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Summer Collegiate

Bells, Smoke take toll on NorthPaws

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Author: Larry Read

KAMLOOPS, BC—The Kamloops NorthPaws fell into some old habits and had Mother Nature go against them as they were only able to host the Bellingham Bells in two of three scheduled West Coast League baseball games this weekend.

The Bells took advantage of Kamloops not being able to get runs across and some spotty pitching as they took the Paws 3-0 on Friday (July 21) and 11-9 on Saturday (July 22).

The scheduled third game for Sunday (July 23) was cancelled due to poor air quality as a result of many wildfires in the BC Interior including the Ross Moore Lake blaze, 13 kilometres south of Kamloops.

Bellingham is now 6-8 in the second half and 26-15 overall on the season.  Kamloops is 2-12 on the back half of the campaign and is 9-32 overall.

After a day off, the NorthPaws close out their most recent homestand with a three-game series with the Victoria HarbourCats.

Game one of the series is Tuesday, July 25 th at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium. Opening pitch is 6:35 PM.  Victoria has lost their last two outings but have a second half record of 10-5 and are 29-13 overall.

Bellingham has a night off and continues their nine game in 11 night road swing with a stopover in Wenatchee, Washington against the AppleSox.  Game one of the Bells/AppleSox series is Tuesday July 25th.

All West Coast League games are available via their website: https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

SERIES RECAP:

Friday, July 21, 2023: Bells 3 NorthPaws 0

686 people at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium for “Country 103 Night”. The Bells opened the scoring in the top of the third when Coleman Schmidt (Reno, NV) hit a solo home run.  It was his second ‘dinger’ of the season.

Bellingham went up 2-0 in the seventh when Cole Yoshida (Vasalia, CA) doubled and scored driving in Ty Saunders (Anacordes, WA).  The other Bells run came in the eighth when Andrew Valdez (Visalia, CA) walked and scored on a wild pitch delivered by NorthPaws reliever Marty Recchi (Kamloops, BC).

Schmidt was 1-4 with a run scored and a run batted in. Yoshida was also 1-4 with a run batted in.  Sanders was 1-4 with a run scored. Riley Parker (Snohomish, WA) was 1-3 with a run batted in as well for Bellingham.

Offensively, Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) was 2-4.  Drew Giannini (Tracy, CA) was 2-3 while Phoenix Sommay (Temecula, CA) was 1-3. 

Ryan Beitel (Surrey, BC) was the winning pitcher for Bellingham. He moves to 4-1 on the year in his seventh start of the summer. He had a four hitter over four innings and had four strikeouts. Hunter Long (Ladera Ranch,CA) pitched three innings for the save.  He struck out five and gave up two hits. It was his first save in five appearances.

Christian Spitz (Overland Park, KS) started his fifth game of the year and was tagged with the loss for Kamloops, He is 1-3 .  In this game he went five innings, giving up two hits, one run, striking out four and walking five.

Link to Scoresheet:  http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598689

Saturday, July 22, 2023: Bells 11 NorthPaws 9

This was a see saw battle. Bellingham scored twice in the opening inning and were up 3-0 after an inning and a half.  Kamloops scored three times in the bottom of the second to tie it.

Then, with the score deadlocked at four in the bottom of the fifth, Kamloops scored four times to take an 8-4 lead.   The Bells would then score four in the sixth inning and add three more in the seventh to take an 11-8 lead before the NorthPaws would add one more.   Bellingham scored 11 runs on 10 hits and committed one error to Kamloops’ nine runs on 10 hits and four errors.

Yoshida was 2-3 with two runs scored and three runs batted in to lead Bellingham offensively.  Dean West (Woodland Hills, CA) hit a homer to lead off the second inning. It was his first ‘round tripper’ of the campaign. He was 3-5 with three runs scored and two runs batted in.

Kamloops was led by Gage Mestas (Durango, CA). He was 4-5 with a double and triple and five runs batted in. Sommay was 2-4 with two runs scored and had a run batted in. Giannini was 1-5 with a run batted in and a run scored.

