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 Lose Control of Game Three in Edmonton

Published

2 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria made four costly errors in this one to give Edmonton an advantage (Photo by JPM Photography)

Edmonton, AB – The HarbourCats were unable to complete the sweep, falling 9-5 to the Riverhawks on Thursday night.

Edmonton knocked Bryson Toner (Hawaii) around a little in the first three innings, but the right-hander stayed locked in and only let one run slip by on six hits.

BOX SCORE

The Cats returned fire in the top of the fourth, putting pressure on the Riverhawks defence to load the bases and score a run off the bat of Kade Davis (UTSA).

Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) entered the game with the score tied at one apiece, striking out two batters in the fourth inning to keep Victoria’s momentum going.

The Riverhawks made some noise in the fifth to take back control of the game, shaking down Reimers for four more runs and ending the inning with a 5-1 lead over the HarbourCats.

Tate Collins (Arkansas State) took the field for the Cats in the bottom of the sixth and wasted no time getting the job done, tossing a clean inning out of the pen.

The Cats were stricken with the error bug in inning number seven, coughing up a handful of runs as a result of some less-than-stellar defensive play.

Victoria loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth and closed the distance with four more runs before inning’s end, but the comeback was unsuccessful en route to a 9-5 Edmonton victory.

With this series complete, the HarbourCats will be back in Victoria starting Friday night for a three-game series versus the Springfield Drifters.

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 – Cats Keep it Rolling in Rainy Rout of Riverhawks

Published

1 day ago

June 10, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The Cats’ bats have been hot since arriving in Edmonton, scoring a total of 12 runs in two games. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Edmonton, AB – The HarbourCats secured their second consecutive win in Edmonton on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 8-5.

Just like last night, the upper hand belonged to Victoria early in the ballgame. Lukas Le Gras (Westmont) drove a ball back up the middle into centre field, booking two Cats runners a return flight to home plate to make it 2-0.

BOX SCORE

The HarbourCats starting pitcher was utterly dominant once again, with Erik Rico (Fresno State) locking things down in this one. Rico went four innings, only allowing one hit and amassing a tidy five strikeouts while setting down ten batters in a row to finish off his outing.

David Krahn (UBC), who has been all over the scoresheet in this series, dashed home on an Edmonton error to widen the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Logan Shepherd (Mercer) cruised into second base on a double smashed to right field and would eventually score on yet another error committed by the Riverhawks infield. Tristan Buehring (Whitman) was more than happy to add on a couple more runs before inning’s end, and suddenly the Cats were out front 6-0 with four unearned runs in one frame.

Logan Shepherd (Mercer) was a force in this one, going 3-5 with a double and a run scored (Photo by JPM Photography)

Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State) was deployed from the bullpen to take over for Erik Rico. The Riverhawks finally earned their first run of the series, but were otherwise contained by Tomlinson, who went back to the dugout leading by five runs.

After a lengthy rain delay, the Cats returned none worse for wear and batted in two more runs in the top of the seventh, extending the lead to 8-2.

The rain necessitated a pitching change, and it would be Asher Clark (Northern Colorado) who got the nod. Clark got into some hot water in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases and coughing up a couple of runs before being swapped out for the other Clark. Jack Clark (CSU San Marcos) secured a double play and struck out a batter to deftly escape the jam with the lead intact, if a little bruised.

Jack Clark returned for the eighth and ninth and was airtight, giving up just one hit over three total innings to nail down an 8-5 victory for the HarbourCats.

WCL STANDINGS

The Edmonton series will come to an end tomorrow night, and the Cats return home this weekend for three games against the Springfield Drifters!

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Shut Down Riverhawks 4-0 in Edmonton

Published

2 days ago

June 10, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Infielder David Krahn (UBC) opened the scoring with a two-run dinger. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Edmonton, AB – The HarbourCats rolled into Edmonton and left their mark early, cruising to a 4-0 victory over the Riverhawks.

David Krahn (UBC) was more than happy to get things started in this one, silencing the Edmonton crowd by blasting a two-run shot in the top of the third for his first homer of the 2026 season.

BOX SCORE

Coastal Carolina right-hander Hudson Lance put on a stellar performance on the mound for the HarbourCats. The Trinity, North Carolina product rumbled through six innings without much trouble, not allowing any runs on just two hits and striking out three Riverhawks along the way.

Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) clipped the Hawks’ wings over two thirds of the ballgame to make room for a HarbourCats win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Lance was relieved by Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) for the bottom of the seventh, who set Edmonton down in order to keep the Cats in front.

David Krahn was cut down at second base pushing for a double in the top of the eighth inning, but not before driving in another run to push the Cats’ lead to 3-0. Victoria tacked on one more in the ninth, Logan Shepherd (Mercer) scoring in his season debut on a sacrifice fly delivered by Marcus Nolen (Fresno State).

Daniel Tovar closed things out with no runs on one hit over three innings, completing the 4-0 win to open the series.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats are back in action tomorrow for a 10:05 am ballgame in an attempt to clinch the series win in Edmonton, and will return home on Friday, June 12 for a weekend series with the Springfield Drifters.

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