Bells Announce Three Incoming St. Mary’s Players

The Bellingham Bells are excited to announce three new players from St. Mary’s College in California. LHP Garret Plata, IF Nate Kirkpatrick, and OF Coleman Schmidt will all be joining the Bells this June.

“I can’t say enough about our relationship with St Mary’s and Coach Greg Moore,” Bells general manager Stephanie Morrell said. “We have a long-standing history of working with their program. St. Mary’s players are always great competitors and wonderful representatives of the Bells. We are really excited to have three more Gaels with us this summer.”

Plata, a redshirt freshman from San Jose, Calif., helped The King’s Academy to a Division Three CIF Central Coast Section Championship in high school. Plata is a hard-throwing lefty who has also participated in Perfect Game’s Preseason All-American Game.

“What we hear about Garett is that he can really pitch,” Morrell said. “He’s a young talent who can compete and throw strikes consistently. He’s also known to be a high-character individual who will be a great fit in the Bells clubhouse.”

Kirkpatrick, an incoming freshman for the Gaels, was a member of the 2015 Little League World Series team representing Canada. Kirkpatrick left high school in 2021 ranked as the third-best shortstop in Canada by Perfect Game and helped lead the Langley Blaze to a PBL Provincial Championship during the 2021 season. 2023 will mark Kirkpatrick’s second summer in the WCL after spending the 2022 season with the South Division’s Ridgefield Raptors.

“Nate is an extremely athletic, versatile infielder who has always been known for his fantastic defense,” Morrell said. “He continues to develop at the plate and is a player we believe will be a consistent offensive spark for the Bells. Beyond that, he’s also a competitor who leads by example, and we’re excited to have him as part of our 2023 squad.”

Schmidt, now entering his junior season, appeared in 40 games last year while at St. Mary’s. As a standout at Reno High School in Nevada, he was named to the NIAA 4A All-League and All-State Academic teams. Schmidt showed off his speed last season on the base paths, as he had a stolen base percentage of 100% in conference games.

“Coleman is a great addition for the Bells,” Morrell said. “He’s incredibly athletic. He can play many different positions. He’s lightning on the base paths. He has a lot of tools that can help the team. But most of all, he’s known to be an outstanding person, leader and teammate and we’re really excited that he’ll be spending his summer in Bellingham.”

We are excited to see the talent these three bring displayed at Joe Martin Field this summer.

The Bellingham Bells Opening Day is June 2, 2023 against the Edmonton Riverhawks.

Contact:
Bellingham Bells (www.bellinghambells.com)

Stephanie Morrell

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (360) 746-0409