West Coast League

Back Page Athletics (Innagural Essay)

Good morning to all sports enthusiasts, fellow islanders, and Victorian brethren. Salute to everybody that clicked the post today & took the time to rock with Back Page Athletics. After many months of contemplation, I have finally decided to launch an official Sports Blog, and thus here we are. Why, Kay? Well, to be proper,…

Published

3 years ago

April 24, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Good morning to all sports enthusiasts, fellow islanders, and Victorian brethren. Salute to everybody that clicked the post today & took the time to rock with Back Page Athletics.

After many months of contemplation, I have finally decided to launch an official Sports Blog, and thus here we are.

Why, Kay?

Well, to be proper, I’ve dedicated the last 12 months of my creative life to loyally covering my hometown Western Hockey League team, the Victoria Royals. In doing so, I’ve gained a loyal base of readers, met many incredible people, and also fallen in love with the Victoria Harbourcats of the West Coast (Baseball) League.

Despite my feverish passion for writing, community, & sport, my blog, The Royals Report, was less a blog and more so just me posting Notes to my Twitter account.

Did it serve its purpose? 100%

Did it help build my confidence & sharpen my pen? Undeniably.

Was it a brand to build upon & stand behind? Maybe not.

So, with that expressed, this post is us officially taking a massive step forward in the world of local & independent sports journalism.

So, what exactly can you expect from Back Page Athletics?

At this point, on Day One, BPA will serve as the home base for a two-headed Blog-monster.

Scary? Not so much.

Two-Headed Monster —

I could not be any more stoked to launch my first Season covering the beloved Victoria Harbourcats. Not only is this top-tier local organization a complete Wagon of success that regularly produces Big League Talent, but this is also the 10th Anniversary Season for this incredible organization. How could this summer be even more hype? This off-season, the WCL officially became a developmental league for Major League Baseball, thus propelling the credibility of this club to heights never seen before. So, what can you expect from BPA? Weekly Think-Tank articles, Players & Coach interviews, In-Game content, Franchise lore & historical moments, and intensive Alumni coverage all year round.

I fully intend on taking The Royals Report to a whole new level moving forward into the 2023/24 campaign. Despite not posting as much content as I would’ve hoped for last season due to family & health limitations, I’m eager to completely blow the doors off & ramp up my coverage tenfold. Despite the lingering sting from another season without playoff hockey on the Island, I am more pumped for the ‘23/24 schedule than I probably should, and that’s called being an enthusiast. Let’s go, Royals. New reports will be coming soon.

Without taking up too much of your Easter weekend, I wanted to end this inaugural essay by stating the following.

With the creation of Back Page Athletics, I’m passionately looking forward to the future of my reporting full of fire & inspiration in the hopes of helping to bring the already impressive Island sports media to the next level.

With that said, expect an inaugural The Cats Report article or two dropping next week and many more to follow. It’s going to be a scene, y’all.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank you all in advance for reading & following BPA. I honestly can’t wait to write for & cheer with you all, while also having the opportunity to get to know all of you during this upcoming year & beyond. Let’s take this Sporting community to the next level.

If not us, then who?

Go Cats.

Go Royals.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Pummel Bells in 17-6 Victory

Published

13 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria unleashed 11 runs in the sixth inning, paving the way to a resounding win over the top team in the West Coast League. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – A grand slam followed by an 11-run inning led to a robust win over the Bellingham Bells on Friday night, with the Cats claiming a 17-6 win.

BOX SCORE

The Cats looked a little trigger-happy in the first third of the game, only seeing 15 pitches from Bellingham’s starter. This enthusiasm didn’t earn much, with just two HarbourCats reaching base in a quick three innings.

On the other side of the coin, Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) made quick work of the Bells as well, refusing to allow them the luxury of a hit through four innings and earning five strikeouts on the side. Jake Rafferty (Tacoma) took up the torch for the fifth, getting himself into a sticky situation with a couple of wild pitches before finding his way out with a zero on the board.

Jeremiah Arnett allowed zero runs in a four-inning start. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The HarbourCats finally dug their claws in for the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases just in time for David Krahn (UBC). The British Columbia local stepped up to the plate and delivered, utterly pulverizing a ball to left field for an electrifying grand slam, breaking the seal and taking a 4-0 lead for the home side.

