Summer Collegiate
KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops NorthPaws are returning to Dearborn Ford Field at NorBrock Stadium on Tuesday as the West Coast season begins to wrap up ahead of the playoffs.
The Paws are back in Kamloops after a tough road trip which saw the squad drop five of six on the road, concluding with a three game sweep at the hands of the Victoria HarbourCats in the provincial capital. Kamloops sits last in the North Division at 6-13 in the second half, 5.5 games back of the leading Bellingham Bells who arrive in the Tournament Capital on Tuesday for a three game set.
The Bellingham Bells are continuing a Canadian road trip, which saw them win two of three versus the Nanaimo NightOwls on the Island.
GAME 1
A late inning surge from the Victoria HarbourCats propelled the Islander to victory in the opening game of the set 11-6.
Shane Brinham was thrust into action for his first career WCL appearance, pitching a superb five innings of no-hit baseball, walking six but also striking out 5, taking a no-decision.
The NorthPaws would jump out to an early 5-0 lead thanks to two runs in the 2nd and three more in the 3rd, before the HarbourCats racked up 11 runs from the 6th inning onwards.
Shortstop Anthony Setticasi led the way for Kamloops with a 2-4 3RBI evening at the plate. Dylan Dekker, and Madden Ocko both added an RBI in the loss. The game unravelled in the seventh for Kamloops with Victoria pushing across seven runs and taking a lead they would never surrender.
The Cats’ Michael Crossland, and Michelle Artzberger both collected 3RBI in the win for Victoria. Willem Heilker collected the win, pitching two innings of relief allowing 1 unearned run and striking out three.
Chase Taylor was tagged with the loss.
GAME 2
Victoria’s offensive weapons continued to dominate Kamloops’ pitching staff in the second game, defeating the Paws 15-3.
Cade Johnson started for Kamloops and took the loss, after pitching 2.1IP, 9H, 8ER, 2K. Joey Rico was a bright spot for Kamloops in the loss going 2-4 at the plate with 2RBI, both of his hits went for doubles. Jacob Schlesselman had the other RBI.
Michelle Artzberger failed to cool off between games, collecting four more RBI in game two, for seven in the series. In total the Victoria batters collected 18 hits and 8 walks in the victory.
Taylor Franklin earned the win, pitching one inning of clean baseball.
GAME 3
Victoria completed the sweep during a matinee on Sunday 7-3.
Sawyer Jensen got the starting nod for Kamloops and pitched well, allowing just 4ER over 6.0IP with 3K but ended up taking the loss. Cade Webber, and Oliver Mabee also pitched in the contest for the NorthPaws with Mabee allowing the other three runs to Victoria.
Flynn Ridley was the winning pitcher of record, throwing three innings of no-hit ball in relief of starter Trey Langan.
TJ Wachter hit his second homer of the season, a solo-shot in the fourth inning. Catcher Jerry Nix also collected an RBI in the loss on a 1-3 night.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday, July 29 – Off-Day
Tuesday, July 30 vs Bellingham, 6:35 first pitch
Wednesday, July 31 vs Bellingham, 6:35 first pitch
Thursday, August 1, vs Bellingham, 6:35 first pitch
Friday, August 2, vs Kelowna, 6:35 first pitch (Fan appreciation night)
Saturday, August 3 @ Kelowna, 6:35 first pitch
Sunday, August 4 vs Kelowna, 2:05 first pitch (FINAL HOME GAME OF THE SEASON)
Monday, August 5 – Off-Day
Tuesday, August 6 vs Yakima Valley, 6:35 first pitch
Wednesday, August 7 vs Yakima Valley, 6:35 first pitch
Thursday, August 8 vs Yakima Valley, 7:05 first pitch (FINAL GAME OF THE SEASON)
FOR MEDIA REQUESTS
Jenna Forter
General Manager
Kamloops NorthPaws
p. 250-200-1415
www.northpawsbaseball.ca
Dillon Lopez celebrates his walk-off base hit that gave Victoria a 10-9 win over the Kelowna Falcons last July 12 (Photo: Justin Morash)
April 7, 2026
Story by Norm LeBus
Photos by Justin Morash
At 11 years old, I was five foot seven and almost as wide, so catcher or right field was the best guess in Little League. A late growth spurt and affinity for Gram’s baking meant I didn’t move very quickly, but I did take up a lot of space.
Squatting with a cage on my head, I closed my eyes when I saw a club swing overhead. Then a ball hit me right in the chest protector.
“Maybe join the outfielders,” coach said.
That was 1970.
I’ve always had a respect for catchers. A crouched blend of courage and mule stubbornness, donning and shedding protective amour between innings. Kind of a point guard in the summer heat, bending to a kneel then standing dozens of times a game, guiding eight on-field players into place and counseling shaky pitchers.
So, it’s validating to hear catching feels exactly like it looks.
“When I started, I’d be sore for a couple days after catching games,” Dillon Lopez says.
“I guess over time you kind of get used to hurting all the time. You get used to your body feeling not one hundred percent and you kind of roll with it.”
Lopez, 21, is currently a junior at NCAA Div 1 program St Mary’s University in San Antonio, his hometown. Lopez joined the Cats late in 2025, arriving July 1 after the team’s starting catcher, Jacob Silva, injured his toe sliding into a base in Kelowna.
“If Dillon had arrived earlier, he no doubt would have been one of our all-star selections,” Harbourcats GM Christian Stewart contends. “He’s just a guy you can send up to the plate with confidence and put behind the dish with confidence to handle any of our pitchers.”
