WINNIPEG GOLDEYES DAILY CLIPPINGS

MONDAY, JULY 19th , 2021

- ‘This is Really Great Closure For Us:’ Jake Laber’s Parents Grateful RedHawks Retiring Son’s Jersey Number—INFORUM (Eric Peterson), 7/19/21 - Perez, Bats Help Goldeyes Power Past Fargo—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/18/21 - Goldeyes Outbat RedHawks 10-5—Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (Chad Ekren), 7/18/21 - CTV Morning Live (Video Link) Wes Darvill—CTV Winnipeg (Rachel Lagace), 7/13/21 - CTV Morning Live (Video Link) Kyle Thomas—CTV Winnipeg (Rachel Lagace), 7/13/21 - CTV Morning Live (Video Link) Steve Schuster—CTV Winnipeg (Rachel Lagace), 7/13/21 - CTV Morning Live (Video Link) Andrew Collier—CTV Winnipeg (Rachel Lagace), 7/13/21 - Fargo South Graduate DuBord Having Huge Impact’ on RedHawks Season—INFORUM (Eric Peterson), 7/13/21 - From the RedHawks to the Olympics; Penprase to Play for Israeli Baseball Team in Tokyo—INFORUM (Dom Izzo), 7/13/21 - Goldeyes Sign Major League Arm—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/10/21 - Jamie Samson Has Been Running Things in the Fish Clubhouse for 20 Years—Winnipeg Free Press (Taylor Allen), 7/9/21

‘THIS IS REALLY GREAT CLOSURE FOR US:’ JAKE LABER’S PARENTS GRATEFUL REDHAWKS RETIRING SON’S JERSEY NUMBER ERIC PETERSON – INFORUM – MONDAY, JULY 19 th FARGO — Former Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Jake Laber will be immortalized Monday night when his No. 19 jersey is retired at Newman Outdoor Field.

“When your number is retired, that’s as big as it gets,” said Ken Laber, Jake’s father.

Jake, who died from natural causes in 2016 at age 30, was one of the top for the RedHawks in franchise history. He still holds multiple team records.

“This is really great closure for us,” said Deb Laber, Jake’s mother. “The RedHawks have always felt like they are part of our family. For them to do this and for us to have Jake’s number up there, we feel really close to them.”

The RedHawks play the Winnipeg Goldeyes at 7:02 p.m. Monday, July 19, in American Association baseball. Jake’s number will be retired during a pregame ceremony, joining pitcher/coach Jeff Bittiger (35) and center fielder Joe Mathis as the other two former RedHawks with their numbers retired. Major League legends Jackie Robinson (42) and Roger Maris (8) also have their numbers retired by the team.

Jake retired from in 2014. The Fargo North graduate and North Dakota State standout spent six seasons with the RedHawks and holds the F-M team record for career pitching wins with 46.

“I think he would have been impressed and he would have been grateful to them,” Deb said of how Jake would have reacted to the honor. “I think he knew how much they appreciated him. It would have meant a lot to him.”

Deb and Ken, both retired, said they still attend around 10 RedHawks games a summer and having Jake’s number retired will make trips to Newman Outdoor Field more special.

“To me, I feel like when I go to the RedHawks from now on, I know it will warm my heart to know how much they appreciated Jake and all he did for the organization,” Deb said.

Ken said he expects around 70 friends and family at Newman on Monday night to honor Jake’s legacy with the RedHawks.

“I think it just really completes the whole story of Jake’s time with the RedHawks,” Deb said. “It means a lot to us. When people bring up Jake or ask about him or honor him, that really helps us with remembering Jake.”

A few years ago, Ken said the RedHawks gave the Labers an old pitching rubber from Newman Outdoor Field, one that Jake pitched on multiple times. That pitching rubber is in the garden of the Laber’s home in north Fargo.

Fargo Post 2 retired Jake’s jersey number in 2017 and he was also inducted into Post 2’s hall of fame. Deb and Ken are thankful for each honor.

“A person can have lots of records, you can even be in the hall of fame, but having your number retired is the top,” Ken said.

