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 – Cats Win Series with 14-7 Victory

Published

14 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The Cats played hard with the lead all afternoon to come away with a 14-7 win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The Redmond Dudes took on the HarbourCats for the rubber match of the series, eventually being ousted from town in a 14-7 Cats win.

Collegiate Cats pitcher Nate Major was simply lights-out through his three-inning start today. The right-hander only allowed two hits, striking out two and keeping the Dudes off the board.

BOX SCORE

The HarbourCats the first move offensively in the bottom of the third inning, as designated hitter Logan Shepherd (Mercer) singled to right field to drive in Hayden Woodson (USC) and take a 1-0 lead.

Major was relieved in the top of the fourth by Travis Hartfield, another Collegiate Cats pitcher, who made quick work of Redmond’s lineup for three more clean innings! Hartfield’s afternoon came to an end following the sixth inning, allowing no runs on just one hit.

Kade Davis went 1/2 with two runs scored in the Thursday matinee. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria made a splash in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Redmond walked in a run before allowing two more to cross the plate on a wild pitch and a throwing error, breaking the game open and extending the Cats’ lead to 4-0. Carter Eberhard (Cal Baptist) came to the plate ready to swing in the next inning, driving in run number five on a single right back up the middle.

The HarbourCats went to the bullpen in the seventh for another Collegiate Cats arm, this time retrieving Peter Cunningham. The righty walked the bases loaded, surrendering four runs on a sacrifice fly, a single, and a double to tighten the score to 5-4 in favour of Victoria.

Hayden Woodson found his way home on an error in the next inning to bolster the Cats’ fragile lead, but the Dudes swung right back. Three more runs scored in the top of the eighth, giving Redmond the upper hand in a 7-6 ballgame. The away team then threw the lead away, loading the bases with no outs and allowing two runs on a pair of wild pitches. The Cats’ bats took advantage of the opportunity, widening the lead to 10-7 courtesy of a Hayden Woodson base hit.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats kept adding on and Redmond just couldn’t keep up, eventually resulting in a 14-7 victory for Victoria.

The HarbourCats will now hit the road for a weekend series in Port Angeles against the Lefties!

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 – Dudes Claim Game Two 9-5

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The Cats and Dudes faced off again on Wednesday evening, with Redmond taking a 9-5 victory this time.

It was the Dudes’ turn to strike first tonight. Victoria starting pitcher Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) got two outs in the top of the first before watching a ball sail over the left field fence for the first run of the ballgame. The top of the Cats lineup was quick to answer with a leadoff double by Hayden Woodson (USC), a stolen base, and a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) sacrifice fly to bring home the tying run in the bottom of the first inning.

BOX SCORE

Redmond came close to taking back the lead in the top of the second, but the go-ahead run was gunned down at the plate on a laser beam from Rohne Klein (San Jose State) in left field. Although the Dudes were kept scoreless, Ackermann’s command noticeably wavered in his second inning of work, inspiring a pitching change for the Cats.

Pierce Stone (Regis) appeared on the mound in the top of the third. After a couple of Cats errors led to a go-ahead run for the Dudes, Stone held strong and left the rubber with the Cats down 2-1. The sidewinder returned for the fourth and let another run slip by, but a bizarre Redmond baserunning gaffe somehow resulted in a double-rundown to end the frame.

Photo by JPM Photography

Proven clutch performer Matt Westley (George Mason) drew the score back to even in the bottom of the fourth. Following a couple of stolen bases to create an RISP opportunity, the third baseman sizzled a ball through the infield to tie the game at three.

Hunter Daniels (Phoenix) took control of the mound to kick off the fifth inning, and was immediately greeted by a solo homer to put Redmond back in the lead. The freshman had a shaky inning, walking two batters in a row, but managed to end the frame without surrendering another run. Daniels ran into more trouble in the form of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, walking in three runs to widen the Dudes’ lead to 7-3.

Finn Vlahovic (Collegiate Cats) made his HarbourCats debut in the top of the seventh, working quickly to complete a clean inning. That solid frame paved the way for a Jax Heid (Southeast Oklahoma State) solo blast in the bottom of the seventh to chip away at the lead.

The Cats looked dangerous in the bottom of the eighth, finding themselves with runners on second and third with no outs. Victoria’s offence only scraped together one run on the opportunity though, scoring on a groundout to second base.

Local catcher Jai Berezowski (Victoria Collegiate) made his pitching debut in the top of the ninth inning for the Cats. The backstop-turned-bullpen arm stunned with two straight strikeouts to shut down the Dudes.

Victoria tried and failed to get a rally going in the bottom of the ninth, sealing a 9-5 win for Redmond.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats finish off the exhibition series on Thursday morning for an 11:05 School Spirit Game!

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Offence Prevails in 17-7 Victory Over Redmond

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Hayden Woodson (USC) and many others crossed the plate for the Cats tonight. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The home team put on a show tonight in a decisive 17-7 defeat of the Redmond Dudes.

The HarbourCats were thankful for the invention of the batting helmet in the first inning. After loading the bases with one out in the opening frame, Redmond pitching walked two batters and plunked three in a row, inviting a parade of runners across the plate. The Cats were more than happy to trade ice packs for runs, taking an early 5-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Cats starter Asher Clark (Northern Colorado) looked much more controlled, but a line drive to right field drove in Redmond’s first run in the top of the second inning.

It was a full team effort tonight to take away the win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The onslaught continued for the HarbourCats in their second wave at the plate. A couple of bases loaded walks and singles from Carter Eberhard (Cal Baptist) and Logan Shepherd (Mercer) vaulted the score to 11-1 by the time the dust settled on the second inning.

Redmond fought back once again in the very next inning on the watch of Tate Collins (Arkansas State). The Dudes wrangled two more runs by way of a double off the wall to right field, but still found themselves on the wrong end of an 11-3 ballgame.

The Dudes continued to chip away throughout the middle innings, but were fended off by Collins and Marcus Janovsky (UBC) for the most part. Janovsky in particular put on a reliable performance this evening, striking out three Dudes and giving up one hit in just under two innings of work.

Marcus Janovsky had one of his best outings of the season, tallying three strikeouts. (Photo by JPM Photography)

A seemingly routine single by Logan Shepherd turned into trouble for the Dudes when aggressive baserunning and an errant throw combined. Jax Heid blazed his way around to third base and managed to dash home, scoring lucky number 13 for the Cats.

Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) was tapped in to pitch the seventh and eighth innings, conceding a couple of runs before handing the ball off to Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi). Stuckly closed it out with a smooth ninth inning and the HarbourCats vacated the field with a 17-7 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats and Dudes do battle twice more this week, once on Wednesday night at 6:35 pm and again on Thursday at 11:05 am for School Spirit Day!

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