Summer Collegiate

Bend but dont break: NorthPaws hang on to win and sweep the Lefties

Published

8 months ago

June 2, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws won a thrilling game on Sunday afternoon 10-9 to secure a season-opening sweep of the Port Angeles Lefties. The NorthPaws scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning but had to fight off the Lefties, who scored eight of their nine runs in the final five innings.

Once again, the Lefties got the game’s first run in the bottom of the first. After having runners on the corners with only one out, they cashed in on a chopper to first that Keegan Drinkle elected to take to the base himself for an out.

Kamloops answered when shortstop Anthony Setticasi had the bases loaded with one out and legged out a potential double-play ball that scored Kalen Applefield. In the third, second baseman Joey Marino drove in a run and would later score a run because of an error by the Lefty’s second baseman. A fourth-inning Manny Recchi sacrifice fly would put the NorthPaws up 4-1.

It was the Lefty’s turn to respond in the fifth with a one-out single that cut the lead to two. In the sixth, the Levites got a two-out rally going, capitalizing on a pair of walks, a wild pitch, and a single that scored both runners on base to tie the game. Port Angeles would take the lead later in the inning with another single. In the seventh, they kept their foot on the gas, bringing two more home with, you guessed it… another single.

The NorthPaws offence was shut down by right-handed pitcher Cade Stuart, who went three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit. Going into the top of the eighth, Stuart made way for Liam Karlson. The NorthPaws saw their opportunity and pounced.

A single and a walk set up right fielder Jared Hall, who sent an RBI single to right field. Center fielder Ethan Kodama walked and set up third baseman Kieran Gaffney with the bases loaded and nobody out. Gaffney delivered with a single that brought home two more runs, tying the game at seven all. Anthony Setticassi sent a sharp ground ball to third, and the force play at the plate was thought to have been made with the bases loaded, but the Lefties catcher didn’t have his foot on home plate, allowing the run to score and everyone reach safely. Two wild pitches would bring home the fifth and sixth runs of the inning as Kamloops sent 10 men to bat and now lead 10-7.

“It was great to see the offence stick with their approach and breakthrough in the eighth,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson.

The Lefties would hang around and score in the eighth and mount yet another two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth. A two-out bloop hit and a walk allowed the Lefties to load the bases with two outs. Righty Cade Webber was on for the save and walked his second straight batter on a controversial call on a full-count pitch that was deemed just high by the home plate umpire. Either way, a run scored, and the winning run was all of a sudden 180 feet away. Facing yet another full count, Webber delivered a high fastball in a similar shop that was called for strike three, ending the game.

“I was a little stressed, but the team seemed very composed; I trust those guys in the back end of the bullpen, and they got the job done; it was a great win,” said Jepson

For Cade Webber, it was his first appearance of the season, and it came at a crucial moment for the NorthPaws. The inning could’ve gotten away from him, but his coach had faith in his abilities.

“You can tell he loves the moment; I don’t think that phased him,” said Pitching coach Jack Slominski.

With the sweep, the NorthPaws have started 3-0 for the first time since 2022, a milestone that has the team and coaching staff excited.

“It’s awesome. Hopefully, this brings more of our fans out to home games, but before we get there, we’re going to have a tough test this week in Bellingham,” said Jepson.

The team will be off on Monday before travelling to Bellingham for a three-game series against the Bells. The NorthPaws will play their first home game on June 6th against the Kelowna Falcons.

Source

Summer Collegiate

John Wilson Named As New Team President

Published

1 week ago

January 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Respected island businessman John Wilson has been named President of the company that oversees the successful collegiate baseball teams based in Victoria and Nanaimo.

Wilson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and whose family owns and operates the Wilson’s Group of Companies, has been part of the core ownership group of the Victoria HarbourCats since 2015, and the Nanaimo NightOwls since inception in 2020 (started play in 2022). The NightOwls, a rival to the HarbourCats on the field, play at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

Wilson takes the position from Ken Swanson, who remains on the board after a solid 10-year run as team president. The group also operates the Victoria Collegiate (CCBC) baseball program and the busy indoor facility on Cook St., the Edwards Family Training Centre.

“Ken has led the corporate structure well, and he’s deserving of a break,” said Wilson. “We have a strong and committed group of owners and staff and a refresh is good for us all, keeping these teams playing great baseball and positively impacting these amazing communities in a stable, creative manner. Ken literally leaves big shoes to fill.”

The HarbourCats, which started play in 2013, will host the WCL All-Star Game in 2026 and 2027, showcasing the island’s immense love of baseball and the team that helped produce eight current MLB players including Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays), Nick Pivetta (Padres), Cade Smith (Guardians), Andrew Vaughn (Brewers) and Chase Meidroth (White Sox). The 2026 all-star festival will take place July 14-15 using Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and sites around the South Island, with exciting details to come.

Wilson and Swanson lead a nine-member ownership group that includes Rich Harder, Helen Edwards, Mike Macdonell, Sean Finn, Vic Vendetti, John Schnaderbeck and Jim Swanson.

“No one knows the community like John, so we are all looking forward to what will be a flawless transition that will bring some new life to the organization,” said Ken Swanson.

