Technical high school in Northern California. Last year, Harris was voted the Frontier League’s Most Valuable Player with the Washington Wild Things, and was acquired by the Goldeyes via trade in October.

The 25-year-old Harris has walked more times than he has struck out, and ranks second on the club with 51 percent quality plate appearances, a metric that evaluates a hitter based on input and process as opposed to final outcome. His .325 batting average with runners in scoring position was best on the team entering Wednesday’s game at Sioux City.

“James has been playing well for us lately,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. “His batting practice is better, his bat speed and bat path are better. His approach is better, so he’s getting rewarded with better results. He’s probably our most dangerous guy in the lineup right now.”

As one of the most experienced players on the team, Harris understands the importance of keeping the vibes loose around the clubhouse, especially as the Goldeyes approach a more intense portion of their schedule. The series-opener at Sioux City on Tuesday was the first of 20 consecutive games without a day off.

“We’re having a great time,” said Harris. “We’re all here for each other. We’re all supportive. We’re having a fun time as a group, which I think makes it a lot easier to win. We’re messing around with each other, and that’s from the youngest kid in Cody (Young) to the oldest guy on the team in Reggie (Abercrombie). Nobody’s safe.”

And that includes Harris.

“It just makes you more tight-knit,” Harris added. “You make fun of each other in your embarrassing moments. A couple of days ago, I tripped up the stairs, and they spray-painted a body on the dirt for me. All you can do is laugh. You can’t be upset, because it’s a funny moment. It happens to everybody, and moments like that are what we remember most about the season when we get down to the final game, whether it’s game 100, or whether it’s winning the championship, which is what our main goal is.”

GOLDEYES ADD TWO, TAKE INJURED ROMANSKI OFF ROSTER WINNIPEG SUN – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th The Winnipeg Goldeyes made several transactions on Tuesday in advance of their series-opener at Sioux City.

The Goldeyes added outfielder Tyler Hill, who was playing in the New York Yankees’ organization earlier this season for the High-A Florida State League’s Tampa Tarpons.

Last year, Hill posted a .348 on-base percentage with 27 stolen bases for the High-A Salem Red Sox. The Wilmington, Del. native swiped 42 bags for the Low-A Greenville Drive in 2017.

“Obviously we’re shorthanded,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. “We can’t go on this road trip with just nine (position) players. I’ve done business with Tyler’s agent for quite some time, and we were able to get him signed. He’s hungry and anxious to get playing again. He’s a young, athletic guy, and we’re hoping he can bring a little bit more speed to our lineup.”

Hill has averaged 40 steals per 162 games during his six-year professional career. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Boston Red Sox out of high school in 2014. The Detroit Tigers selected Hill this past December in the minor league phase of the Rule V Draft before subsequently dealing him to the Yankees.

The Goldeyes also signed rookie infielder Jordan Hovey. Hovey recently finished his college career at Division-I Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. The 21-year-old Hovey finished his senior season with a .389 on-base percentage and a .453 slugging percentage for the Creighton Bluejays. A left- handed hitter, Hovey adds depth to the Goldeyes’ infield following the recent loss of shortstop Adrian Marin.

Winnipeg will be without all-star outfielder Josh Romanski in the immediate future. Romanski suffered an upper body injury in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader versus Milwaukee, and was taken off the Goldeyes’ active roster.

The Goldeyes take on a red-hot Sioux City Explorers club this week. The X’s went into Tuesday having won 13 of their previous 17 games, and had moved into a tie for first place in the South Division.

The Explorers have been historically tough at Lewis and Clark Park, especially under sixth-year manager Steve Montgomery.

Since taking over in 2014, Montgomery has build his offence around speed and contact, which is conducive to scoring runs on Lewis and Clark Park’s harder infield surface.

“It’s hard to play here,” Forney said. “You have to spend some time playing in it to get comfortable. They have really good rotation pieces, some good guys in the bullpen, so they’re going to pitch it. Their offence has been better. They’re putting the ball on the ground and hitting more line drives. When you hit the ball hard on the ground in this park, you can get rewarded, so we’ll have our hands full.”

GOLDEYES ADD SPEEDY HILL, ROOKIE HOVEY STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes made several transactions in advance of Tuesday’s game at Sioux City, including the addition of outfielder Tyler Hill and rookie infielder Jordan Hovey.

Hill played in 51 games earlier this season for the High-A Florida State League’s Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees), hitting .242 with five home runs and 20 RBI. Last season, the Wilmington, Delaware native posted a .348 on-base percentage with 27 stolen bases in 124 games for the High-A Carolina League’s Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox).