Thompson Rivers University WolfPack player Lucas Maricle (Trail, BC) made his NorthPaws debut in relief and was tagged with the loss. He went two thirds of an inning giving up two hits, four runs, walking two and striking out one. He was the second of five Kamloops pitchers.   Tomas Urbina (Avondale, AZ) was the winner for Bellingham to increase his record to 3-1. He pitched one inning.  Trevin Hope (Blaine, WA) pitched three innings for his first save in six appearances. He gave up one run on two hits, walking one and striking out one.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598690

Sunday, July 23, 2023: Game Cancelled due to poor air quality

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

On two games:

“We were right there to win both of those games.  We cant get over the top for some reason. One night we hit the ball.  I think we had five hits the first night.  All of the five hits were with two outs.  No one was on base.  We couldn’t get a hit. Saturday, we scored well but unfortunately our pitching fell apart.  Unfortunately, we made some errors, which we hadn’t done for a while (NorthPaws with four errors).  Those errors led to runs by them. They came back and we weren’t able to get any closer.”

On upcoming series hosting Victoria/pitching and cancelled game Sunday.:

“They beat us pretty good to start the season.  We weren’t hitting or didn’t pitch well.  We have three good starters going against them.  Even though it was bad we couldn’t play today (Sunday), it actually helps us for the standpoint of our pitching. They got an extra day off.  The numbers (of pitchers) are way down. It is just like ‘chess pieces’ now.  Just trying to match guys—having them pitch an inning or so out of the pen. It is a struggle. We have to get nine innings done and sometimes we just don’t have enough arms.  We got starters. We have enough for every game. It’s the guys coming in behind them where we aren’t getting it done right now.”

NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:

The Victoria HarbourCats will be in town for a three game series (July 25-27).   The teams met in Victoria on the opening weekend of the season where the HarbourCats swept the NorthPaws.  

Wednesday (July 26) will see the NorthPaws honor their “Host Families” during the contest.

PLAYERS TO WATCH ON THE HARBOURCATS:

Hudson Shupe (West Richland, WA). The shortstop leads the West Coast League in hitting at .394.

Tyler Davis (Fresno, CA)  has the second most homers in the WCL with 6. He is eighth in the league in hitting with an average of .331.

Dalls Macias (Marker, Col) is 10th in the West Coast League in hitting at .327.

Nick Dumesnil (Huntington, CA) is tied for sixth in the league in homers with four.

Logan MacNeil (Vancouver, BC) leads the HarbourCats in Earned Run Average at 1.50. He has played seven games and has a record of 4-0.

If you can’t make the home games, they are all webcast on  https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ .   Some home games will also be shown on Shaw TV in Kamloops (Cable 10 or 105 with Blue Curve).

NEW FAN PROMOTION:

The NorthPaws are looking for their newest fans.  The team is running a promotion right now which sees you capture a $15 ticket for any home game for the remainder of the season. There are only 100 of these tickets avvilable.  Visit tickets.northpawsbaseball.ca and click “Find tickets” on the game you would like to attend. Enter “NEWESTFAN’ into the promo code box and the tickets are unlocked!.

TAILGATE PARTY:

The Molson’s Tailgate Party is operating before every NorthPaws home game.   It runs Tuesday through Saturday 5-630 PM.  The Party runs Sundays noon-1 PM.  Hotdogs and a Pilsner are sold for $ 12.00 plus tax.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Season Memberships now available for 2027

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Renew or book new memberships by September 30, 2026 for your chance to win a return flight on HarbourAir to Vancouver.

August 25, 2026

Victoria, BC – Season Ticket Memberships and 12-Flex and 24-Flex Ticket packages are now available for purchase and renewal for the 2027 Victoria HarbourCats season.

All renewals and new memberships, as well as any purchasers of 24-Flex ticket packages that occur by September 30, 2026, will be entered into a draw to receive a return trip ticket to Vancouver courtesy of HarbourAir. Two such prizes will be awarded.

In addition, all renewals, new memberships and 24-Flex purchasers, will have first right to purchase 2027 West Coast League All-Star game and Home Run Derby Tickets once they are available later this fall.