Deb said the number retirement will stir emotions.

“It makes us miss him all the more,” Deb said. “He’s been gone five years and sometimes it feels like forever and sometimes it feels like it just happened. This makes all those memories come to life again.

“It’s just very, very special for us that this is happening. It’s so nice.”

PEREZ, BATS HELP GOLDEYES POWER PAST FARGO STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – SUNDAY, JULY 18 th FARGO, ND – The Winnipeg Goldeyes (26-28) beat the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 10-5 at Newman Outdoor Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Goldeyes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second. Raul Navarro doubled to left-centre leading off and scored two batters later when Logan Hill lined a two-run to left-centre. Wes Darvill returned to the lineup for the first time since July 4 th and followed Hill with a double to right-centre. Tyler Hill made it 3-0 with a two-out, RBI double down the left field line.

After Max Murphy drew a one-out walk in the top of the fifth, Kyle Martin hit a two-run homer to left.

Darvill and Austin Rei drew back-to-back walks to open the top of the sixth, and both came home on a two-run double down the left field line from Tyler Hill.

Fargo-Moorhead (31-25) pulled within 8-2 in the bottom of the sixth on a Manuel Boscan RBI double and a Kevin Krause RBI groundout.

The Goldeyes re-extended the lead to 10-2 in the top of the seventh. With two outs and no one on base, Logan Hill singled to centre and was followed by a two-run home run to right-centre from Darvill.

Leobaldo Pina, Jordan George, and Krause each drove in runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull the RedHawks within 10-5 before Jose Jose stemmed the tide by recording consecutive groundouts to end the inning. Jose then worked a scoreless bottom of the ninth to finish the game.

Pete Perez (3-1) started for the Goldeyes and picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on five hits in five and two-thirds innings. Perez walked two and struck out four.

Gage Hinsz (3-3) started for the RedHawks and took the loss, allowing eight earned runs on eight hits in five and one-third innings. Hinsz walked four and struck out four.

Travis Seabrooke pitched one and one-third scoreless innings in relief of Perez. The Goldeyes tied season-highs with both six doubles and three home runs in the win.

The four-game series concludes Monday night at 7:02 p.m. The Goldeyes have not yet announced their starting pitcher. Fargo-Moorhead goes with right-hander Logan Nissen (3-4, 4.83). All the action can be heard locally on CJNU 93.7 FM and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes will continue to monitor the reopening of the Canada/US border and assess a potential return to Shaw Park in 2021.

In the coming weeks, Winnipeg Goldeyes staff will contact ticket holders with more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.

GOLDEYES OUTBAT REDHAWKS 10-5 CHAD EKREN – FARGO-MOORHEAD REDHAWKS – SUNDAY, JULY 18 th FARGO, N.D. - After battering the Goldeyes for 28 runs on 39 hits in the first two games of their four-game series, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks’ bats fell silent in a 10-5 loss to the Winnipeg (26-28) on Sunday afternoon with 2,054 fans on hand at Newman Outdoor Field. The RedHawks scored three runs in the eighth inning of Sunday afternoon’s game, but Fargo-Moorhead (31-25) fell short in their comeback attempt.

RHP Gage Hinsz (3-3) started his seventh home game of the season and gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks in 5.1 innings pitched. Hinsz struck out four batters and got his third loss of the season. RHP Luke Lind (0-1) relieved Hinsz in the sixth inning and gave up two runs on three hits but struck out two batters in 1.2 innings pitched. LHP Tevin Murray (1-0) pitched the final two innings and allowed two hits, but struck out two batters.

The RedHawks were held to only three hits through the first five innings and didn’t score until a Manuel Boscan (3-for-5, two runs scored) RBI-double in the sixth inning. Right fielder John Silviano extended his hitting streak to 20 games and was 2-for-4 with two singles. Dylan Kelly (2-for-4) continued his hot streak and was the only other RedHawks batter with more than one hit in the loss.

