The NorthPaws regular season starts with a visit from the reigning North Division Champion Victoria HarbourCats, who last year finished the year 38-15, before falling in the Championship game to the Corvallis Knights 5-0.
The ‘Paws failed to make the postseason in 2023, fighting to a 12-40 overall record.
Kamloops will have a new, yet familiar man at the helm for 2024 as 10-year MLB veteran Jose Bautista will take over as manager after spending the previous two seasons as the NorthPaws pitching coach.
NorthPaws lined up during anthems
Photo by: Allen Douglas
As the season begins Bautista will have a few familiar faces to look to on the bench including a trio of Kamloops locals in #39 Nolan Austin, #27 Manny Recchi, and #23 Matthew MacDonald. Austin and Recchi both played for the TRU WolfPack this past year with fellow returnee #6 Kolby Luckinchuk who is back for his third season with the ‘Paws, a feat only accomplished by himself and Austin. Another name that fans may remember from last season is infielder Anthony Manuel back for his second stint in Kamloops.
Bautista did note that the roster is still fluid as players arrive from their college teams and there is a possibility for more Kamloops locals to be added to the squad.
The 2024 ‘Paws will also have some international flavour on the roster which is dominated by Canadians and Americians. A trio of players from Japan, and one from the Netherlands are spending their summer in Kamloops. All four are listed as pitchers, #25 Hayato Ikeda from Kanagawa, Hideyoshi Kawahara from Tokyo, and #8 Manato Tateno from Tokyo join #4 Casper Rammeloo hailing from Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands are on the roster.
Casper Rammeloo delivers a pitch during the first inning on Wednesday
Photo by: John Hill
The home opener is sponsored by Dearborn Ford with gates opening at 5:00 p.m. and the local band Rooster entertaining the fans both before and after the game. Game day contests include a chance to win a Ford Maverick through the Dearborn Ford golden ticket promotion. There will be giveaways from Molson Coors, and Tourism Kamloops will be on hand. Kamloops’ own Dance Gallery will be making an appearance as well.
The NorthPaws are also offering fans a 10% discount on all merchandise.
UpcomingNorthPaws Schedule
Friday, May 31, 6:35 first pitch vs Victoria
Saturday, June 1, 6:35 first pitch vs Victoria
Sunday, June 2, 2:05 first pitch vs Victoria
Monday, June 3, Off-day
Tuesday, June 4, 6:35 first pitch vs Bellingham (Stingray Country Night)
Wednesday, June 5, 6:35 first pitch vs Bellingham
Thursday, June 6, *11:30 first pitch vs Bellingham (School Spirit Day) *note the start time*
TGI Friday Pack – reserved seat to all Friday regular season home games and a NorthPaws branded New Era 940SS Hat – $149.99 Weekday Warrior Pack – reserved sear to all Wednesday and Thursday home games – $139.99
Family Pack – $99 – four tickets, four non-alcoholic drinks, four hot dogs
Birthday Bundle- $299 x10 Tickets! x10 Hotdogs OR Burgers! x10 Pops! Also Includes: – Visit and photo with Homer! – Signed picture! – PA announcement during the game!
Please join us as we usher in the Holiday Season with our annual Christmas Open House!
When: Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29 Time: 12 Noon to 7 PM each day Where: HarbourCats office 101-1814 Vancouver Street.
Come by to say hello and enjoy some hot cider and other beverages and snacks and talk about our upcoming 2025 season!
Plenty of merchandise on hand for the HarbourCats fan on your Christmas list – all at 20% off for the month of November! Plus plenty of HarbourCats and Victoria Golden Tide items available on our special $10.00 clearance rack!
Season tickets and 10-game flex packs will also be available for sale and as a special BLACK FRIDAY bonus, we will throw in a free-gift with the purchase of any 10-pack or season ticket package.
Wirthgen has MLB bloodlines as the nephew of former MLB slugger and manager Phil Nevin, the first overall pick in the 1992 draft who played for six teams and hit 41 home runs for the Padres in 2001 as part of a 1,200-game career. A strong defensive catcher with power potential, Wirthgen played in the Alaska summer league in 2024.
Teper, also from D1 powerhouse Cal Baptist, is an aviation major who plans to fly planes once his days in pro baseball are over. The lefty will be counted on in key situations this summer, and made 11 appearances, including three starts, in the Alaska league in 2024.
Three players will arrive from the University of Pikeville, where they play for new NightOwls coach Cody Andreychuk — including returning lefty Richtter Castillo, a Venezuelan fan favorite who pitches with a lot of emotion and did strong work out of the bullpen for pitching coach Gorm Heimueller in 2024. Castillo was 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Shaye McTavish, a Canadian addition from Lethbridge, has been a starter at UPike and in the Western Canada summer league. Schultz, another power arm from Lethbridge, has summer experience in the WCBL in Swift Current and is developing into a high leverage righty for Andreychuk.
Season tickets and 10packs are available for 2025 and information can be found by emailing GM Tina Cornett — tina@nanaimonightowls.com
The West Coast League’s 2025 regular season schedule has been announced, and the new Head Coach, a product of the Nanaimo system, can start to plan all the details needed to make the playoffs and a run at the WCL championship.
The NightOwls will open at home in 2025, on Friday, May 30, vs. the Bellingham Bells, the start of a three-game series at historic Serauxmen Stadium that continues with games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
The team again plans a Canada Day fireworks show on the evening of July 1, with the arch rival Victoria HarbourCats as the opposition.
General Manager Tina Cornett and staff are already working on promotional dates that will span the entire season, giving extra reasons for fans to enjoy the sunshine, the down-home concessions and the outstanding baseball played in the WCL.
The NightOwls will play 27 road games, 27 regular season home games, and no fewer than five additional home games against non-league opponents, including the Caged Athletics Selects — a home city series that has been popular since the start of the NightOwls, with games on either side of the WCL all-star game.
Nanaimo’s fabled park will see visits from Bellingham, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Port Angeles, Wenatchee, and the first-ever visit by the South Division powerhouse Corvallis Knights.
The regionalized WCL schedule NightOwls will make road trips to division rivals Victoria, Bellingham, Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton, Wenatchee and Port Angeles.
May 30th: Bellingham Bells – HOME May 31st: Bellingham Bells – HOME June 1st: Bellingham Bells – HOME June 3rd: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY June 4th: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY June 5th: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY June 6th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME June 7th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME June 8th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME June 10th: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME June 11th: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME June 12th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY June 13th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY June 14th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY June 15th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY June 17th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY June 18th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY June 19th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY June 20th: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME June 21st: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME June 22nd: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME June 27th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME June 28th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME June 29th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME July 1st: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME July 2nd: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY July 3rd: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY July 4th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY July 5th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY July 6th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY July 8th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME July 9th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME July 10th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME July 11th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME July 12th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME July 13th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME July 18th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY July 19th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY July 20th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY July 22nd: Corvallis Knights – HOME July 23rd: Corvallis Knights – HOME July 24th: Corvallis Knights – HOME July 25th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY July 26th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY July 27th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY July 29th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY July 30th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY July 31st: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY Aug 1st: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME Aug 2nd: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME Aug 3rd: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME Aug 4th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY Aug 5th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY Aug 6th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY
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