Hill was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round in 2014 out of the Delaware Military Academy in Wilmington. The 23-year-old is in his sixth season of professional baseball, and joins the Goldeyes with a career .351 on base percentage. Hill has averaged 88 runs scored, 25 doubles, eight home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 59 walks per 162 games as a professional. A right-handed batter and fielder, Hill was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the minor league phase of the 2018 Rule V Draft before he was subsequently traded by Detroit to the New York Yankees.

Hill homered and doubled in his Goldeyes’ debut on Tuesday night at Sioux City.

Hovey just finished his college career at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. The Edwardsville, Illinois native hit .262 with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 49 games for the Bluejays this past spring. The 21-year-old also played at Jefferson College (Hillsboro, Missouri) and Missouri State University (Springfield, Missouri). A left-handed batter and right-handed defender, Hovey compiled a .401 on-base percentage during his four collegiate seasons.

The Goldeyes also re-signed left-handed pitcher Joel Bender who had made six relief appearances before he was released from the active roster on June 7th in order to recover from upper body tightness. Bender officially returned on Tuesday, and pitched a scoreless inning at Sioux City.

Shortstop Adrian Marin was placed on the Inactive List last Wednesday due to an upper body injury, and is eligible to return on July 18th.

The Goldeyes released outfielder Josh Romanski from the active roster. Romanski suffered an upper body injury in the nightcap of Saturday’s double header versus Milwaukee, and will continue to rehab in Winnipeg.

Additionally, the Goldeyes released right-handed pitchers Harrison Cooney and Eric Carter. Cooney had made six starts and three relief appearances for the Goldeyes. Carter was signed on April 19th before starting the season on the Inactive List. Carter has elected to retire from professional baseball.

The Goldeyes’ active roster currently stands at the American Association maximum 23 players.

Game two of the three-game series at Sioux City is Wednesday night at 7:12 p.m. Mitchell Lambson (4-1, 2.70) takes on right-hander Eric Karch (0-3, 4.43). All the action can be heard locally on 93.7 FM CJNU and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes return home on Monday, July 1st when they host the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at 4:05 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now by visiting www.goldeyes.com/tickets or by visiting the box office at Shaw Park.

For information on 2019 season tickets, 10-game mini packs, and group tickets, call the Goldeyes’ office at (204) 982-BASE, or visit the Goldeyes’ official website at www.goldeyes.com

PLENTY OF PARITY IN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION WINNIPEG SUN – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th The Winnipeg Goldeyes take on the South Division’s Sioux City Explorers this week, but are in the midst of a stretch in which eight of 10 series are against opponents from the North.

The Goldeyes pulled within 2.5 games of the first-place St. Paul Saints following their win against Milwaukee on Sunday.

“There’s a lot of parity in the league this year from the teams we’ve seen, and watching videos of everyone else,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. “There’s really not a lot of separation from what people would think are the really good teams in the league right now and the teams who have losing records.

“Sioux City is a great example. When they came to Winnipeg, we won some games against them, but we could have easily lost three out of four.”

After beginning the season 6-13, the Explorers are arguably the hottest team in the American Association. Steve Montgomery’s club has won 13 of its last 17 games. The hot streak began on June 6 at Shaw Park when former major-league right-hander Taylor Jordan threw a complete game, three-hit shutout that prevented the Explorers from being swept in a four-game series.

The Goldeyes are 9-5 against the North Division thus far, but have yet to test themselves against perennial contenders St. Paul and Fargo-Moorhead. All 25 of the Goldeyes’ head-to-head games with the Saints and RedHawks were back-loaded after the start of July, which should make for an interesting race in the second half.

“There’s a lot of parity in the league, and there’s a lot of parity in our division,” Forney added. “There are no do-overs when you’re playing these division games. It’s not going to surprise me if we’re all knotted up at the end of the season. Then you have to go back to head-to-head record, so you’re going to have to win division games.”

THOSE SNEAKY GOLDEYES With Shaw Park now in its 21st season, the makeshift baseball diamond at old Winnipeg Stadium is becoming more of a distant memory. The Fish played its first five seasons at what was often referred to as “deformity field.”

From 1953-64, the original Winnipeg Goldeyes also played at the Blue Bombers’ former home.

Milwaukee Milkmen pitching coach Bart Zeller vividly remembers his club employing an interesting form of gamesmanship.

“It was the craziest thing,” Zeller said on playing baseball in the corner of a football stadium. “If a team was coming in, and they had a lot of power hitters, they moved the fence back. And when were facing a team that liked to dink ‘em in, we moved the fences in to help out our own hitters.”

UP NEXT The Goldeyes kick off a six-game road trip tonight with the first of three against the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park. Parker French takes on right-hander Max Duval. First pitch is at 7:12 p.m. The game can be heard live on 93.7 FM.