Goldeyes’ right-handed starter Pete Perez (3-1) had a great performance on the mound as he got the win and only allowed two runs on five hits and two walks. Perez struck out four and retired the first 10 batters to start the game. LHP Travis Seabrooke (2-0) came into the game in the sixth inning and allowed only one hit in 1.1 innings. RHP Nate Antone (0-1) gave up three runs on three hits in one third of an inning before being replaced by LHP Jose Jose (0-1). Jose pitched the final 1.2 innings of the game and gave up one hit, facing just one over the minimum in his appearance.

Winnipeg had an all-around effort in the batter’s box as three different players (Tyler Hill, Logan Hill, and Wes Darvill) each had at least two hits, two runs batted in, and a run scored in the game. The Goldeyes scored two or more runs in four different innings and had at least one hit in seven different innings.

The RedHawks and Goldeyes will conclude their series with a 7:02 p.m. game Monday night at Newman Outdoor Field. RHP Logan Nissen (3-4, 4.82 ERA) is the expected starter for Fargo-Moorhead in the series finale.

VIDEO: CTV MORNING LIVE WES DARVILL RACHEL LAGACE – CTV WINNIPEG – TUESDAY, JULY 13 th LINK: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2240705

VIDEO: CTV MORNING LIVE KYLE THOMAS RACHEL LAGACE – CTV WINNIPEG – TUESDAY, JULY 13 th LINK: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2240687

VIDEO: CTV MORNING LIVE STEVE SCHUSTER RACHEL LAGACE – CTV WINNIPEG – TUESDAY, JULY 13 th LINK: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2240648

VIDEO: CTV MORNING LIVE ANDREW COLLIER RACHEL LAGACE – CTV WINNIPEG – TUESDAY, JULY 13 th LINK: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2240621

FARGO SOUTH GRADUATE DUBORD HAVING ‘HUGE IMPACT’ ON REDHAWKS SEASON ERIC PETERSON – INFORUM – TUESDAY, JULY 13 th FARGO — When this American Association baseball season started, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks manager Chris Coste wasn’t sure there was a consistent role on the pitching staff for Alex DuBord.

Now, the Fargo South graduate is one of the most important arms in the team’s bullpen.

“He’s really good right now,” Coste said. “It was pretty incredible how the first week of the season I had no idea how we were ever going to get him into a meaningful situation.”

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound DuBord has a 2-0 record with a 1.11 ERA with one in 19 appearances. The right-hander has struck out 44 batters in 31 1/3 innings heading into F-M’s game against Gary SouthShore on Tuesday, July 13, at Newman Outdoor Field.

“He’s been a really nice piece,” said RedHawks Dylan Kelly. “I really like the story, too. He's from Fargo, he's a great dude and he (works hard) every day. I think we’re seeing the fruition of his hard work.”

DuBord pitched for the San Francisco Giants organization in 2018 and 2019 before not pitching professionally in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. He pitched a combined 49 innings with a 8.82 ERA in those two seasons in the Giants farm system.

“This year I feel a lot more locked in,” said the 24-year-old DuBord. “I’m confident on the mound.”

DuBord is still classified as a rookie status in the American Association due to his service time. He is one of six rookie pitchers on the RedHawks roster. The team has lost four top-end starters to organizations since May, including Frank Duncan, Kevin Herget, Tyler Pike and Kevin McGovern. Duncan had his contract transferred before the season started.

“All I’ve been taught is when you’re given your chance go out there and do what you know what to do and don’t look back on it,” DuBord said. “At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t really depended on.”

DuBord started to play a more significant role as Herget, Pike and McGovern moved to MLB organizations.

“You could feel that the bullpen was going to be a big part of our team,” DuBord said.

DuBord, right-hander Michael Hope and right-hander Ryan Flores are the top three pitchers on the team in appearances. Flores recently made his first start this season. DuBord was seventh on the team in innings pitched through 50 games, the midway point of the 100-game regular season.

“DuBord is going to have a huge impact on our season,” Coste said. “It’s been huge because it’s helped us win games No. 1. … He’s eaten up innings that we didn’t know he was going to be able to eat up.”

With a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s, along with a and , DuBord said his fastball has been his best pitch this season.

“Command and conviction is what’s helping me right now,” said DuBord, a 2015 Fargo South graduate.

Kelly said DuBord’s frame helps with his fastball effectiveness.

“He’s a big tall kid and he’s got a lot of leverage so the ball comes out of his hand kind of like a rocket ship,” Kelly said. “It sneaks up on a lot of hitters.”

Coste said the RedHawks were playing at Gary SouthShore in early June when he could tell DuBord was going to garner a larger role as the season progressed. DuBord pitched three scoreless innings in a game the RedHawks ultimately lost, but his performance helped keep F-M in the game.

“You could see the competitiveness kick in,” Coste said, “His competitiveness kicked in like he was an MMA fighter almost out there. From that point, he just continues to get better.”

DuBord said Kelly and RedHawks bullpen coach Robbie Lopez, along with Coste have helped contribute to his success this season.

“He knows how to talk to us,” DuBord said of Lopez. “He keeps it really simple. … He’s always willing to catch you, always willing to work with you.” DuBord added it’s also been refreshing to pitch in his hometown, with at least a few friends and family in the stands for home games at Newman Outdoor Field.

“It’s a great feeling not being all the way across the country,” DuBord said. “It’s a great feeling to be able to pitch at home and have success.”

FROM THE REDHAWKS TO THE OLYMPICS; PENPRASE TO PLAY FOR ISRAELI BASEBALL TEAM IN TOKYO DOM IZZO – INFORUM – TUESDAY, JULY 13 th LINK: https://www.inforum.com/sports/baseball/7110788-From-the-RedHawks-to-the-Olympics-Penprase-to-play-for-Israeli-baseball-team-in- Tokyo FARGO - Zach Penprase thought his baseball playing days were done.

He had officially retired after eight seasons with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks where he still holds the franchise record for hits, runs scored and stole bases.

"I don't know if there's a word in the English language to describe what Fargo means to me." Penprase said from a New Jersey hotel room. "Everyday I hear from a Fargo fan, it was a huge impact on my life."

High praise from one of the RedHawks favorites. Zach Penprase played eight years for the team, he still holds the franchise record for hits, runs scored and stolen bases.

Penprase moved on from baseball. He got married and had two daughters. He was working construction with his father and coaching. But baseball never really left. In 2019 Penprase received an email from Peter Kurz, the director of the Israeli Association of Baseball, which had a simple question. "Would you like an opportunity to play in the Olympics?" is what the email read.

"I was like, "I don't know." My wife was like, what are you talking about? After that things snapped, and I called him everyday until we figured it out." Penprase, who's mom is Jewish was back in the batter's box.. He was in the starting lineup, playing shortstop for the baseball shocker as Israel beat South Africa in September of 2019 to qualify Israel for the Tokyo Olympics.

"It's a whirlwind of emotions and I think we're starting to get excited. I think we know it's going to hit during the Opening Ceremonies when we're walking into the stadium, even if there are not any fans."

Penprase has kept his skills sharp by returning to the Independent Leagues. He's been playing with the New York Boulders in the Frontier League. That came about thanks to two former RedHawk teammates, TJ Stanton and Kole Zimmerman.

"I knew I needed about 30 games to get the kinks out and get my body in shape. I reached out to my old buddy TJ and initially he said they couldn't work it out. But at the last minute, he said 'Hey we can make this work.' It just worked out perfectly."

Penprase has played in 34 games for the Boulders, he has a .254 batting average with 15 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

In a beyond bizarre coincidence, the Boulders played Team Israel Monday night. The Israelis won 7-1 in five innings on a team that has a few former major leaguers like Ian Kinsler and former Minnesota Twin Danny Valencia. They leave for Tokyo next week and already looking ahead to a matchup with Team USA on July 30th.

"It's like David vs Goliath. We look at ourselves as American Israelis, and we truly have nothing to lose."

