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Dearing Deepens NorthPaws Canadian Talent Pool

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The Kamloops NorthPaws newest pitcher adds to the depth of Canadian talent on the 2021 roster.

Tate Dearing, a 6’2” right-hander from Surrey, will bring his deceptive mix of pitches to the mound at Norbrock Stadium.

Dearing throws five pitches: a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, 12-6 curve, slider and circle changeup.

“I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to come in, light up the radar gun and blow it by you at 95 or 96 so I have to take a step back and get crafty,” he said. “I utilize a lot of off-speed pitches and keep pitchers relatively off balance.”

Dearing began his collegiate career at Polk State College but returned home after his first season for personal reasons. He joined Douglas College for the 2020 season, starting one game before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the season to a halt. He had committed to Georgia Gwinnett College for this season, but with the uncertainties of international travel opted instead to stay in B.C.

Photo Credit: Polk State College

“Tate is a guy who figures into our starting rotation. He’s a great competitor and is able to get guys out in multiple ways,” said head coach Cole Armstrong, who first coached Dearing on a little league travel team about a decade ago. “He’s been on the big stage with the Junior National Team and at a powerhouse Junior College program. He’s battle tested and hungry for an opportunity like this one.”

Staying close to home was one of two key reasons for Dearing to want to join the NorthPaws.

“The second part that was the icing on the cake was my grandpa lives in Kamloops. I haven’t seen him for a couple years so it will be nice that he can come out and watch me play every game,” Dearing said.

Growing up playing baseball, hockey and soccer, Dearing said it felt they he was in Kamloops every other weekend for a tournament.

One visit when he was in grade 11 stands out in particular because his phone rang, and Team Canada was calling.

“I remember the morning I got my phone call, we were at Best of the West. I pitched at Norbrock at a night game and I woke up the next morning to a phone call from [head coach Greg Hamilton] saying I’m on the team,” he said.

His stint with the Junior National Team took him to Florida, Panama, Dominican Republic and across Canada.

“It’s surreal being able to wear that Canada across your chest and do it consistently and create bonds with guys across the country. The first time I wore the jersey and went out and pitched I don’t think I was able to stand still. I was so shaky and so nervous,” Dearing recalled. “Obviously you’re there for a reason, but that doesn’t matter in the moment. I was shaking out of my pants, so hopefully nobody noticed.”

Dearing comes to the NorthPaws as one of the few players on the roster with past experience in the West Coast League. He posted a 1.42 ERA across five appearances for the Bellingham Bells in 2019.

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – You’re Invited! Christmas Open House, November 28-29

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Please join us as we usher in the Holiday Season with our annual Christmas Open House!

When:  Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29
Time: 12 Noon to 7 PM each day
Where: HarbourCats office 101-1814 Vancouver Street. 

Come by to say hello and enjoy some hot cider and other beverages and snacks and talk about our upcoming 2025 season!

Plenty of merchandise on hand for the HarbourCats fan on your Christmas list – all at 20% off for the month of November!  Plus plenty of HarbourCats and Victoria Golden Tide items available on our special $10.00 clearance rack!

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs will also be available for sale and as a special BLACK FRIDAY bonus, we will throw in a free-gift with the purchase of any 10-pack or season ticket package.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

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A top-end catcher and four arms to throw strikes to him make up the latest signings for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

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Wirthgen has MLB bloodlines as the nephew of former MLB slugger and manager Phil Nevin, the first overall pick in the 1992 draft who played for six teams and hit 41 home runs for the Padres in 2001 as part of a 1,200-game career. A strong defensive catcher with power potential, Wirthgen played in the Alaska summer league in 2024.

 

Teper, also from D1 powerhouse Cal Baptist, is an aviation major who plans to fly planes once his days in pro baseball are over. The lefty will be counted on in key situations this summer, and made 11 appearances, including three starts, in the Alaska league in 2024.

 

Three players will arrive from the University of Pikeville, where they play for new NightOwls coach Cody Andreychuk — including returning lefty Richtter Castillo, a Venezuelan fan favorite who pitches with a lot of emotion and did strong work out of the bullpen for pitching coach Gorm Heimueller in 2024. Castillo was 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 innings.

 

Shaye McTavish, a Canadian addition from Lethbridge, has been a starter at UPike and in the Western Canada summer league. Schultz, another power arm from Lethbridge, has summer experience in the WCBL in Swift Current and is developing into a high leverage righty for Andreychuk.

 

Season tickets and 10packs are available for 2025 and information can be found by emailing GM Tina Cornett — tina@nanaimonightowls.com

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The Cody Andreychuk era of the Nanaimo NightOwls now has a schedule to work with

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The West Coast League’s 2025 regular season schedule has been announced, and the new Head Coach, a product of the Nanaimo system, can start to plan all the details needed to make the playoffs and a run at the WCL championship.

The NightOwls will open at home in 2025, on Friday, May 30, vs. the Bellingham Bells, the start of a three-game series at historic Serauxmen Stadium that continues with games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

 

The team again plans a Canada Day fireworks show on the evening of July 1, with the arch rival Victoria HarbourCats as the opposition.

 

General Manager Tina Cornett and staff are already working on promotional dates that will span the entire season, giving extra reasons for fans to enjoy the sunshine, the down-home concessions and the outstanding baseball played in the WCL.

 

The NightOwls will play 27 road games, 27 regular season home games, and no fewer than five additional home games against non-league opponents, including the Caged Athletics Selects — a home city series that has been popular since the start of the NightOwls, with games on either side of the WCL all-star game.

 

Nanaimo’s fabled park will see visits from Bellingham, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Port Angeles, Wenatchee, and the first-ever visit by the South Division powerhouse Corvallis Knights.

 

The regionalized WCL schedule NightOwls will make road trips to division rivals Victoria, Bellingham, Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton, Wenatchee and Port Angeles.

May 30th: Bellingham Bells – HOME
May 31st: Bellingham Bells – HOME
June 1st: Bellingham Bells – HOME
June 3rd: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY
June 4th: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY
June 5th: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY
June 6th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
June 7th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
June 8th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
June 10th: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME
June 11th: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME
June 12th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 13th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY
June 14th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY
June 15th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY
June 17th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 18th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 19th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 20th: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME
June 21st: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME
June 22nd: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME
June 27th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME
June 28th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME
June 29th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME
July 1st: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME
July 2nd: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
July 3rd: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
July 4th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 5th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 6th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 8th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME
July 9th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME
July 10th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME
July 11th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
July 12th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
July 13th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
July 18th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY
July 19th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY
July 20th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY
July 22nd: Corvallis Knights – HOME
July 23rd: Corvallis Knights – HOME
July 24th: Corvallis Knights – HOME
July 25th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY
July 26th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY
July 27th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY
July 29th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 30th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 31st: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
Aug 1st: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME
Aug 2nd: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME
Aug 3rd: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME
Aug 4th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY
Aug 5th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY
Aug 6th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY

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