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Canadian Righty Brings MVP Talent to the NorthPaws

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The Kamloops NorthPaws newest pitcher will bring a history of success to Norbrock Stadium.

Adam Maier, a sophomore right-handed pitcher with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, will join the NorthPaws for the 2021 season.

“I think it could be a good opportunity to see some high-level competition in the West Coast League and also get exposed to scouts,” Maier said. “I’ve also heard it’s just a ton of fun, I’m excited.”

The Vancouverite is an all-around athlete. He was invited to the Kamloops Blazers rookie camp in 2016, but he declined to pursue baseball instead. On the diamond, he is as effective at the plate as on the mound.

Photo Credit: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds

In his first season with the Thunderbirds during the shortened 2020 campaign, Maier put up a 2.84 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 19 innings of work on the mound. He also posted a .290 average with eight RBI and five doubles in 62 at-bats as the designated hitter.

“Adam is just a really good ball player. Not only is he one of our best pitchers, but he’s also one of our best hitters,” said Sammie Starr, Maier’s assistant coach with both the NorthPaws and Thunderbirds. “As soon as he stepped on campus, he was one of our better players and impact players.”

Maier was a standout high school player.

He won the BC Premier Baseball League MVP in 2019, leading his North Shore Twins to the provincial championship with a 7-2 record, two saves, five complete games, three shoutouts and a perfect game to accompany his 0.24 ERA and 88 strikeouts. At the plate, he added a .321 average and 29 RBI. In the playoffs, he posted another complete game shutout, pitched a 1.08 ERA with a .588 average going 10-for-17 at the plate.

“He’s had success everywhere he’s been, Starr said. “He’s a really confident player, never gets too high, never gets too low. It was a no brainer talking to him and trying to get him on the NorthPaws squad for the summer.”

Maier also got the opportunity to play for the Canadian Junior National Team making stops in Australia and the Dominican Republic before competing at the U-18 Baseball World Cup in South Korea.

Canada finished with a 4-4 record, and Maier finished with a 4.22 ERA and seven strikeouts in 10.2 innings on the mound against the Netherlands, South Korea and was the starting pitcher for Canada’s win against Chinese Taipei.

“That was a really cool experience. We went and toured all the different MLB facilities that the Dominican Summer League teams play at,” Maier recalled. “It was an awesome feeling for sure.”

Photo Credit: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds

Kamloops NorthPaws inaugural season tickets are on sale.  Click here to reserve your seat to see Adam Maier and all the incoming talent at Norbrock Stadium next season.

The Kamloops NorthPaws are an expansion West Coast League franchise bringing the highest calibre baseball Canada’s Tournament Capital has ever seen. The West Coast League, founded in 2005, has 15 teams across Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta featuring some of the top collegiate players during a 54-game summer season. Find the NorthPaws online at www.northpawsbaseball.ca, @northpawsbaseball on Instagram and Facebook, or @northpawsbb on Twitter.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Partner with Showpass for new ticketing system

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Single game tickets for 2025 now on sale! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 7, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Showpass, a leading event ticketing platform, to provide fans with a seamless and enhanced ticketing experience for the upcoming season.

Showpass’s innovative technology will make purchasing tickets for HarbourCats games faster and more user-friendly than ever. Fans can now buy single-game tickets, season passes, flex passes and group tickets through the Showpass platform, which offers an intuitive interface and convenient features such as mobile ticketing, easy transfers, and quick scanning at the gate.

Also being implemented in Nanaimo with the NightOwls, the Showpass platform supports real-time updates and event notifications, keeping fans informed about game-day changes, promotions, and special events.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the fan experience,” said HarbourCats General Manager Christian Stewart. “Showpass provides a modern, efficient solution that makes attending a HarbourCats game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.”

Here are a few of the highlights:

Season Ticket Holders

New Season Tickets are now available to be purchased online for the first time ever at https://www.showpass.com/m/victoria-harbourcats-season-tickets/  Visit the seat map, see what is available, select your preferred ticket type, and checkout securely.

Season Tickets will be delivered to all members by e-mail (planned for April 1, 2025) with an option for printing classic paper tickets. Members can transfer tickets as needed through their accounts, and print their tickets via PDF or simply save into their mobile wallet on their phone.

