Summer Collegiate

Hawaii’s top player starring for NightOwls

Published

3 years ago

June 27, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Ickes named Gatorade Player of the Year

A memo to the people of Nanaimo — don’t miss the chance to see Elijah Ickes while you can.

The star shortstop for your Nanaimo NightOwls, strong and lean at 6-0/175, is heavily on the radar for the upcoming MLB draft (July 9-11) — and for good reason. He can hit, he can field, and man can he run, a pure athlete who stands out game after game.

His arm from short, his game instincts on the basepaths, and his aggressive style of play while showing composure beyond his years has caught the attention of his coaches, teammates and the opposition.

“Elijah has been impressive, and earned the starting role at short right from the start,” said Jim Swanson, GM of the NightOwls. “For his age, and being away from home for the first time, he’s adjusted well and is a pleasure to be around, not just at the park but with his host family and in the community. He’s dedicated to being the best, and the work he puts in at the gym is a further testament to that.”

The University of Hawaii commit from Wahiawa, HI, which is located north and inland from Honolulu, was named the Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year for this past spring with Kamehameha Schools Kapalama High School. The Kamehameha Warriors infielder batted .448, stole 26 bases and scored 36 runs to anchor Kamehameha’s run to the state championship. Ickes went 3-for-3 and scored the game-winning run in a 4-3 state final win over Baldwin.

The University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are excited to have him at Les Murakami Stadium come fall, where he can develop into a true pro prospect after three years of NCAA baseball.

Through 17 games for the NightOwls this season, he’s batting .293 with four doubles and 12 runs driven in, stealing four bases. On defence, he has sparkled with just two errors in 117 innings playing shortstop — and he makes all the tough plays.

Ickes was also named the 2023 Interscholastic League of Honolulu Player of the Year — “The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Ickes as Hawaii’s best high school baseball player,” said a release in early June. Ickes ranks among the state’s top five prospects by PerfectGame, and he maintained a 3.54 GPA — all while volunteering at local food drives and finding time to umpire youth baseball games.

This is as well-rounded a person — not just a player — as you will see on the diamond, and scouts are giving him strong consideration for the upcoming draft.

The NightOwls are home at historic Serauxmen Stadium this weekend, facing the Port Angeles Lefties on Friday night (6:35pm) and day games on Saturday and Sunday (1pm both days), after this current trip with three games against the Yakima Valley Pippins (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Bells Overpower HarbourCats to Avoid Sweep

Published

17 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The Cats scraped together just three hits this afternoon after totalling 28 in the last two games. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats came up short in the third game of the series, falling 10-2 to the visiting Bellingham Bells.

As the tradition seems to go in this series, the game stayed scoreless until the fourth inning. Power-hitting outfielder Rohne Klein (San Jose State) got his pitch and didn’t miss, launching a two-run rocket between the derby wickets in right field to take the lead for the Cats.

BOX SCORE

Klein’s fellow San Jose State ballplayer Landon Marchetti made in impact in his second start of the season, going four innings with just one hit and four strikeouts to keep the Bells in check. Marchetti was tagged out for Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) who gave up a solo home run in the top of the fifth.

Despite loading the bases after that homer, Reimers was able to bear down and pick up a clutch strikeout to stride back to the dugout with the lead intact. Determined not to let another run by on his watch, Reimers returned to the mound for the top of the sixth and powered through a scoreless frame. Bellingham would not be denied, however, as they sent one deep in the top of the seventh to take a 5-2 lead.

Landon Marchetti kept things clean in his four-inning start, allowing one hit and no runs. (Photo by JPM Photography)

That go-ahead homer from the visitors introduced the need for a new pitcher, namely Tate Collins (Arkansas State) of Little Rock, Arkansas. Collins gave up a 2-RBI double to extend Bellingham’s lead to 7-2. Right-handed sidewinder Pierce Stone (Regis) appeared on the mound in the top of inning the eighth, walking one batter and allowing a single to set the stage for a three-run dinger from the Bells.

Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) tossed a scoreless top of the ninth out of the pen, but Victoria’s offence went down quietly in their last chance at the plate, giving up the chance at a series sweep with a 10-2 loss.