Lopez, 5-10 and about 200 pounds, is kind of built for the job.
Dillon Lopez salutes the crowd after his walk-off base hit gave the Cats a dramatic 10-9 win over the Kelowna Falcons last July 12th (Photo: Justin Morash).
In the WCL, you’re crouched behind home plate in about seven pounds of armour, in what amounts to the engine room. Two opposing forces are trying to collide: a hickory or birch bat whirls past your ear at almost 100 miles an hour as a ball’s incoming at close to the same velocity. When the two intersect, it’s game action: foul ball or in-play on the diamond.
But most of the game, the ball lands in the catcher’s mitt for balls and strikes.
“It doesn’t come too close to my head,” Lopez says of the bat. “But it does come pretty close to my glove. All I try to do is focus on catching the ball.”
Every inch of the catcher is protected, including their throat. It’s kind of a dangerous place. And catchers need to keep it calm in the eye of the storm.
“We’re more of a coach on the field,” Lopez says. “We see everything and we keep everybody in check and remind everybody what they have to do.”
My right field recollections were a lot of daydreaming punctuated by one or maybe two fly balls a game and less grounders.
Not so if you play catcher.
“I love catching because I’m always in the game and helps me stay locked in on what ‘s going on,” Lopez says. “If definitely takes a lot of focus and some homework, understanding batters’ swings and their tendencies.
Lopez is also an outstanding hitter. Arriving July 1 last season, he played 24 games and hit .350 with four doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI.
Currently back in San Antonio for his junior year at St Mary’s University, Lopez is hitting .362 with eight dingers and 43 RBI in 35 games this spring.
Lopez is also outstanding in the classroom as a three-time conference honour roll student in his field of sport science.
And he’s a student of the game, studying both his swing and his catching form on video most nights during the season, ensuring his fundamentals don’t stray.
“Your swing can change slightly during the season,” he explains. “There’s mental fatigue and body fatigue and you have to push through the fog, stay true to fundamentals and not chase little fixes that up end altering the foundation.”
The last year has been a huge challenge for Lopez outside the lines. Three months before he joined the Cats in 2025, Lopez lost a family member after a lengthy illness.
Dillon Lopez should be a steady influence behind the plate for the HarbourCats again in 2026 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
His St Mary’s teammate, Garret Brooks, who also arrived in Victoria at the beginning of July, was instrumental at the start.
“He definitely helped me out with getting in there and getting situated,” Lopez recalls. “We hung out with a lot of the guys and kind of got to fit in a little bit, especially when it’s the middle of summer and everybody’s already used to each other.”
It didn’t hurt that both players made immediate impacts: Brooks hit .343 with six doubles and 13 RBI in 20 games; Lopez homered three times with 18 RBI, four doubles and hit .350 in 21 games.
Through 30 games in the current NCAA season that began in February, both players are rolling at St Mary’s: both are hitting well above .300 with a combined 12 homers and 63 RBI.
And when the calendar hits June, Lopez plans to be behind home plate for the first pitch.
“I feel like it should be much better transition wise,” Lopez says. “I get to experience opening day and get the fans to kind of know me a bit more than a new face.
“It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to winning a lot of games.”
Lopez and the HarbourCats begin their 2026 season on May 29th with a visit to Portland and then return to Victoria for the Home Opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 pm.
Season tickets, single-game tickets, 12 and 32-game flex packs and 2026 All-Star Game ticket packages are now on sale at harbourcats.com/tickets or at the HarbourCats office at 1814 Vancouver Street.
NightOwls go California Dreaming — more arms for Coach Gorm
– Pitching coach Gorm Heimueller, going into his 50th year in the game, will have a lot to work with for mound duties this season.
The Nanaimo NightOwls are pleased to announce the signing of some top-end pitching for the 2026 WCL campaign, and all of those locked in on paperwork today hail from the State of California — which happens to be where Gorm is originally from.
To help Heimueller have a memorable 50th year in baseball, the NightOwls are proud to add these pitchers to his 2026 meeting room:
RHP Jacob Badillo, Cal State-LA, 6-0/180, Lancaster CA
RHP Anthony Cosme, Cal Poly-Pomona, 6-0/208, Inglewood CA
RHP Jacob Alvarez, Orange Coast College, 61-/215, Bellflower CA
RHP Chase Cummins, Cerra Coso CC, 6-0/168, Santa Maria CA
Badillo comes from the same school that provided 2025 starter Lino Zepeda, an effective starter for Heimueller’s staff. As a freshman, Badillo has made five appearances including three starts for Cal State LA so far this spring, posting his first collegiate win.
Cosme has spent time as the Friday Night Starter for Cal Poly, a physical pitcher who runs his fastball up to 93. He was the opening game starter for Cal Poly as a freshman, and went on to make 11 starts and was named the school’s freshman male athlete of the year, walking only 17 batters in nearly 60 innings pitched.
Alvarez is at junior college powerhouse program Orange Coast College, on the same team as recent signee Alan Choo (1B/DH, son of former MLB all-star Shin-Soo Choo). Alvarez already has six appearances this spring, including a start, an innings-eater for Orange Coast with nearly a strikeout per inning.
Cummins is a submariner, a whippy arm and a useful bullpen tool to mix things up — a sophomore who has given up just one hit in his last two outings and is striking out a batter per inning. He had 24 innings of work last summer for Swift Current in the WCBL, so this will be his second summer spent north of the border.
Summer Collegiate
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NightOwls California Dreamin’ for Pitching
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