WINNIPEG PASTOR GOES TO BAT FOR GOLDEYES BRENDA SUDERMAN – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – SATRUDAY, JUNE 22nd This Sunday morning, Winnipeg pastor Scott Koop pitches a spiritual doubleheader, starting at his home church and finishing up at the city’s cathedral to baseball.

After his responsibilities at Portage Avenue Church, he’ll head to Shaw Park for a 10:30 service as volunteer chaplain for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

"In some sense, I’m more a chaplain for the ballpark than for the team because I don’t travel with the team," says the associate pastor of Portage Avenue Church.

Whenever there’s a Sunday home game — seven times this season — Koop leads short chapel services for up to 10 players in the Goldeyes dugout, and then walks to the visiting team’s dugout to repeat the process.

"There’s a lot of players for whom church and faith and acknowledgment of God has been part of their life, so they appreciate getting to church even though they can’t get there," says Koop, a baseball chaplain since 2013.

He leads those two services based on materials provided weekly by the Florida-based Baseball Chapel, and then spends a few minutes with the three game officials.

"I have a little bit of a soft spot for the umpires because they’re away from their families, too, and they never have a home game," says the sports fan and muscle car enthusiast.

Part of an elite team of chaplains serving professional sports in Winnipeg, Koop signed up after former Goldeyes chaplain Lorne Korol took on the Winnipeg Jets in addition to his roles serving the Manitoba Moose and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Henry Dueck assists Korol with the Moose and serves as chaplain to the Winnipeg Blues and Ice junior hockey teams.

"This work is important as our ministry provides a sanctuary for athletes to learn and grow in their faith, but it is also a safe place for those athletes investigating their faith," says Korol, an employee of the Christian organization Athletes in Action.

Koop volunteers with Baseball Chapel, a non-denominational Christian organization which provides chaplains to each major and minor league baseball team in North America, as well as to summer and winter leagues and academies in Latin America.

In addition to his Sunday duties, he spends considerable time at the ballpark, cheering from the stands for as many of the 50 home games as possible, and then checks in with the players after the last inning.

"The biggest reality as a chaplain is I’m always making the team aware that I am here for you, to whatever degree you want," he says.

The team appreciates Koop’s quiet presence and his willingness to listen, Goldeyes vice-president Regan Katz says.

"Scott makes himself available to anyone if they want to have a conversation," he says.

Those conversations might be about a spiritual matter, but often they’re about family matters or about the loneliness of being on the road for nearly four months a year.

Lately, Koop has fielded more requests for prayers for well-being on the team bus, due to the horrific April 2018 accident involving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team that killed 16 people and injured 13 more.

"There are a lot more prayers for safety in travel," he says of the aftermath of the crash.

Whatever the topic, Koop must step up to the plate quickly, taking his swing at ministry in the space between practices and getting back on the bus for the next leg of road games.

"Any sort of relationship is very compressed," says the graduate of Steinbach Bible College, who has been in ministry for 22 years.

"In some sense, when I come (to the ballpark), they know why I’m there."

At times, his chaplaincy work informs his day job, which includes providing pastoral care to seniors and young adults in his congregation. Earlier this month, Koop brought 40 of his congregants to Shaw Park for the annual faith night, where Goldeyes players Josh Romanski and Parker French shared their faith stories before the game.

In his six years with the team, Koop has learned a few things from the players about winning, losing and keeping your eye on the ball.

"You want to be focused and intentional in your spiritual life, but you also want to be focused and intentional in your play," the 53-year-old Selkirk resident says.

And there’s a bit of perspective involved as well. No player can be on fire for all 100 games, and in the end, playing ball is just play.

"While it’s great what they’re doing and they enjoy it, they do understand life is more than just a game."

LOCAL BOY LIVING THE DREAM PITCHING FOR THE WINNIPEG GOLDEYES KEN GABEL – CTV WINNIPEG – FRIDAY, JUNE 21st “How cool an atmosphere for the debut I had and we were all smiling big time.”

Winnipeg-born-and-raised Ryan Johnson made his pitching debut on May 29 with the Winnipeg Goldeyes -- the first local ball player to make the team since pitcher Donnie Smith in 2006.

He attributes his success to basic genetics.

“You get more opportunities when you are bigger and left-handed,” says Johnson. “There are not too many lefties out there; it definitely opened a lot of doors.”

Johnson had to leave the province to pursue his career. After Grade 11 at Sturgeon Heights High School, he headed west to play and graduate in St. Albert, Alta. The next stop was southbound to Missouri, then Idaho, and then a stop in Texas.

Johnson is happy to be home to see familiar faces.

“It was a pretty amazing feeling being at home and in front of everyone,” he says.

Along with friends and family, Johnson’s former teammates were in the crowd on his opening day game.