Renewals are simple, with reminder emails coming from Showpass late in the season, or early fall, with details for the following season and secure, online renewal.

NOTE:  Season Ticket holders who have not yet renewed their seats for 2025 should ensure they call or visit the office to do so as soon as possible so that all relevant details are updated in the new system and so their seats are locked in for 2025.  Any seats not paid / renewed by April 1, 2025 will be released for sale to the public at that time.

10-Game and Season Ticket Flex Packs
10-game flex packs and our Season Ticket equivalent flex-packs (32 vouchers) are also now available to purchase and manage on-line in the Showpass system.

https://www.showpass.com/10-game-flex-pack/

https://www.showpass.com/32-game-flex-pack/

Once purchased, fans can skip coming to the office or box office and can easily exchange their vouchers / credits on-line for the games that they wish to attend.  Once exchanged, fans can also e-mail those tickets to someone else, if they don’t plan to attend the game themselves.

Fans with existing 10-packs or season ticket packs purchased during the off-season can come into the office and get set up properly in the new system in order  begin to exchanging vouchers on their own.

Single-Game Tickets
Single game tickets are now available on-line and can be purchased at Harbourcats.com/tickets.

Scroll down the list to find the game of interest, including three “Showcase” games being held this season, click through to the seat map, select your seats and check-out with your tickets delivered to the e-mail used to set up your account.

Group Tickets
Group tickets (10 people or more) can also now be purchased on-line in most of our seating areas and larger groups can be set up and ticket sales managed through a convenient Group Sales platform within Showpass.

The Showpass system also comes with a very easy to use Help system to guide users through the ticketing sales or exchange process and of course, fans can always come to the office or the box office on game days to order their tickets in person.

The HarbourCats begin the 2025 season with a six-game road trip starting May 30th in Kelowna and finishing in Edmonton June 5th.  They return home for the Home Opener on Friday, June 6th at 6:35pm against the Port Angeles Lefties, with the first fireworks night of the season on Saturday June 7th at 6:35pm.

As noted, tickets for all home games are now on sale at HarbourCats.com/tickets.

About Showpass
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Showpass is a cutting-edge ticketing and event management platform trusted by organizations across North America. Known for its ease of use and robust features, Showpass empowers event organizers and attendees with a superior ticketing experience.  In addition to Victoria and Nanaimo, Showpass is being used by the Bend Elks in the West Coast League, the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, the Welland Jackfish Baseball Club in Ontario and has a large footprint in Victoria, being used by a number of smaller event venues such as Brewery and the Beast. Visit their website for more information at https://www.showpass.com/

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NightOwls Pitching Coach Fondly Recalls Time Playing with Rickey

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Every pitch Gorm Heimueller threw in the major leagues, Rickey Henderson had his back, positioned in the outfield behind him.

When news broke Saturday of the far-too-soon passing of the greatest base stealer the game has ever known — and likely will ever know — Heimueller was stunned, and saddened.

 

“I heard from a friend of Rickey’s, who had heard from (former MLB pitcher) Dave Stewart — this is a big blow for the baseball world, like Pete Rose a few months ago,” said Heimueller, who will be pitching coach again for the NightOwls again in 2025, the only pitching staff leader the West Coast League team has known since debuting at historic Serauxmen Stadium in 2022. This season will mark 49 years in the game for Heimueller, one of the most-respected people in all of baseball.

 

“I loved Rickey — but I loved everyone, I was in the big leagues. I got to play with Rickey and Joe Morgan, two Hall of Famers, it’s hard to believe they are both gone. Rickey looked like he was doing well and healthy. Very sad news.”

 

Henderson, who would’ve turned 66 on Christmas Day, passed away Friday, a surprise to everyone as he had appeared to be in good health. Initial reports indicated a bout of pneumonia claimed the Hall of Famer, who played with nine teams over 25 years and stole 1,406 bases. Canadian baseball fans will recall his short time with the Blue Jays in 1993, helping Toronto win its second consecutive World Series.

“The best part of playing with him was knowing I didn’t have to face him,” said Heimueller.