Bellingham responded passionately in the next inning, sneaking a run in on a base hit followed by a three-run blast off of Cats reliever Spencer Kratt (San Jose State). Victoria shrugged it off and pulled out all the stops in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of a Bellingham error and finding hits from Lukas Le Gras (Westmont), Bryan Bradshaw (UC San Diego), Rohne Klein (San Jose State) et al to jump out in front of the Bells. By the time the smoke cleared on a long sixth inning, the Cats were suddenly up 15-4. Not too shabby.

Surrey, B.C.’s Marcus Janovsky (UBC) entered the game in the seventh to face a battered and bruised group of Bells, who snuck home on a sloppy relay from the outfield to scratch away at the 11-run lead standing over them.

Unwilling to let up after taking a comfortable lead, the Cats kept their foot on the gas in the bottom of the seventh. Designated hitter Jacob Silva (UTSA) batted in a pair of runs with a one-out single, pushing the score to a humble 17-6 with two innings to go.

Hunter Daniels (Phoenix College) came in from the bullpen to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a booming victory for the HarbourCats in their first game against the top team in the West Coast League Standings.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats get another crack at the Bells on Saturday night at 6:35 pm, and the series comes to an end with an afternoon game on Sunday.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Silenced by NightOwls in 2-1 Loss

Published

2 days ago

June 26, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Despite out-hitting the NightOwls, two solo homers in the fourth inning was all Nanaimo needed to overpower the visiting Cats. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Nanaimo, B.C. – The Island Rivalry Series came to an end in Nanaimo on Thursday evening, with the Cats offence held quiet in a 2-1 loss to the NightOwls.

Erik Rico (Fresno State) was dominant in the opening third of the ballgame, keeping Nanaimo scoreless with six strikeouts. The Cats starter wavered in the bottom of the fourth, surrendering a solo homer for the first blemish on his previously spotless ERA this season. The NightOwls took the opportunity to pummel another ball over the wall, taking a 2-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning.

BOX SCORE

The Cats had their first real offensive opportunity in the top of the seventh, moving Rohne Klein (San Jose State) over to third after a leadoff single. Nanaimo’s defenses held strong, however, and Klein was stranded to end the inning.

Victoria finally broke through in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Kade Davis, but one run was all they could muster. Nanaimo closed it out in the top of the ninth to claim a series victory in the first Island Rivalry Series of the year.

Northern Kentucky reliever Daniel Tovar was introduced to the ballgame in the fifth inning, powering through two scoreless innings before handing the ball over to Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State). Tomlinson worked his way across the seventh and eighth, picking up a strikeout and allowing two hits in two innings.

WCL STANDINGS

With the Nanaimo series complete, the Cats will now host the Bellingham Bells in a weekend series at home, beginning Friday night at 6:35 pm.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Nanaimo Hands Cats 8-3 Loss to Tie Series

Published

3 days ago

June 25, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The NightOwls rolled into town and squashed the HarbourCats on a warm Wednesday night, tying the series and forcing an 8-3 loss on Victoria.

Nanaimo opened the scoring early in the second game of the series, getting a couple of men on in the first inning and cashing in a run on a single up the middle to take control of the game. The visitors tacked on a couple more in their next trip to the plate, taking advantage of an eastward wind for a two-run homer to make it 3-0 in the second inning. It was the first long ball surrendered all season by Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina), and the first multi-run effort against the right-hander as well.

BOX SCORE

Retaliation came off the bat of Max Bernal (Fresno Pacific) in the bottom of the second, who fired a double straight into the gap and scored a runner from first to cut into Nanaimo’s lead. The NightOwls, however, got them right back. A ground ball caromed off two Cats in the bottom of the third inning, giving a Nanaimo baserunner time to find his way home to restore the three-run gap.

Hudson Lance worked his way through 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs on ten hits with four strikeouts. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The NightOwls rocked their second long ball of the game to lead off the top of the fifth, followed by a base hit into centre field to push their lead to 7-1 at the midway point of the ballgame. This would spell the end of Hudson Lance’s start, as the Cats tagged in Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) to finish off the inning.

Reimers locked in for a powerful performance, striking out six NightOwls in just three innings to keep the score from getting any further out of hand. Reimers was swapped out for Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) in the eighth inning, who worked the final two innings for the Cats.

Matt Westley (George Mason) let fly an absolute laser over the fence for a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, but it was too little too late as Victoria fell short to Nanaimo by a score of 8-3.

WCL STANDINGS

The series comes to an end tomorrow night in Nanaimo, following which the HarbourCats will engage with the Bellingham Bells for a weekend series in Victoria.

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