APPALACHIAN POWER PARK FEATURED IN
BASEBALL AMERICA'S GREAT PARKS CALENDAR

Appalachian Power Park, home of the West Virginia Power, is highlighted in the 2006 edition of Baseball America's Great Parks Calendar.  Appalachian Power Park is the featured park for the month of January in the newest edition of Baseball America's annual publication.

“We are very excited to be featured in this year's calendar,” said Andy Milovich, Power General Manager.  “This allows us to show off Appalachian Power Park, which truly is one of America's great parks.”

For baseball fans, this is the only way to get through the year. Each month features a beautiful color photograph of a great professional baseball park, with an emphasis on new facilities.

The beautiful shot of Appalachian Power Park was taken on Opening Night, April 14th, 2005 by local photographer Jeff Gentner. 

The calendars which retail for $10.00, are on sale at the West Virginia Power kiosk, located at the Charleston Town Center, or by visiting the merchandise section of the Power website by clicking here.

HEL'UVA LOT OF PROMISE

If the 2005 season for the Helena Brewers was any indication of what is to come for the 2006 West Virginia Power, then fans are in for a super summer at Appalachian Power Park. The 2005 Helena Brewers were fantastic, winning the Pioneer League's 1st half northern division championship. They made it to the Pioneer League Championship Series where they lost 2-0 to the Orem Owlz.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the 2005 Helena squad was their offense. They had a team batting average of .309 throughout the season and led the league in most major offensive categories including runs (531), hits (851), and homeruns (83). While the offense hogged most of the headlines, the pitching staff held their own in a league that was dominated by offense. Their staff ERA of 4.30 was second best in the league, they ranked second in saves (24) and hits surrendered (700), issued the fewest amount of walks (231) and registered 651 strikeouts ranking 3rd best in the Pioneer league.

While the Power welcomed in a few members of Helena's first half championship team, there were some who stayed out West the entire season and put up some very impressive numbers. Perhaps the most impressive was Kenny Holmberg who not only had a great regular season, but registered as one of the league's best in the post season as well. Holmberg comes from a strong baseball background, his father Dennis is a manager for the Auburn Doubledays, a Toronto Blue Jays class A short season affiliate in the New York-Penn League. He had a terrific regular season playing most of his 59 games at second base. His .372 batting average ranked 2nd in the league, and he was the league leader in both on base percentage (.450) and slugging percentage (.623). In the playoffs, Holmberg led the Pioneer League with 8 post-season hits and 5 runs scored.

Another player that drew a lot of attention during the 2005 season for the Helena Brewers was short-stop Ryan Crew. Crew hit .346 through 58 games in 2005 with a team best 19 doubles, 75 hits and 45 runs scored. Crew and Holmberg made a terrific double play combination for Helena in 2005, and they could be the talk of the town for the Moss and Gold in 2006.

Other Helena stars who could suit up in Power uniforms next season include Ned Yost IV, the son of current Brewers skipper Ned Yost, who played first base for Helena and hit .302 over 57 games with 61 hits and 32 RBI. Plus there is the table setter for Helena, outfielder Darren Ford, who led the team with 18 stolen bases, 57 runs scored, and 33 walks.

The West Virginia Power of 2005 provided the fans with plenty of memories with walk off homers, extra inning victories and a nice push halfway through the second half of the season. The 2005 Helena Brewers may make up a bulk of the Power roster in 2006, and while they did come up a little short of a Championship in the Pioneer League, the sky is the limit for the 2006 Power.

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VOTE ON THE 2005 RADIO CALL OF THE YEAR

 

Andy "Bull" barch provided us with entertaining radio calls throughout the 2005 season.  We have chosen a few of our favorites and are asking that power fans vote for the call of the year.  Click here to listen to the nominees and vote.

POWER FRONT OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS

The Power front office will be closed from Friday, December 23rd through Monday, December 26th.  The office will reopen on Tuesday, December 27th and will remain open until Thursday, December 29th from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm each day.  The Power will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 3rd at 8:30am.