KAMLOOPS, BC—With the weather getting better, it’s time to get excited about the 2024 edition of the Kamloops North Paws baseball team. The third year West Coast League club has unveiled its schedule for the coming year.
The 57-game season includes 31 at home. The NorthPaws have non-league games against Kamloops Minor Baseball, the Kelowna Falcons and Coquitlam Angels.
The NorthPaws home opener will be Friday May 31st at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium. For the second straight season, the Paws will open against the Victoria HarbourCats.
“We are extremely excited for the upcoming season,” states North Paws General Manager Jenna Forter. “Our coaching staff have been hard at work recruiting some great players from across North America and Europe. Although we have several new faces, we have some returning local Kamloops players that we are excited to have on the team. Jose, TC and Riley have all been well received by the players and the community. The coaches and our organization are planning on a strong comeback in 2024.”
She adds: “Our schedule includes 31 home games, with a pre-season exhibition game vs the RiverDogs on May 29th at 6:35 pm at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium, these additional games include seven weekend series and some great theme nights that we are thrilled to announce with our schedule.”
Game times for 2024 will be 6:35 PM for most nights. Sunday games will have 2:05 pm opening pitch.
Again, this coming season, the NorthPaws will have several theme nights. These include Father’s Day, Homer’s Birthday, Canada Day, Family Appreciation night and new this year: “School Spirit Day”.
“School Spirit Day” will be Thursday June 6th where the Paws will tangle with the Bellingham Bells. It will be an 11:30 AM start time. There will be free tickets for students and faculty along with an affordable healthy lunch option.
Says Forter: “The NorthPaws have been occupied in entertainment planning during our off-season and I am happy to share that we have some big theme nights and promotions coming in 2024. We are excited to announce pre-game entertainment, merchandise promotions and major giveaways to kick off our season. Other notable theme nights include our School Spirit Day on June 6 when the NorthPaws invite classes from the schools in Kamloops and surrounding areas for a memorable and educational field trip to our park, Homer’s Birthday – Bark at the Park– sponsored by Bosley’s Valleyview on Friday June 21st.
Forter says, “To celebrate Homer’s Birthday with his furry friends, we are inviting fans to bring their pups for a night of baseball and supporting the BCSPCA.”
Other special events this year include a Pre-Canada Day Weekend Celebration with entertainment and prizes, along with the return of ‘Save On Foods Family Day. Forter adds, “We are introducing Throwback Tuesdays by Molson Coors – the events will feature ticket specials, beer batter drink prices all night and hot dog specials.”
“As we have a huge focus on community engagement this season, “she adds. “We are delighted to also announce that the NorthPaws will be hosting an MLB Pitch, Hit and Run event on July 17th. This MLB event is an exciting addition to our promotions line up and will allow participants aged 7-14 to compete in a free competition to show off their baseball skills and get one-on-one time with our coaching staff and players. Participants with the highest scores will have the chance to move onto the National competition and the finals hosted by one of the Major League Teams – this is one of the community events we are most excited to offer Kamloops in 2024.”
The NorthPaws are making a concerted effort to make their fans happy both on the field and in the stands, but also in the pocketbook.“Our fans are exceptionally loyal, we are extremely grateful for them especially after the challenging 2023 season – it’s something that is not only recognized by our organization, but throughout the West Coast League.” The NorthPaws GM states. “ We are planning on bringing more value to our fans through the introduction of youth and seniors passes, and promotions throughout the season including Fan Appreciation Night to thank them for their devotion for the past two seasons.”
For information on sponsorship, the schedule, and seasons tickets: visit the Kamloops NorthPaws website: www.northpawsbaseball.ca
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact: Jenna Forter
The HarbourCats will return to Wilson’s Group Stadium in Victoria (above) on Tuesday for their Home Opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks.
By Christian J. Stewart
May 31, 2026
Portland, OR – The Victoria HarbourCats looked to have things under control, until they didn’t.
The Portland Pickles used a nine-run fourth inning to overcome a 3-0 deficit and then cruise to a 18-5 win over the HarbourCats in West Coast League action Sunday night at Walker Stadium in Portland.