The management structure remains the same — former GM Jim Swanson in the Managing Partner role, overseeing day-to-day operations, assisted by Adrian Somers (Business Operations and Marketing). In Victoria, Christian Stewart (General Manager) and John Pollard (Marketing Director) remain in place, while Tina Cornett continues her strong leadership in Nanaimo as General Manager, with Kent Malpass overseeing the concession.

The teams maintain wholly separate coaching staffs and recruiting processes — veteran Todd Haney, a five-year MLB player, as the sixth-year Head Coach in Victoria, and local product Cody Andreychuk, a collegiate program head coach at University of Pikeville, enters his second season in Nanaimo, assisted by pitching coach Gorman Heimueller, who has three World Series rings from his 50 years in the game.

Tickets are selling fast…get yours today. www.NanaimoNightOwls.com/ticketinfo

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – John Wilson named president of island WCL teams, HarbourCats and NightOwls

Published

1 week ago

January 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

January 27, 2026

For immediate release

VICTORIA and NANAIMO, BC — Respected island businessman John Wilson has been named President of the company that oversees the successful collegiate baseball teams based in Victoria and Nanaimo, effective immediately.

Wilson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and whose family owns and operates the Wilson’s Group of Companies, has been part of the core ownership group of the Victoria HarbourCats since 2015, and the Nanaimo NightOwls since inception of the second island WCL team in 2020 (started play in 2022). The NightOwls, a rival to the HarbourCats on the field, play at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

The HarbourCats, which started play in 2013, will host the WCL All-Star Game in 2026 and 2027, showcasing the island’s immense love of baseball and the team that helped produce eight MLB products including current MLB players Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays), Nick Pivetta (Padres), Cade Smith (Guardians), Andrew Vaughn (Brewers) and Chase Meidroth (White Sox). The 2026 all-star festival will take place July 14-15 using Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and sites around the South Island, with exciting details to come.

Wilson and Swanson lead a nine-member ownership group that includes Rich Harder, Helen Edwards, Mike Macdonell, Sean Finn, Vic Vendetti, John Schnaderbeck and Jim Swanson.

“No one knows the community like John, so we are all looking forward to what will be a flawless transition that will bring some new life to the organization,” said Ken Swanson.

The Victoria HarbourCats will begin their 2026 West Coast League season in late May of 2026, with the home opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 6:35pm.

Plenty of excitement is on board for 2026 including:

Three fireworks nights (June 6, 30 and August 3)
Two 11:00 AM School Spirit Games (June 4 and 18)
Five Family Fun Sunday Matinees (June 7, 14, 28 July 19 and 26)
$12 Tuesdays and Thursdays (June 16, July 2, 7, 9, 28 and 30)
The 2026 WCL All-Star Game and Home Run Derby (July 14-15)

Season ticket memberships, single-game tickets, 12-game flex packs (new for 2026!) and 2026 WCL All-Star Game ticket packages are now on sale for the HarbourCats 2026 season at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

All ticket types and team merchandise are also available at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, Tuesday thru Friday, 10am-5pm.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Four San Jose State stars slated to land in Victoria this summer

Published

2 weeks ago

January 21, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

January 20, 2026

VICTORIA, BC — A former HarbourCats outfielder, a member of the record-breaking WCL team in 2016, knew he wanted to send players he now coaches to a great summer baseball factory.

Jarron Silva, then an outfielder from UCLA, really enjoyed his time in Victoria, on a team that won a record 40 games, including 19 in a row at one point.

Now as an assistant coach at San Jose State, he connected with veteran HarbourCats coach Todd Haney to secure development spots for two pitchers and two position players.

“Jarron was a spark plug for that 2016 team, and he remembers the fan support and atmosphere at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP — Victoria is a baseball city,” said Managing Partner Jim Swanson. “We are excited to see the pitchers signed, and to see the power in Rohne Klein and Ethan Nunez — they have the potential to represent Victoria when we host the WCL All-Star Game on July 15.”

Four Spartans and a versatile fielder from George Mason, Matthew Westley, have been signed by Coach Haney:

RHP Landon Marchetti, San Jose State, 5-11/190, Brentwood, CA
RHP Spencer Kratt, San Jose State, 6-0/210, Woodland Hills, CA
IF Rohne Klein, San Jose State, 6-4/230, L/R, Renton, WA
OF Ethan Nunez, San Jose State, 6-4/190, R/R, Chino Hills, CA
IF/OF Matthew Westley, George Mason, 6-1/210, R/R, Manassas, VA

Marchetti, previously at UC San Diego, has nearly 30 games of college experience, including five starts, and used a lower lefty arm slot to register high strikeout numbers in high school. Kratt is a power righty who runs it up to 92, a transfer from LA Valley College.

Landon Marchetti delivers a pitch while playing for the UC San Diego in 2025.

Klein, a transfer to SJSU from Utah, is a developing power bat who also is noted for a strong arm — can play third, outfield or first. He’s an athlete, playing both quarterback and linebacker on his high school team.

Nunez is a transfer from Colorado Mesa, where he was the RMAC freshman of the year — and he will miss the spring as a redshirt to get an injury fully rehabbed, but will be good to go for summer. At Colorado Mesa, he hit .356 with 14 bombs.

The lone non-SJSU addition announced by Coach Haney is utility guy Westley, formerly of Virginia Tech and now at George Mason. He has two summers of experience in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League.

The Victoria HarbourCats will begin their 2026 West Coast League season in late May of 2026, with the home opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Plenty of excitement is on board for 2026 including: