Life just got a whole lot better for this Bellingham native.

The Tampa Bay Rays have named Bellingham High School alum Austin Shenton to their Opening Day roster.

The announcement comes just two weeks after Shenton was sent to the minors as the club’s No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Shenton’s spot on the team as an infielder opened up after a pair of injuries to Rays players.

The former Bellingham Bell was drafted by the Mariners back in 2019.

 

Opening Day is just around the corner.

The Mariners wrapped up spring training yesterday with a 7-6 win over the San Diego Padres.

They finish pre-season play with a 15-13 record.

The Mariners are hosting the Boston Red Sox in their season-opener tomorrow with Luis Castillo getting the start.

Allan Fee will get things rolling in The Zone with a pregame show from 1-4 p.m. on KPUG.

After that, catch the game on KGMI.

Coverage begins at 6:00 with first pitch at 7:10.

 

The Kraken put a stop to their losing streak last night.

Seattle beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 to snap their eight-game skid.

Eeli Tolvanan and Matty Beniers each had a goal and an assist.

Jordan Eberle also scored, he’s just one goal away from 300 for his career.

Joey Daccord made 12 saves in his third career shutout.

The Kraken are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs, they sit 15 points behind the last spot in the West.

They’ll look to make it two straight wins in a rematch against the Ducks at home tomorrow night.

 

A former Seahawk is on the move.

The Carolina Panthers signed pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney to a two-year, $20 million contract.

Clowney grew up in the area and went to South Carolina University, where he left as the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The 31-year-old spent one season with the Seahawks in 2019.

It was largely considered a down year for Clowney, who had just three sacks for Seattle after making the Pro Bowl the previous three years with Houston.

 

And some big changes are coming to kickoffs in the NFL.

NFL owners voted 29-3 to move the majority of the kicking and return teams downfield to minimize high-speed collisions.

Kickers will continue to start at their own 35-yard line, but the 10 other members of the kicking team will line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

That means teams will now have to declare ahead of time if they’re going for an onside kick.

NFL owners also voted to approve a ban on the swivel hip-drop tackle technique, which will now result in a 15-yard penalty.