WCL STANDINGS

With their clash with the Bells complete, the Cats will regroup tomorrow before hosting the Nanaimo NightOwls on Tuesday night at 6:35 pm for the first of a three-game set.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Clinch Bellingham Series with 6-2 Win

Published

1 day ago

June 28, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Cats hitters have racked up a total of 28 hits over two games in this series so far, 12 of them coming from tonight. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats clinched a series win over the Bellingham Bells on Saturday night, outworking the Bells on the way to a 6-2 victory.

Seattle native Quincey Brown (UCSD) was not messing around in his first start as a HarbourCat. Brown sat down three Bells on strikes on the first inning and stacked up two more punchouts before stepping aside for Davis Lee (Calgary) in the third inning.

BOX SCORE

The Cats finally broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth inning. Shortstop Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) got on base with a leadoff single and stole second, later wheeling around third on a Rohne Klein (San Jose State) base hit to score the first run of the game. Lukas Le Gras (Westmont) doubled the lead with a double off the wall, bringing Klein in to score before stealing home on a wild pitch to widen the lead to 3-0. David Krahn (UBC) clubbed his second homer in two games over the left field fence, and a double from Jacob Silva (UTSA) capped off the inning with an RBI double to widen the lead to 5-0.

Davis Lee called it a night in the top of the sixth after holding the line for 2.2 innings and keeping Bellingham’s score at a nice round number. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) came in for his HarbourCats debut and kept it rolling, securing the outs needed to move on to the bottom of the inning.

Lukas Le Gras had a strong offensive showing, going 2/4 with a double. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The Cats added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth, a Tristan Buehring (Whitman) sacrifice fly for Victoria’s sixth run. Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) was the next arm out of the pen for the HarbourCats. The right-hander quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam and allowed the first two runs of the ballgame for the Bells before escaping the frame.

Ackermann stuck it out until the top of the ninth, when Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) took over, stranding a couple of runners and closing out a 6-2 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The Bellingham series comes to a close at 1:05 pm on Sunday afternoon, preceding a midweek series against the Nanaimo NightOwls beginning on Tuesday night.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Pummel Bells in 17-6 Victory

Published

2 days ago

June 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria unleashed 11 runs in the sixth inning, paving the way to a resounding win over the top team in the West Coast League. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – A grand slam followed by an 11-run inning led to a robust win over the Bellingham Bells on Friday night, with the Cats claiming a 17-6 win.

BOX SCORE

The Cats looked a little trigger-happy in the first third of the game, only seeing 15 pitches from Bellingham’s starter. This enthusiasm didn’t earn much, with just two HarbourCats reaching base in a quick three innings.

On the other side of the coin, Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) made quick work of the Bells as well, refusing to allow them the luxury of a hit through four innings and earning five strikeouts on the side. Jake Rafferty (Tacoma) took up the torch for the fifth, getting himself into a sticky situation with a couple of wild pitches before finding his way out with a zero on the board.

Jeremiah Arnett allowed zero runs in a four-inning start. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The HarbourCats finally dug their claws in for the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases just in time for David Krahn (UBC). The British Columbia local stepped up to the plate and delivered, utterly pulverizing a ball to left field for an electrifying grand slam, breaking the seal and taking a 4-0 lead for the home side.

Bellingham responded passionately in the next inning, sneaking a run in on a base hit followed by a three-run blast off of Cats reliever Spencer Kratt (San Jose State). Victoria shrugged it off and pulled out all the stops in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of a Bellingham error and finding hits from Lukas Le Gras (Westmont), Bryan Bradshaw (UC San Diego), Rohne Klein (San Jose State) et al to jump out in front of the Bells. By the time the smoke cleared on a long sixth inning, the Cats were suddenly up 15-4. Not too shabby.

Surrey, B.C.’s Marcus Janovsky (UBC) entered the game in the seventh to face a battered and bruised group of Bells, who snuck home on a sloppy relay from the outfield to scratch away at the 11-run lead standing over them.

Unwilling to let up after taking a comfortable lead, the Cats kept their foot on the gas in the bottom of the seventh. Designated hitter Jacob Silva (UTSA) batted in a pair of runs with a one-out single, pushing the score to a humble 17-6 with two innings to go.

Hunter Daniels (Phoenix College) came in from the bullpen to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a booming victory for the HarbourCats in their first game against the top team in the West Coast League Standings.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats get another crack at the Bells on Saturday night at 6:35 pm, and the series comes to an end with an afternoon game on Sunday.

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