The win gave the Pickles the series win, having won game one of the series on Friday.
Victoria appeared to have the game under control, building an early 3-0 lead, thanks in part to a first inning RBI single from Jax Heid, a second inning home run from Marcus Nolan and three innings of shut-out pitching from starter Schuyler Fairchild.
However in the bottom of the fourth inning, Victoria sent reliever Tate Collins to the mound and four walks and a hit batter later, the Pickles cut the deficit to 3-2. Collins was replaced by Houston Tomlinson, but he could not stem the bleeding, and after three more singles, a double, and a HarbourCats error, the Pickles emerged from the inning with a 9-3 lead.
The HarbourCats would never fully recover after that and when the Pickles scored five more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and four more in the bottom of the eighth, their fate was sealed.
On the bright side, David Krahn had another strong day at the plate, going three for five with two runs scored, while Marcus Nolen finished three for three with a home run and pair of RBI.
The HarbourCats now return to the friendly confines of Wilson’s Group Stadium, where they will welcome the Edmonton Riverhawks for the Home Opener on Tuesday evening at 6:35pm. That is followed by our Help Fill a Dream Night on Wednesday at 6:35pm and the our first of two School Spirit Games on Thursday June 4th at 11:00 am.
RIDGEFIELD, WA — The Nanaimo NightOwls were licking some wounds as they rolled north on I-5 on Sunday evening, partially due to a 15-3 series-ending loss to the host Ridgefield Raptors.
Ridgefield took the series two games to one, as both clubs opened the West Coast League season. Nanaimo won the opener 7-6 then dropped the second game 4-3 despite having multiple base runners in the last two innings.
It wasn’t just the score on Sunday afternoon, the NightOwls used three catchers because starter Jack Bergstrom took a foul tip and left the game as a precaution, then second backstop Malachi Noet was hit flush in the face by a pitch while batting — an ambulance was called, but he was able to be on his own power and in good spirits by the end of the game. Third catcher Damian Cataldo, from Victoria of the CCBC, made his WCL debut in relief.
Adison Mattix started the game on the mound and was charged with five runs but only one was earned. Blake Hager, Kaleb Tenn, Josh Rego, Tyler Clementz and Cole Carmichael also pitched.
The NightOwls now set their sights on all the excitement of the home opener, which is on Tuesday against the Kelowna Falcons at historic Serauxmen Stadium (6:35pm first pitch). The brand new video scoreboard will make its debut and bring a whole new level of game presentation to the West Coast League.
Tickets for the home opener are going fast — nanaimonightowls.com/tickets for the official Showpass ticketing site, do not be fooled by googling and ending up at a third-party offshore ticketing website.
Portland, OR – It was billed as “Wrestling Night” in Portland Saturday night and while the wrestlers in the ring on the third base concourse of Walker Stadium did their best to ensure chaos reigned there all night, the HarbourCats did the same on the field, pummelling the Pickles by a score of 15-6.
Victoria atoned for their three-hit performance in the opener on Friday by body slamming the Pickles for 19 hits in total, 14 of which came in the first four innings, allowing them to build a 13-0 lead over that same time span.
The Pickles got up off the mat briefly in the bottom of the fourth, scoring all their six runs in that frame, but never threatened again after that, shut-out the rest of the way.
The HarbourCats offence was led by leadoff hitter David Krahn, who had four hits, including a double, four RBI and four runs scored. Right behind him was Dryden Fuoco with three hits, including a double and the first HarbourCats home run of the season. Max Bernal, Jax Heid, Lukas Le Gras, Matthew Westley, Rhone Klein and Kade Davis also contributed two hits each to the winning effort.
Victoria starter Erik Rico was flat out brilliant in his HarbourCats debut, going three shut-out innings, and allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out six, including the first three Portland batters of the game. Relievers Bryson Toner, Hunter Daniels, Easton Reimers and Anson Stuckly were also solid, combing for 5.1 innings of scoreless relief with eight strikeouts.
The HarbourCats and Pickles will complete the rubber match of the series on Sunday night wth a 6:05 PM start. Victoria then travels home for their opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, June 2 at 6:35. Tickets for that are selling fast and are available at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.
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