NANAIMO, B.C. — The NightOwls didn’t have it on Friday night in front of  1172 fans at Serauxmen Stadium. They fell to the Port Angeles Lefties 9-1 thanks to a great day on the mound from the Lefties starter. Nanaimo could only muster one run on 5 hits and had no errors. Port Angeles had nine runs on 15 hits with no errors.

Bright spot on the day for the Nanaimo NightOwls was Spencer Sullivan. The outfielder from Virginia Commonwealth University went two for two with a single, a double, an RBI, two walks and a stolen base. It wasn’t a bad at the plate for Spencer, but he had two of the five hits for the NightOwls.

Raoul Fabian Jr. had a single and a stolen base on Friday night. While Caden Petrey and Talan Zenk had the other two hits for the NightOwls.

The NightOwls relievers were able to shut things down after the fourth inning but the bats just didn’t come alive. Vinny “The Chef” Bruno made his season debut coming an injury and looked strong in his one and two thirds innings pitched. He faced six batters giving up two hits and striking out three.

Not to be outdone, both Dawson Shultz and Andrew Nykoluk pitched scoreless innings for the Nanaimo NightOwls. Starting pitcher Richtter Castillo pitched better than his stat line says ending the night with four runs on seven hits. The balls were just finding gaps Friday night. He did finish with five strikeouts and zero walks so his command wasn’t a problem for the NightOwls.

The Nanaimo NightOwls continue their 10-game homestand with games on Saturday and Sunday, June 21st and 22nd, against the Port Angeles Lefties. Saturday night first pitch is at 6:35 and Sunday it’s Nanaimo Bar and Family Day at the Park with a 1:00 pm start. Then we welcome the Redmond Dudes on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24th and 25th. The good thing is we always get amazing fans at the park so come out to the ballpark!

We have some great promotions coming up this weekend. Saturday night is Indigenous Peoples Night and we have Halloween in June at the ballpark where you can dress up and watch some great baseball. Make sure to follow all our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and the platform formally known as Twitter for the latest news and updates from the team.

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For immediate release

June 20, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — For Chris Vlaj, it’s a promotion from a few years in an assistant coach role — to now being named the Head Coach of the Victoria Golden Tide of the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC).

Vlaj, 27, will lead a coaching staff that will include a new Pitching Coach Darius Opdam Bak, who pitched for the Golden Tide for three years, and returning Assistant Coach Colton O’Brien, who also serves as the lead for recruiting efforts.

Former Head Coach Ethan Fox has left the organization after being in that role for three seasons.

“We are pleased with the continuity in elevating Chris to this role, while bringing back Colton and seeing the transition of Darius to the coaching side,” said Jim Swanson, managing partner of the group that oversees the Golden Tide along with the West Coast League teams in both Victoria and Nanaimo.

“We thank Ethan for his time and service. We think this program is in position to take a next step and be a top program annually in the CCBC. These coaches are dedicated to putting in the work and being detailed to build the best season of Golden Tide baseball, and I’m excited to see them roll up their sleeves. Our organization goal is to never be outworked, and trust the process to become a force in the CCBC.”

The Golden Tide use the Edwards Family Training Centre and Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park as their primary facilities, for training, practices and games — excellent locations for a collegiate athlete.

Vlaj, a former catcher, brings experience from two strong programs — the Nanaimo Pirates and the Okanagan College Coyotes — where he proved to be a dependable presence behind the plate.

Opdam Bak (pictured above) a three-year starter with the Golden Tide and a former Little League World Series participant, has been building his coaching résumé at the high school level and is now set to make his collegiate coaching debut.

O’Brien, a former Victoria Eagles outfielder, continues to play a key role on staff as an assistant coach, with a primary focus on recruiting alongside the rest of the coaching team.

For more information on the Victoria Golden Tide, please visit their website at https://goldentide.ca/ and learn more about the coaches at https://goldentide.ca/coaching-staff/

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VICTORIA, B.C. — It was heartbreak for the Nanaimo NightOwls on Wednesday night at Royal Athletic Park. They led the entire game until the last batter in the ninth innings, which saw the Victoria HarbourCats take game two of the series in walk-off fashion, 4-3. The NightOwls looked to be in control all game until a late rally in the eighth inning saw Victoria tie it up before winning it in the bottom of the ninth.

Opposite of yesterday, it was the NightOwls that jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to singles by 3rd basemen Drew Gianinni and Catcher Nathan Davis. Talan Zenk was about to score a run on a fielder’s choice. Not to be outdone, Brady Morse stepped up with a single to knock in another run, and Nanaimo was up early. They would add another in the top of the third inning.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=620551

The HarbourCats would claw one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning, and things would stay 3-1 until the eighth inning. Some mistakes by the NightOwls were all Victoria needed to send 1959 fans home happy. Well, let’s call it 1800 because I saw those NightOwls jerseys out there!

Starting pitcher Lino Zepeda had a great night on the mound for the NightOwls. He went five innings, giving up just one run on four hits, walking two, and striking out one. Teague Van Dyke and Jaeyden Edwards both pitched scoreless innings with one strike-out each. Nanaimo also stranded 12 batters on base, which showed some of their ability to pitch through pressure.

https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

The Nanaimo NightOwls finished the night with three runs on five hits and an error. Victoria had four runs on seven hits with no errors, and no bigger hit being the last one of the game.

Brady Morse, the Daville, Kentucky Native, had a good day at the plate, going two for two with one RBI and one walk. Brady and Talan Zenk also had stolen bases for Nanaimo. One of the runs was on an error from the HarbourCats, but the other went to Jacob Hayes, who, despite being on base once and getting an RBI, saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end.

http://Nanaimonightowls.com/tickets

The Nanaimo NightOwls will look to salvage a game in the series with the Victoria HarbourCats on Thursday, June 19th. The team returns home on June 20th for a weekend series against the Port Angeles Lefties. That goes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 20th, 21st, and 22nd at Serauxemen Stadium. The team is on a 10-game homestand starting on the 20th of June. We have some great promotional days coming up, including Indigenous Peoples Day and Halloween in June.

The Nanaimo NightOwls At The Malahat Skywalk

Make sure to get your tickets and follow the team on our website and social media when they are on the road for the latest information and updates. On Wednesday, the team went to the Malahat Skywalk, and we got to find out who was scared of heights. There will be lots more fun stuff coming this season, and player profiles so you can get to know your Nanaimo NightOwls.

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