That saying couldn't hold more meaning for Penprase, who envisions this is truly his last time around the bases with the game he loves.

"It's been a tough month for me and my wife being away from one another. You can't raise a family on a Independent League salary. I've been doing this two years longer than I thought so I think I'm going to hang it up."

"I think it be cool to have that picture with my cleats hanging up in my locker in Tokyo and say 'I'm out.'

Penprase and Team Israel open play at the Olympics July 29th against South Korea. His fandom with the RedHawks isn't over either, the Zach Penprase bobblehead will be unveiled August 21st when the Hawks host the Houston Apollos.

GOLDEYES SIGN MAJOR LEAGUE ARM STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – SATURDAY, JULY 10 th WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes signed former Major League pitcher Bud Norris on Saturday.

Norris has 10 years of Major League experience, having pitched for the , , , St. Louis Cardinals, , , and . The Greenbrae, California native compiled 67 wins, 47 saves, and 1,153 in 1221.1 Major League innings from 2009-18. Norris saw time both as a starting pitcher and a reliever, making 188 trips through the rotation out of 355 total Major League appearances.

Norris twice won 10-plus games in the Majors, including a 15-8 mark with a 3.65 ERA in 2014 that helped the Orioles win the East. Norris then pitched to a 3.38 ERA in two playoff starts for Baltimore. Later in his career, the 36-year-old right-hander transitioned into a late-inning relief role, finishing 10 th in the American League with 19 saves for the Angels in 2017 and sixth in the National League with 28 saves for the Cardinals in 2018.

Norris was drafted by the Astros in the sixth round in 2006 out of California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo, California), and most recently pitched in the pop-up Constellation Energy League last summer where he made two scoreless relief appearances for the host .

The 6-foot, 215-pound Norris is in his 15 th season of professional baseball, and is 82-118 lifetime with 49 saves and a 4.30 ERA in 443 appearances, 262 of them as a starting pitcher. Norris’ fastball averaged 94.4 mph with a spin rate of more than 2,400 rpms as recently as 2018.

Additionally, the Goldeyes placed infielder Wes Darvill on the Injured List, retroactive to July 5 th .

The Goldeyes play game two of a three-game series against the Gary SouthShore RailCats tonight. First pitch from The Ballpark at Jackson is at 6:35 p.m. All the action can be heard locally on CJNU 93.7 FM and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes will continue to monitor the reopening of the Canada/US border and assess a potential return to Shaw Park in 2021.

In the coming weeks, Winnipeg Goldeyes staff will contact ticket holders with more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.

JAMIE SAMSON HAS BEEN RUNNING THINGS IN THE FISH CLUBHOUSE FOR 20 YEARS TAYLOR ALLEN – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – FRIDAY, JULY 9th Unbeknownst to him at the time, Jamie Samson was 12 when he sent an email that would shape the next 20-plus years of his life.

Without even telling his parents, the youngster from St. Andrews went online one day and looked up how he could become a batboy for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

It turns out there was an opening, so the Goldeyes called his home phone to deliver the news. His folks, Karen and Cliff, were a little caught off guard at first, but Samson got them up to speed and they gave him the OK — even though Shaw Park is roughly 45 minutes away from St. Andrews.

"I was only getting paid $5 a game so I don't think it was even covering their fuel," Samson said with a laugh.

"And then on top of that, we'd be driving downtown during rush hour and they couldn't make any left turns so I'm sure they weren't too thrilled with it, but they were troopers and did it. I'm pretty appreciative that they did that."

All the money spent on gas ended up being a good investment. After four years of lugging bats back to the dugout, Samson's work ethic was noticed and he became the assistant clubhouse manager. He'd hold that position for two years before he got promoted to clubhouse manager in 2007 — a job he's held ever since.

Well, except for last summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a knuckleball at the American Association and the Goldeyes had to play the entire 2019 season as a travelling team based out of Fargo, N.D. Samson was forced to stay north of the border and have a summer without Goldeyes baseball for the first time in 20 years.

