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West Coast League

Dr. Randy Gregg and Edmonton Riverhawks preparing for inaugural season

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4 years ago

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Dr. Randy Gregg gets behind the plate after announcing the the newest baseball team in Edmonton, The Riverhawks, a baseball club, which will play out of RE/MAX Field in the n the West Coast League, on Sept. 15, 2020 in Edmonton. PHOTO BY GREG SOUTHAM /Postmedia

By Derek Van Diest – Toronto Sun

Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Dr. Randy Gregg is spending a lot of his spare time of late at RE/MAX Field in the heart of the river valley.

As the managing director of the Edmonton Riverhawks, Gregg has been working tirelessly to try and get the facility ready for the upcoming West Coast League season, which is a wooden-bat collegiate circuit that operates in the summer.

Dr. Randy Gregg and Edmonton Riverhawks preparing for inaugural season
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The Riverhawks were to play its inaugural season this past summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic made Gregg and his group wait another year.

“All of these young players that are in college, they are wanting to get either drafted or signed, and will be enticed to play summer collegiate baseball,” Gregg said earlier this week. “The Cape Code league is probably the ultimate league on the East Coast, but when it comes to the West, the West Coast League is by far the highest quality league.

“In fact, in 2019, 90 players that were selected in the Major League Draft had played in this league. It’s considerably important for these young players in the summer — not only do they want to get out of Arizona because it’s 120 degrees — but they want to come up and be coached by good quality coaching and get some extra at bats and swings and things like that.”

Gregg won five Stanley Cups with the Oilers during their glory years, but has always had a soft spot for baseball.

“I was probably a better baseball player than hockey player, but by the time I could get a scholarship down in the ’States, I was in medical school,” Gregg said. “And I thought I better not give up medical school. I loved hockey, of course, it’s a great sport, but I also loved baseball.”

The West Coast League is made up of 15 teams divided into three divisions. The South Division comprises of teams in Oregon and Washington, the North is made up from teams in Northern Washington, while the Canada Division has four teams in B.C., along with Edmonton.

“We’re so excited to have our head coach Kelly Stinnett, who played 15 years of Major League Baseball, so he knows what it takes to be at that level,” Gregg said. “And by having a coach with that kind of reputation, we’re getting some young recruits that not only love to come to Edmonton because it’s going to be a lot cooler than it is in the south, but with his reputation, with 9,000 seats here in the city, and the size of Edmonton, we’re going to have a really competitive team and it’s going to be a wonderful experience for our fans to see these young fellas.”

Edmonton will be the biggest market in the league and have the best facility. Gregg and the Riverhawks signed a lease agreement for the Triple-A rated facility and the crew has been hard at work making upgrades to the park.

Along with a new infield turf, the group put up a new scoreboard and made upgrades to the dugouts and club houses.

“It’s amazing. Fans that haven’t been here in a few years are not going to recognize the place with the new turf and everything else going in,” said Riverhawks pitching coach Ethan Elias. “It’s special. I’m really excited to see what we’re going to get and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s awesome to bring back a really high level of baseball in the West Coast to come play here. It’s going to blow people’s minds the level of talent that’s going to be here, so it’s going to be exciting and I guess the next step is to count the big leaguers we file out of here, that’s kind the goal.”

The Riverhawks replace the Edmonton Prospects as the main tenant at RE/MAX Field. The Prospect, who play in the Western Canadian Baseball League, also a summer wood-bat circuit, are moving to Spruce Grove for the upcoming season.

The Riverhawks’ roster will be made up of college players throughout North America. The 54-games season begins on May 31 and runs through the first week of August.

“We started recruiting players back in June and July,” Elias said. “We have most of our roster already selected, the updates will be coming up here shortly, but it’s an on-going process.

“Guys are going to fall out, guys might get hurt, guys might throw too many innings in the spring for their college teams, respectively, and so we have to adjust, we have to be able to take things as they come and deal with it.”

Either way, the Riverhawks are expecting to field a competitive team out of the gate, using the city and facility as a draw for young college players. Every player in the league has to have at least one year of college eligibility left.

“We’re not going to bring in a guy like Connor McDavid,” Gregg said. “But what we want to do is maybe bring in a young pitcher throwing 95-97 (mph) that is at Arizona State and all of a sudden three or four years from now he’s playing with the Dodgers in Los Angeles and we saw him here in Edmonton.”

 

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Summer Collegiate

NightOwls Resign Standouts Rohne and Florence

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6 hours ago

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December 10, 2025

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Head Coach, Cody Andreychuk is proud to announce that reliever, Jakin Rohne and small ball specialist, IF, Ryder Florence will return to the Owls Nest in ’26!

Florence, who has a high baseball IQ and can play short, third, second or outfield, is a savvy, athletic baserunner with a strong arm, and a bat that finds gaps. He’s played 58 games for the NightOwls and will surpass 200 WCL plate appearances in 2026.

