© 2024 Interlochen
CLASSICAL IPR | 88.7 FM Interlochen | 94.7 FM Traverse City | 88.5 FM Mackinaw City IPR NEWS | 91.5 FM Traverse City | 90.1 FM Harbor Springs/Petoskey | 89.7 FM Manistee/Ludington
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Beach Bums vying for first championship title

The Traverse City Beach Bums celebrate a victory earlier this season. Tonight, they host Game 1 of the Frontier League Championship Series.
Traverse City Beach Bums
The Traverse City Beach Bums celebrate a victory earlier this season. Tonight, they host Game 1 of the Frontier League Championship Series.

The Traverse City Beach Bums open up the Frontier League Championship Series tonight at Wuerfel Park. The Bums host the River City Rascals for three games in a best-of-five series.

When the Beach Bums started the 2015 season, they were coming off their worst season in franchise history. Manager Dan Rohn says it’s great to see the team’s hard work this year, pay off.

“It’s gratifying for these kids to play the way they’ve played all year,”  he says. “Like I told them at the end of the season…‘Hard work is done now— now it’s all fun. Now we go out and play for a ring and that’s going to be the fun part for us.’”

Though they didn't win their division, Traverse City has rolled through the playoffs so far. They defeated the Rockford Aviators in a one-game, wild card matchup, before sweeping the Normal Cornbelters in a best-of-three series. The team hopes to stay hot against a high-powered River City team. The Rascals took four of six games from the Bums this season.

“Well, they had the best hitting club in the league all year,” says Rohn. 

Jose Vargas has said this will likely be his final season.
Credit Traverse City Beach Bums
Jose Vargas has said this will likely be his final season.

For fan favorite Jose Vargas, the championship run is an opportunity to go out on top. 

At the beginning of the season, the 27-year-old indicated he would likely retire at the end of this season if he wasn’t signed by a Major League team. Manager Dan Rohn says that gives the team a little extra incentive going into the final series. 

“He’s excited about this,” says Rohn, referring to Vargas.

“For Jose, it’d be a great way, if he does retire, to go out winning a championship," he says. "And it’d just be a crown on top of everything he’s accomplished here.” 

Game times for tonight and tomorrow are set for 7:05.
The Bums will also host a potential Game 5 on September 21, if necessary.