SPITZ STADIUM NEWS RELEASE: NEW HEAD COACH

CONTACT: CHELSEA MERESKA

               403-320-2025

               CHELSEA.MERESKA@BULLSBASEBALL.COM

THE LETHBRIGE BULLS ARE EXTREMELY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE HIRING OF THEIR NEW HEAD COACH, RYAN MACDONALD. MACDONALD HAS BEEN THE ASSISTANT COACH OF THE PRAIRIE BASEBALL ACADEMY FOR 5 SEASONS AND HAS LEAD THEM TO 3 BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONSHIPS ALONGSIDE FORMER LETHBRIDGE BULLS HEAD COACH TODD HUBKA. “I AM EXCITED TO BRING MY HARD NOSED ATTITUDE TO THE LETHBRIDGE BULLS THIS SEASON AND LOOKING TO BRING THE MOST OF MY PLAYERS THIS SUMMER.”, SAID MACDONALD.

CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE BULLS ORGANIZATION COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED TO HAVE COACH MACDONALD AS THEIR NEW HEAD COACH. “IT IS VERY EXCITING, I HAD HIM AS A COACH AT PBA AND HE HELPED ME A TON SO IT WILL BE NICE TO HAVE HIM AS A COACH AGAIN.”, SAID LETHBRIDGE BULLS FIRST BASEMAN MITCHEL DORNBLUT. “GETTING AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY UNDER COACH MAC AGAIN IS VERY EXCITING. HIS COACHING STYLE IS VERY UPBEAT AND FUN TO PLAY FOR.”, SAID CATCHER TRAVIS STEINKE. LETHBRIDGE BULLS PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER KEVIN KVAME HAD GREAT THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE HIRING OF COACH MACDONALD, “THE LETHBRIDGE BULLS ARE EXCITED ABOUT CONTINUING OUR STRONG PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PRAIRIE BASEBALL ACADEMY BY HAVING THEIR ASSISTANT COACH, RYAN MCDONALD, TAKE OVER THE HEAD COACHING DUTIES FOR THE BULLS IN 2014.  RYAN BRINGS A GREAT WORK ETHIC AND AN EXPECTATION FOR WINNING TO THE ORGANIZATION PLUS, OF COURSE, A FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE BULLS AS HE HAS BEEN AN ASSISTANT COACH AND PLAYER WITH US IN THE PAST.”

MACDONALD HAS HAD A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN BASEBALL. HE ATTENDED THE PRAIRIE BASEBALL ACADEMY FOR 3 YEARS STARTING IN 2004. HE THEN WENT ON TO PLAY COLLEGE BALL IN THE UNITED STATES FOR 2 YEARS AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE. MACDONALD ISN’T NEW TO THE LETHBRIDGE BULLS ORGANIZATION. HE HAS EXPERIENCE ON HIS SIDE WITH 5 SEASONS OF PLAYING OUT FIELD FOR THE BALL CLUB, GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2006 AND SETTING A LEAGUE RECORD FOR WINS IN 2007.

COACH MACDONALD IS A NATIVE OF RAWDON, NS AND HAS BEEN LIVING IN LETHBRIDGE SINCE 2004. HE MET HIS FIANCE WHILE PLAYING FOR THE PRAIRIE BASEBALL ACADEMY AND WILL BE MARRIED IN AUGUST 2014.

The Lethbridge Bulls are getting set for their 15th campaign in the Western Major Baseball League in 2013.  The schedule is released, the roster is coming together, preparations at the Stadium are occurring, and the mood is upbeat.

Check out the roster page for the current line-up coming to the Bridge City in 2013.  "We continue to build our team around our core values: Southern Alberta Academy prospects from PBA and VAB, other Canadians at various colleges, and then supplemented by talented American players who fit our expectations and needs," commented Bulls President/GM Kevin Kvame. 

The projected starting line-up is still a work in progress but the GM feels that the offense will be loaded in 2013:  "We will be a team that hits for average and has really good speed.  We are also excited about the defense that we will have to back up our pitchers."  We have some really good talent coming in and are thrilled with some of the early season stats coming in from this summer's Bulls as they compete at their college program.  "Pidhaichuk and Comeau have been hot right out of the gate as PBA got off to its best start ever, while Billeaudeaux at LSUS and Redfearn at West Texas A&M have excelled as well, and that is just to name four."

Look right here at bullsbaseball.com for the "Who's Hot" article each week leading up to the season.

As the 2013 season approaches watch the Bulls website, along with our twitter and facebook sites, to see which players are lighting it up, shutting them down, or making other news impacting the Bulls, in this weekly look at our player's college seasons.

This week we look at two infielders who should be fan favorites this summer, especially if they can post numbers anywhere close to their spring starts!   The Bulls dont have to travel far, only a 5 minute trip from Spitz Stadium to Lloyd Nolan Yard, where the Prairie Dawgs play in order to have a look at many of the 2013 Bulls.  Today, we are featuring Ryan Pidhaichuk who has put up incredible numbers to start the season.