Rohne, an Islander, took huge steps last summer under esteemed pitching coach Gorm Heimueller. Rohne, with good breaking stuff, has developed into a starter for his CCBC program. Rohne made 14 appearances with a 2.59 ERA in 2025, taking an aggressive approach against tough WCL batters.



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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats load up on catchers, add two arms — including a two-way star in Davis

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6 hours ago

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December 10, 2025

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Catcher Jacob Silva is one of four more returning players for 2026 announced by the HarbourCats today (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

December 10, 2026

For immediate release

VICTORIA — Under Todd Haney as Head Coach, the catching position has been an area of strength. That will continue with the 2026 edition of the Victoria HarbourCats.

Haney, entering his seventh season with the HarbourCats— sixth in the top role — is happy to be bringing back two more catchers from the 2025 team, including local product Jai Berezowski, the team leader of the CCBC Victoria Golden Tide.

Berezowski will both provide support for and learn from fellow returnees Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s, announced previously) and Jacob Silva (UT-San Antonio), veterans who play at the NCAA D1 level. Silva can also play in the outfield.

“We will be strong behind the dish, depth not only defensively but guys who are versatile and can fill the DH role with their bat— we have other strong catchers lining up as well,” said Haney. “Jai has really grown in his time with us, and has earned trust. Dillon is all-star level and Jacob showed that same promise last year before an injury sliding hard into a base. These guys play the right way. We are very happy they wanted to come back and be HarbourCats — players love to return to Victoria.”

Local product Jai Berezowski will return for his third season as a HarbourCat in 2026 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Silva had a home run and triple in 11 games, batting .292 and stealing four bases. He joins Lopez who hit .350 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and just 12 strikeouts in 21 regular season games, then hit .286 in the playoffs.

Also added is exciting two-way star Kade Davis, a teammate of Silva’s at UTSA — who could be one of the players to watch in the WCL in 2026 with his mound work and potent left-side bat. Davis hit .361 with five home runs at Temple College in 2025, while also throwing 54 innings including four starts, with 49 strikeouts and just 47 hits allowed. He can play the outfield or first base.

Speaking of returnees, right-hander Hudson Lance is back — he made seven appearances, five of them starts, and the best was five scoreless innings on June 19 against Nanaimo, giving up four hits. He walked only three batters in 26.1 innings as a HarbourCat.

Hudson Lance will return for his second season on the mound in 2026 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Berezowski is not the only local player signed by Haney. Pitcher Garen Geoghegan, a product of the Victoria Eagles (PBL) now at Whitman, was a workhorse and strike-thrower for Eagles Head Coach Mitch Davidoff, and then helped the Victoria Mavericks to a men’s provincial title.

Berezowski hit .269 over 24 games in total, including playoffs and non-league. He mashed four home runs and his best game may have been a defensive gem when he threw out five baserunners. This will be his third season with the HarbourCats.

The list of new signees:

  • LHP/OF Kade Davis, UTSA, 6-0/175, L/L, Cedar Park, TX
  • C/OF Jacob Silva, UTSA, 5-10/210, R/R, San Antonio
  • RHP Hudson Lance, Coastal Carolina, 5-10/180, R/R, Trinity, NC
  • RHP Garen Geoghegan, Whitman, 5-10/185, R/R, Victoria
  • C Jai Berezowski, Victoria CCBC, 6-2/200, R/R, Victoria

___

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:

  • 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)

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, Monday thru Friday, 10am-5pm from now until December 22nd.

CRAZY CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE! From now until December 23rd, select HarbourCats apparel, including replica and game-worn jerseys, is on sale for 50% off!  Load up now in time for Christmas at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/collections/50-off-crazy-christmas-clearance

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats 2026 School Spirit games now open for registration

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2 days ago

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December 8, 2025

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Take your class to the ballpark for the best field trip of the season! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 8, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Club is pleased to announce that their ever popular School Spirit games are back again for 2026 and now open for registration!

Due to the ever increasing popularity of these games, the HarbourCats will once again be offering two separate games for teachers and students to choose from:

  • Thursday, June 4th, 11:00am vs. Edmonton Riverhawks
  • Thursday, June 18th, 11:00am vs. Redmond Dudes

Tickets are just $9.00 per person!

Last season our two School Spirit games saw over 4,100 students and teachers enjoy a day at the ballpark and we hope to topple that number this year!  Seats are limited and do fill up fast, so if you are a teacher, be sure to get your class on the list today! And if you are a parent, please let your child’s teacher know about this great opportunity!

To register your class, or if you have any detailed questions, please e-mail HarbourCats General Manager Christian Stewart at chris@harbourcats.com with all relevant contact information and let him know what game you wish to attend, your school name and the total number of students, teachers and parent chaperones you anticipate. In addition, if there are any special access or wheelchair needs for your class, we need to know that too!

Numbers do not have to be precise at this time as we will be in touch in the new year to refine totals and collect payment then.

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:

  • 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)

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, Monday thru Friday, 10am-5pm from now until December 22nd.

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