Founded as an expansion team in the Pacific International League, the Elks won the PIL Championship in 2004. Following their championship season, the Elks left the PIL to become a founding member of the West Coast League. After some early struggles, the Elks have won two division titles and a league championship in 2015.
Following their lone WCL Championship win, the Elks would not make the playoffs until 2024.
History
Jim and Mary Ann Richards founded the Bend Elks Baseball Club in 1999 with the hope of saving Vince Genna Stadium from demolition. The Elks joined the Pacific International League. Bend continued their affiliation with the league through 2004. In 2005 the Elks along with Bellingham, Kelowna, Spokane, and Wenatchee left the league to form the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCBL).[1]
The Bend Elks went 31-23 in the 2014 WCL season finishing 4 games behind the leading Corvallis Knights and were awarded the first ever WCL wild card spot. Bend was eliminated after the WCL Divisional Series to the rival Corvallis Knights in 2 games. The Elks were Hit by the pitch 72 times and set a WCL record for the most times hit at the plate in one season. The front office of the Bend Elks put 42,030 people through the turnstiles in 31 games at home with 1,356 per game.
In October 2014, John and Tami Marick purchased the Bend Elks Baseball Club from Jim and Mary Ann Richards. The Maricks are founders of Consumer Cellular, a nationwide wireless MVNO based in Tigard, Oregon, with one of its three corporate locations in Central Oregon.[2]
In 2015 the Bend Elks won the WCL championship series.
The Elks are the latest in a long history of semi-pro and minor-league teams to call Central Oregon home.
2024
Jackson Elder (Utah) was named pitcher of the week on July 9th. Elder threw for seven innings in the Elks' game against the Pippins allowing zero runs and only three hits while also throwing eight strikeouts.[3]
Also on July 9th, Easton Amundson, Mason Edwards, Jackson Elder, and Tyler Wood were selected to represent the Elks in the 2024 all star game in Bellingham.[4]
The Elks made the postseason as a wildcard. This was the Elks' first playoff berth since 2015. The Elks were swept by the Pickles in the Divisional Series 0-2.[5]
2025
On July 8th, it was announced that Easton Amundson (MSU Denver), Erik Puodziunas (Michigan) and John-Paul Sauer (Tulane) were selected to represent the Elks at the All Star Game in Bellingham.[6]
Jace Miller (Portland) was named player of the week on July 14th.[7]
The Elks failed to improve on their 32-22 record from the previous season. The Elks went 28-26 and finished third in the South Division.[8] Miller lead the league with a .383 batting average and also finished with forty runs batted in. Makoa Sniffen (Saint Mary's, California) was third in the league with forty-six runs batted in and also hit seven home runs. Kyler Bacosa (Uncommitted) finished tied for second in the league with five pitching wins while Carson Boyer (Gonzaga) finished tied for third in the league with four. Puodziunas finished with a 3.60 ERA.[9] 36,700 total fans attended the Elks' twenty-seven home games for an average of 1,359 fans per game.[10]
The Elks clinched a wildcard berth for their second straight playoff appearance. The Elks faced the Knights in the South Divisional Series. The Elks took game one 7-5 for their first playoff win since the 2015 WCL Championship Series but proceeded to lose the next two games in Corvallis to end their season.
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Bend, Oregon 