New members may order their memberships on-line if desired at https://www.showpass.com/m/victoria-harbourcats-season-tickets/ or by calling the office at 778-265-0327.

Existing members who have accounts in good standing on SHOWPASS can simply log into their account to renew, or can also call the office or pop in to pay for their 2027 seats.

Season tickets offer the utmost in savings over single-game pricing and have the benefit of including all non-league and exhibition games (except All-Star events) as well as free playoff tickets should we qualify in 2027.

FULL-SEASON MEMBER PERKS

* Same seat every game!
* Free playoff tickets!
* Non-League games and special event games (except 2027 All-Star Game Events) included at no extra cost!
* First right of refusal for purchase of tickets to other special events when scheduled
* SHOWPASS Online Account Management
* No Ticket Wasted Program and On-Line Exchange
* Cat Shop Merchandise Discount (15%)
* No extra charges for Premium game pricing (Home Opener and Fireworks nights)

2027 MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
General Admission – $425 + GST – First-come, first-served rush seating in the silver bleachers behind Sections 6, 8,9 and 11 and in the soccer grandstand down the first baseline.

Premium Reserved – $525 + GST – Assigned seating along the first base line (Sections 6-9) and third baseline (Sections 11-12). Close to the action! Only 8 rows in each section.

ReMax Grandstand Reserved – $600 + GST – Assigned seating in Rows E-M in the covered grandstand directly behind home plate. Padded seats (bottom), and access to the mobile Fan Food in-seat food and beverage ordering system with in-seat delivery.

Peterbilt Pacific Club Seats – $725 + GST – Assigned seating in Rows A-D in the covered grandstand directly behind home plate. Close to the action! Padded seats (backs and bottom), and access to the mobile Fan Food in-seat food and beverage ordering system with in-seat delivery.

NEW FOR 2027! Nordic Fencing Dugout – $725 + GST – VIP on-field seating, right next to the HarbourCats dugout down the first base line. Comfy custom sling back style chairs. Access to the mobile Fan Food in-seat food and beverage ordering system with in-seat delivery.

Elements Casino Diamond Club – $850 + GST – (SOLD OUT, WAIT LIST) – VIP on-field seating, closer to home plate than the pitcher! Comfy custom sling back style chairs. Access to the mobile Fan Food in-seat food and beverage ordering system with in-seat delivery.

MILITARY 2 for 1 DISCOUNT
If you are an active or retired military member, we offer a 2 for 1 discount on season tickets. This is NOT available to book on-line, so if interested in this, please call our office at 778-265-0327, or stop in at the office at 1814 Vancouver Street and we will set this up for you.

2027 FLEX PACKS

12 and 24-game Flex Packs are also now available on-line or at the office and offer the utmost in flexibility for those who can’t make every game. Redeemable for any regular season games including opening night and fireworks night (not eligible for All-Star events or playoffs). Flex packs essentially serve as ticket credits that you apply to a purchase and come in both digital format (a single discount code that you use for every redemption), or hardcopy paper vouchers (each with a distinct discount code printed on them).

Digital vouchers are perfect if you will be using the vouchers just for yourself and redeeming all the tickets under your account. These can be purchased on-line at the appropriate links at HarbourCats.com/tickets

Hardcopy vouchers are better suited if you plan on distributing vouchers to family, friends, clients, etc. and then having them redeem using the voucher codes. Hardcopy vouchers are NOT available online but can be arranged by calling the office at 778-265-0327 or dropping in to set up.

2027 FLEX PACK PRICING
General Admission: 12-Game $225 + GST | 24-Game $399 + GST
Premium Reserved: 12-Game $280 + GST | 24-Game $499 + GST
ReMax Grandstand Reserved: 12-Game $340 + GST | 24-Game $575 + GST

Flex Packs are not available in Peterbilt Club, Nordic Fencing Dugout, or Elements Casino Diamond Club seating.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact the office at 778-265-0327 or e-mail Christian at chris@harbourcats.com.

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Arnett honoured as WCL Pitcher of the Year

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August 24, 2026

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to announce that Pitcher Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) has been honoured as the West Coast League Pitcher of the Year for 2026.