 

“My first game, he made a catch up against the wall — really good catch. People think of the stolen bases but look at all the home runs he hit. He was also unique as not many guys are right-handed hitters and then throw left-handed, very rare in the game. He was one of the more confident players I ever played with — and Rickey talked about Rickey, he had his ways about him that you never forget, that was the way he talked.

 

“That first game, in Baltimore, he’s leading off — I’m thinking this is pretty cool, and I’m the starting pitcher. I knew I was in the big leagues right there.”

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Victoria HarbourCats – Five guys returning as Haney announces six more for 2025 season

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Five return and Cal Baptist pipeline provides another key player for 2025 (Above L to R: Josh Cunnigan, Connor Ross, Spencer Hatch, Cade Rusch, Garrett Villa, Connor Sims)

Dec. 17, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA, B.C. — One thing is sure, collegiate baseball players love playing in Victoria.

The highly-competitive, pro-style environment fostered by the organization, and coaching staff led by veteran Todd Haney, has helped the Victoria HarbourCats bring back returning players year after year, creating a foundation for success. With today’s announcement of six players, the 2025 roster will have four more returning pitchers and a catcher who was with Victoria for much of the 2024 season.

“It helps with building the culture we have in Victoria, that starts at the top, and gives this team the best chance at being a contender every year,” said GM Christian Stewart. “Players want to play for Todd, and our coaching staff. Having guys who have been through the travel and pace of a West Coast League season helps in building the right atmosphere from the start of the season — and our seasons go by fast, it seems, so there’s no time to waste.”

Announced today by Head Coach Haney:

  • RHP Garrett Villa, Angelo State, 5-10/150, Laporte, Texas (returning pitcher)
  • RHP Cade Rusch, Indiana University Southeast, 6-4, 185, Prospect, Kentucky (returning pitcher)
  • LHP Spencer Hatch, Tarleton State, 6-0/198, Las Vegas (returning pitcher)
  • RHP Connor Sims, Indiana University Southeast, 6-2/190, Greenfield, Indiana (returning pitcher)
  • C Josh Cunnigan, Seattle U, 6-0/195, Corona, California (returning player)
  • 3B Connor Ross, Cal Baptist, 6-0/190, Fairfield, California

Villa was a workhorse who took on the end of game role for pitching coach Scott Anderson, pitching in 13 games and giving up just one run in his last 10 appearances, ending with four saves in 19.1 innings of work.

Hatch, a lefty from Vegas, made eight appearances and started four games, finishing 2-2 with 15 strikeouts. He went four innings twice in strong road starts in the middle of the season.

Rusch, the son of former Major League star pitcher Glendon Rusch, will be a workhorse at IUS this spring after working in five games for the HarbourCats last summer. Sims had a short but dominant stint in Victoria, striking out nine hitters and recording one save in 5.2 innings of work, giving up just two hits.

Before getting hurt, Cunnigan played in 12 games at hit .273 and struck out just twice while doing a good job behind the plate.

Ross is the lone non-returning player being announced today. He is a transfer to D-1 Cal Baptist from Solano JC, where he was conference player of the year as a sophomore, and freshman of the year the season prior to that. He can play third or short, and his spring numbers in 2024 are eye-popping — a .433 average, eight home runs, 58 driven in, in 40 games.

Season tickets and 10-Game Flex Packs are now on sale for the 2025 season at the HarbourCats office.  Christmas sales are on as well with a wide range of merchandise available!   And don’t miss our last minute sale special THIS SATURDAY, December 21st, from 10 am to 5 pm, with 50% off all regular priced merchandise at the store only.

Single game tickets and 10-Game Flex Pack exchanges are NOT YET AVAILABLE for the 2025 season as we are transitioning to a new ticketing system.  Both will be available in January of 2025.

Holiday Hours at The Cat Shop

This week Monday to Friday 10am t0 5pm
Saturday December 21, 10am to 5 pm (special 50% off sale!)
Sunday December 22,  12 noon to 4pm
Monday December 23, 10am to 5pm
Tuesday December 24, 10am to 2pm
CLOSED December 25 and 26th
Friday December 27, 10 am to 4pm (Boxing Day 20% off sale!)
CLOSED December 28 and 29th
Monday December 30 10 am to 4pm (Boxing Day 20% off sale!)
CLOSED December 31 to January 6
Office reopens January 7th 10am to 5pm

 

 

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