The Kamloops NorthPaws have resigned a quartet of players and a coach who were slated to be a part of the 2021 campaign.
Players Thomas Green, Marshal Luiz, Trey Newman, Colby Ring and assistant coach Sammie Starr have all recommitted to the Tournament Capital’s expansion franchise after missing the opportunity last summer when the 2021 season was cancelled due to pandemic-related circumstances.
“I wish Kamloops could’ve seen these guys this past summer but talking with them they continue to be excited to come to Kamloops and be a part of what we’re building with the NorthPaws,” says head coach Cole Armstrong.
Thomas Green
The middle infielder from Courtenay, B.C. joined the NCAA Division I Oakland University Grizzlies this fall.
He played the 2021 summer season for the Amarillo Sod Squad in Texas, putting up a .250 average with 15 RBIs in 35 games.
His cousin, Taylor Green, was drafted by and played for Milwaukee Brewers and is currently working in their scouting department.
Photo Credit: JSU Athletics
Marshal Luiz
A left-handed hitting junior catcher at Jackson State University, Luiz grew up in Surrey and had previously learned under Armstrong’s tutelage during high school.
He posted a .259 avg, 27 walks and 23 RBIs in 26 games for a Tigers team which finished a perfect 24-0 in league play during the 2021 season before falling in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
“It’s pretty cool to have a West Coast League team not too far from home and be able to play competitive baseball in such a highly touted summer collegiate league. Being a B.C. guy, it’s going to be really cool to experience that and be a part of it,” Luiz said.
Photo Credit: UVU Athletics
Trey Newman
Trey Newman was the first player to officially sign a contract to play for the Kamloops NorthPaws, and he is again one of the first players to re-commit to the team’s delayed inaugural season.
The Arizonan catcher played his 2021 season at Utah Valley University leading the team with a .382 on-base percentage. He posted a .230 batting average and started 17 games behind the plate as a Covid freshman.
He transferred this summer to Central Arizona College, the 2021 NJCAA national championship runner-up, where he impressed through the fall.
Newman has committed to return to NCAA Division I next year with the Arizona State University Sun Devils.
Colby Ring
The crafty lefty from Langley is entering his junior season with the University of Antelope Valley Pioneers.
He will come to NorthPaws as one of the few players with prior experience in the West Coast League. He suited up for the Bellingham Bells during the 2019 season.
“I can argue the West Coast League has some of the best players in North America and it’s definitely one of the best leagues to play in during the summer,” Ring said.
Sammie Starr
An assistant coach at the University of British Columbia, Starr brings a wealth of knowledge to the NorthPaws staff.
Originally from Toronto, Starr played at UBC as an infielder before playing and coaching in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system where he crossed paths with Armstrong.
“As far as young coaching talent in Canada, he’s as good at it gets,” says the NorthPaws skipper.
The NorthPaws open the inaugural season on May 31 when the Edmonton Riverhawks come to Norbrock Stadium. The full regular season schedule is available online: https://www.northpawsbaseball.ca/schedule.
The HarbourCats were held to just four hits tonight (Photo: Justin P. Morash)
August 8, 2025
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. – Fueled by a complete game from starter Reece Hemmerling, the Edmonton Riverhawks cruised to a 6-1 win over the Victoria HarbourCats in game one of this best-of-three divisional playoff series.
Shea Lake (West Texas A&M), who was recently named one of two HarbourCats Pitchers-of-the-Year, was on the bump for the Cats and started strongly in the first inning. However, in the top of the second, the Hawks’ batters went to work. Anthony Kodama and Stevie Waters both hit RBI singles on the first pitch they saw to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Trent Lenihan hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning to make it 3-0. Cats left fielder Isaiah Afework (TAMU-CC) could not have come any closer to robbing that homer, as the ball went in and out of his glove as he jumped and reached over the fence.
Kamana Nahaku had two hits, including his fifth home run of 2025 (Photo: Justin P. Morash)
Lake completed four innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking a pair. Meanwhile, Hemmerling was inducing soft contact all game long with his wipeout slider. Early on, there was a stretch where he retired nine Cats in a row, all while keeping his pitch count down.
Dustin Davidson (Freed Hardeman) was first out of the bullpen for Victoria and gave up two singles to begin the fifth inning. A sacrifice bunt attempt was then fielded by Davidson, but his attempted throw to get the lead runner at third was off the mark, sailing past his third baseman and allowing a fourth run to cross the plate. A wild pitch from the big lefty allowed a fifth run to score, which was followed by a bases-loaded walk to Waters, giving the Hawks a 6-0 advantage. Ethan McNish-Heider (Niagara) replaced him and got out of the bases-loaded jam on one pitch, getting Shiryu Sato to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Hemmerling continued to dominate for Edmonton, allowing just three hits through eight innings of work. Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) crushed a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to break the shutout and give the home fans something to cheer about. That was all Hemmerling gave up as he went the distance, pitching a complete game for the first time this season.