“They were up in the Box O there,” he says, pointing to the stands. “They were going bananas the whole time. That made me laugh.”

Johnson, like most athletes, has had some form of routine for good luck before each game, but as he gets older, things have changed. “I used to have this mind-set routine, all this kind of stuff, then I’d have a bad game,” he says. “Wait a sec, I’d do all these things right and I still had a terrible game, then what does it really matter?”

He now has only one pre-game routine and doesn’t think it’s superstitious.

“I listen to the same music before and try and get in the zone, but that’s it,” he says.

So far his routine is working. He was the winning pitcher on his major league debut. Johnson is very optimistic that “the Fish” will have a great season. “I think we are going to do pretty good,” he says.

VIDEO: EXCHANGING WORDS: MITCH LAMBSON NIGEL BATCHELOR – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – THURSDAY, JUNE 20th LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKvHgVbnpHs

GOLDEYES’ FIELD IS ‘SODFATHER’ FERGIE’S CANVAS, MOWER HIS PAINTBRUSH DEVON SHEWCHUK – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19th The beautifully manicured field at Shaw Park has always hit a home run with the fans.

Baseball Digest has, consistently, ranked it as one of independent ball's top-five nicest ballparks. But with two acres of field to take care of, maintaining the diamond is a big job. Fortunately, Donald (Fergie) Ferguson is the "Sodfather" behind it all.

"I was always a golf course guy, so I knew my grass," Ferguson says.

The 67-year-old has been the head groundskeeper for the Goldeyes since Shaw Park (formerly CanWest Global Park) opened in 1999. Ferguson has seen a lot of crazy things over the years, but said it's hard to top the ballpark's opening night.

"Our very first ball game, we're laying sod as the team is coming on the field to play the game," he says.

"We had to lay these little pieces of sod down and they made a ‘no bunting’ rule — it was really quite interesting for that one. The sod was legitimately thrown down minutes before the game."

Since then Ferguson has developed a routine, one that he's stuck to for the past 21 years. His morning begins with a weather check, then he makes his way to the field, grabs his list of repairs to complete and then waits for the dew to dry off the grass. After that comes his favourite part of the day.

"I enjoy cutting grass, it’s my quiet time, as I call it. Nobody can drive me crazy when I’m out here cutting grass. Most of the time I won’t even get off the lawnmower if my phone rings, I just have to finish the grass and get it done," he says.

Ferguson cuts the grass once every two days when the team is the road, but daily during home games to keep the field in top playing shape. After each game-day cut, he creates a design using the rollers on his lawnmower.

"Everybody likes to see some kind of design. I like stripes, circles, checkers, diamonds. Sometimes I cut different angles across the field. Once in a while I watch TV and see something new and I want to try it on ours. You just got to try and fit it in here," he says.

"Takes a little bit of planning in your mind to get this thing drawn out in your head, but other than that it works out pretty good."

Depending on the design, Ferguson spends between an hour-and-a-half to more than three on the mower before each home game. Shaw Park visitors can expect to see a new design from him every three days, unless he feels the need to change the team's luck.

"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t — depends what happens. I’m very superstitious. So if we’re winning I keep it going, if we don’t I gotta change it," he says.

Goldeyes' longtime bullpen catcher Danny Perron says it's Ferguson's heart and dedication that makes him such an important member of the squad.

"He’s the heart, the bloodline of this organization. He makes everything go smooth. Everything you don’t see that runs perfectly well, that’s because Fergie is a part of it."

Although Ferguson has Shaw Park's field maintenance down to a science by now, there are things that are out of his control.

"This season has been terrible for rain," he says. "Last year wasn’t bad at all, this year we’re making up for it. It makes it a little more interesting, but also a little more difficult."

The Fish have been rained out three times thus far this year, twice on home turf. Whenever there's a threat of rain, Goldeyes staff have to team up, drop everything and roll out a massive tarp to protect the diamond. Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier is always part of the "tarp party," as he calls it, but says it's the only field-related thing he's had to think of since Ferguson joined the organization in '99.

"I know the grass is going to be in good shape and I know he's going to be here doing his thing, it just makes my life easier because it's one less thing for me to worry about," says Collier. "Especially when there's rain or a threat of rain, we work very well together."

One of Ferguson's fondest memories is preparing intricate field designs in all three all-star games Shaw Park has hosted. It took hours on the mower, but he says it's just all in a day's work.

"I have to make the game happen, that’s all I know. That’s my main concern, I gotta get the game going. I don’t want no excuse that I had anything to do with slowing down the game, the game has to go," he says.

With the season only a quarter of the way through, fans still have plenty of time catch a game and see Ferguson's latest design.

And if you see him at the ballpark, just call him Fergie.