"It was definitely weird having a summer off for sure, but it was nice at the same time... I actually went camping for the first time since I was in Cub Scouts," said the 32-year-old Samson.

Outside of the baseball season, Samson works for Sunwing Airlines as a flight attendant and cabin safety manager. It goes without saying, but the pandemic has prevented him from partaking in that gig as well. The last time Samson was in an airplane was on a rescue flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver at the end of March 2020.

Perhaps it's a good thing Samson had some downtime in the past year because he certainly doesn't have any this summer. He's back with the Fish for his 20th season in 21 years, but this one has been the most challenging yet. Shaw Park remains empty for a second straight summer as the Canada- U.S. border restrictions have led to the Fish playing out of The Ballpark in Jackson, Tenn. With the majority of the team's staff still in Winnipeg, Samson's long list of duties has grown even longer.

He's been doing all the laundry, fitting players for equipment, grabbing groceries, booking hotel rooms, finding host families, making travel arrangements, sending packages, cleaning the clubhouse, and even picking up cakes for players' birthdays. Other than getting on base and throwing strikes, Samson does it all.

"They don't have the help for us that we'd normally have in Winnipeg. It's definitely been pretty challenging down here... One day, (athletic therapist Evan Fehr and I) didn't leave the ballpark until 2 a.m. We got there at like 11:30 a.m. Then, we were in an Uber the next day on the way to the ballpark at nine o'clock in the morning," Samson said.

"Evan and I didn't get out of the ballpark until 1:20 that morning. So, that was a 16-hour day. So that was pretty tough, like I said, dealing with absolutely everything down there."

Luckily, he now gets paid more than $5 a game."I think with the hours that we're putting in, it might be five bucks an hour," Samson laughed. "But nah, it's been alright."

After going all of last year without him, no one is more appreciative of Samson being around this go around than Goldeyes manager Rick Forney.

"Jamie's a godsend," said Forney.

"He's an unbelievable worker. He's very organized, very thorough. Obviously he's been doing this for a long time so he knows exactly what needs to be done on a day to day basis. He's really good at planning and getting stuff done well in advance. He does just about everything for us."

Samson's contributions haven't gone unnoticed by the players, either.

"Jamie is more than a clubby. In my time here, he really is a part of the team," said infielder Wes Darvill, who is in his fifth season with the team.

"He gets along so well with the players and is able to level with them so well and earn respect by how hard he works and how good he is at his job. He's been in the wedding of so many players that have come through Winnipeg and is a huge part in what makes this place so special."

The American Association is nearing the midway point of the season and there's still no indication when the Goldeyes can return home. It would make Samson's job a heck of a lot easier if the border opened up, but in the meantime, he's not complaining. His career has given him the opportunity to make lifelong friends with players from across North America and he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

"I think just being able to make these guys' lives a little bit easier is what keeps me going every day," he said.

In the hunt The Winnipeg Goldeyes are starting to crawl back into the playoff race.

The Fish are officially out of the American Association North Division basement after going 8-5 in their last 13 games. Heading into Thursday night's series finale against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, the Goldeyes boast a 20-23 record on the year and find themselves 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.

While the team is starting to play some better baseball, the people of Jackson, Tenn., aren't coming out in droves to support the club. The Goldeyes sit at the bottom of the 11-team league in attendance with an average of 549 fans in the stands when they're playing at their temporary home, The Ballpark.

The lack of cheers isn't slowing down first baseman Kyle Martin, though, as he's leading the team with 12 home runs and 42 RBI. Infielder Raul Navarro has also impressed at the dish, he's batting .340 with one homer and 29 RBI.

But offence hasn't been the issue, it's pitching. Right before the season began, the Fish had their ace Mitchell Lambson retire and several important arms get signed by MLB clubs. They've been scrambling for pitchers since.

The Goldeyes have surrendered the third most earned runs in the league (258). Eduard Reyes leads the team with 10 starts and has a 4-4 record with a 6.45 ERA. Jorge Gonzalez has been their most reliable starter thus far at 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA in nine starts.