Shea Lake has been a workhorse all summer, pitching a total of 37.2 innings after tonight’s outing (Photo: Justin P. Morash)
Marcus Janovsky (UBC) pitched the final 3-1/3 innings for Victoria, giving up no runs on one hit, while striking out five.
Game two is tomorrow night at RE/MAX Field in Edmonton. First pitch is 7:05 PM local time, 6:05 PM PST. Hard-throwing right-hander Ryne Palmer is your HarbourCats projected starter. You can watch the game HERE or on the Edmonton Riverhawks YouTube channel.
2026 SEASON TICKETS – Season ticket renewals and sales are now on for the 2026 season! Existing season ticket holders can log in to their Showpass account and navigate to the Memberships link, where they can easily renew their seats online. Members can also drop in or call the office at 778-265-0327, and we can process the renewal for them. New Season Ticket buyers can click HERE to purchase seats for 2026!
For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
Jack Johnson’s sixth home run of the year was 98 MPH off the bat (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
August 6, 2025
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. – The Edmonton Riverhawks scored six runs in the final two innings to beat the Victoria HarbourCats 7-2, clinching the second half North Division title, and the #2 seed in the playoffs.
This result means that game one of the first-round playoffs will be played in Victoria on Friday, August 8, at 6:35 PM. Tickets are on sale now HERE. Game two, and a potential game three if necessary, will be played in Edmonton on Saturday and Sunday.
The visitors got off to a quick start when Kyle Yip hit a two-out single to bring Shiryu Sato home in the top of the first inning to make it 1-0.
Jack Johnson (Tulane), who was named one of the HarbourCats Players of the Year along with Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) yesterday, hit a no-doubt solo home run in the bottom of the first to level things up 1-1. From there, it was a pitchers’ duel with former HarbourCat Mason Chamberlain on the bump for the Hawks and Carson Burks (Hill College) starting for the hosts. Burks threw three innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three.
Carson Burks finishes the season with a 3.85 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched (Christian J. Stewart)
He was replaced by Jack Finn, who produced 3-1/3 innings of shutout ball, striking out a season-high five batters.
After the Johnson home run, the Cats couldn’t solve Chamberlain until the sixth inning when Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) hit a double off the left field wall, which brought up Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s). The catcher has produced clutch hits all season, and tonight was no different, as he hit a single to left to bring Nahaku home and give his team their first lead of the night.
Dillon Dibrell (Rogers State U) replaced Finn in the seventh and inherited runners on second and third with one out. He struck out Trent Lenihan and got Yip to fly out, escaping the threat and holding onto the slim 2-1 lead.
The crowd of more than 2000 fans at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park was silenced in the top of the eighth when Stevie Waters hit a three-run home run off Dibrell to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead.
Kamana Nahaku has reached base safely in all 16 games he has played in this season (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
Yip hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, and Waters drove in his fourth run of the night with an RBI single to make it 7-2, putting the game beyond doubt.
Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) recorded the final three outs in the ninth, striking out a pair.
After a hard-fought four-game series this week, these two teams are back at it when it matters most this weekend in the playoffs. Don’t miss out on what is sure to be an incredible atmosphere Friday night at the ballpark as the WCL Playoffs return to Victoria.
NANAIMO, B.C. — Jacob Hayes, and Owen Wessel, but the punctuation on it.
The Nanaimo NightOwls ended the home portion of their fourth season in the West Coast League with a convincing 6-1 triumph over the visiting Kamloops NorthPaws in an entertaining game played Sunday afternoon at Serauxmen Stadium.
Hayes, with a team-record 10th home run, and Wessel, with his first of the season, went deep for Nanaimo, while Dawson Schultz and Vinny Bruno kept the Kamloops bats silent.
Wessel hit a two-run shot in the second, and Hayes had a solo shot in the third. Both were to left field.
The NightOwls (22-29, 10-14 in second half) close out the season with three road games in Bellingham, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Season tickets will start renewal shortly after another exciting season of WCL baseball in Nanaimo, with local product and head coach Cody Andreychuk returning in 2026, and the expectation that veteran pitching coach Gorman Heimueller, one of the best in all of baseball, will be with Nanaimo next season for what will be his 50th year in the game — leading to a season-long celebration.
Dawson Schultz started and was masterful, going six innings with four hits allowed while striking out five. Vinny Bruno, the Italian right-hander, closed it with a save and three innings with two strikeouts.
Hayes, named team MVP before the game, was 2-3 with two RBIs, a walk, and a run scored. Andrew Ivy, Easton Mould and Spencer Sullivan also had two hits each. Andew Nykoluk had two runs and Wessel had two RBIs.
Sullivan was given the team’s Development Award, right-hander Aidan Boice was given the top pitcher award, Ryder Florence earned the citizenship award, and concession stalwart Jo-Ann Hammond was named the volunteer of the year.
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