Arnett was simply outstanding all season and in his 10 appearances, all starts, he built a record of 5-2, an ERA of 2.15 and struck out 66 batters. He led the league in all three of those statistical categories (among eligible pitchers), ergo winning the league’s pitching Triple Crown.

“Jeremiah’s recognition as Pitcher of the Year is the ultimate reward for a young man who possesses an unwavering professionalism and a genuine passion for his craft,” said HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney.

“To secure the league’s triple crown and shatter our franchise strikeout record requires immense talent, dedication and discipline. Our entire organization is incredibly proud of Jeremiah.”

In addition to being the HarbourCats Pitcher of the Year, a 2026 North Division All-Star and a First Team All-WCL Selection, Arnett now adds the title of West Coast League Pitcher of the Year to his resume.

“Jeremiah is a phenomenal person and player, and I’m extremely proud of his selection as the WCL Pitcher of the Year,” added HarbourCats Pitching Coach Zach Swanson. “Every single day, on and off the field, he was relentlessly seeking to improve his process, knowing it would turn into desired results on the mound.”

Arnett, who will be entering his Senior year at Rice, becomes the second HarbourCat in franchise history to have received Pitcher of the Year honours, the other being Jack Owen (Auburn) in 2017. Owen was drafted in 2019 by St. Louis and then went on to have a four year minor league career in the Oakland A’s system.

“Jeremiah Arnett was every bit as dominant on the mound, and it’s fitting he joins Owen in Victoria’s history books,” said WCL Commissioner Rob Neyer in a statement. “Both of these players represent exactly what makes summer collegiate baseball special.”

Season Ticket Memberships for the 2027 HarbourCats Season are now available for purchase or renewal. New members may order their seats on-line if desired at http://harbourcats.com/tickets (click the Memberships tab), or by calling the office at 778-265-0327. Existing members who have accounts in good standing on SHOWPASS can simply log into their account to renew, or can also call the office or pop in to pay for their 2027 seats.

The HarbourCats 2027 schedule is expected to be announced in late October 2027, with single-game tickets expected be to available by December 1, 2027.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Five HarbourCats earn “All-WCL” accolades

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Pitcher Jeremiah Arnett headlines a list of five HarbourCats who earned “All-WCL” honours in 2026 (Photo: Justin Morash)

August 20, 2026

Victoria, BC – The West Coast League announced their 1st and 2nd “All-WCL” teams and Honourable Mentions today and the HarbourCats are pleased to have five HarbourCats who earned recognition for their stellar play in 2026.

Leading the way were pitchers Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) and Erik Rico (Fresno State), both of whom earned ALL-WCL First Team honours.  Arnett was simply brilliant this year, winning the WCL pitching triple crown with five wins, 66 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA to headline the first-team pitching selections. Rico was not far behind with 64 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA. Both were named to the 2026 North Division All-Star team in July and Rico won Pitcher of the Week honours in early July.

All-WCL Second Team honours went to another 2026 All-Star David Krahn (UBC) and to pitcher Davis Lee (Hawaii-Hilo).  Krahn finished the year with a .307 batting average, with 31 RBI and nine home runs, a new HarbourCats single season record.  Lee was quietly impressive on the mound, appearing in 13 games and amassing a record of 3-0 and an ERA of 2.95 with 35 strikeouts in 21.1 innings of work.

Finally, earning Honourable Mention was HarbourCats Designated Hitter Logan Shepherd (Mercer). An All-Star in 2025, Shepherd had another solid season for the ‘Cats in 2026 finishing with a .286 average with four home runs and 26 RBI.  His four home runs put him two shy of the HarbourCats career franchise record.

HarbourCats 2027 Season Tickets and 12 and 24-Game Flex packs will soon be on sale and available for renewal, with single-game tickets anticipated to be on sale in early December once the 2027 schedule is announced. Keep an eye on the HarbourCats website and social media for more information.

HarbourCats merchandise is now available at the office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or on-line at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/. Many items, including 2026 All-Star gear, are now on special clearance pricing and need to go to make way for 2027 merchandise.  Don’t miss out and grab your swag today!

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