Summer Collegiate

Lefties rebound to take two of three from NorthPaws

Published

3 years ago

July 21, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

PORT ANGELES, WASH—After beginning the week with a victory, the Kamloops North Paws fell twice to the host Port Angeles Lefties in West Coast League baseball action. Kamloops won the series opener on Tuesday (July 18) 4-2 in 10 innings. But the Lefties came back to win the rest of the battle: 4-1 Wednesday (July 19) and 7-2 on Thursday (July 20).

The results leave Kamloops 2-10 in the second half of the season and 9-30 overall. Port Angeles moves to 4-8 in the second half and 12-27 overall.

Port Angeles took five of the six games against Kamloops in the 2023 regular season.

The NorthPaws return home where they will kick off a six-game set of games at Dearborn Ford Field at NorBrock Stadium. Their first opponents will be the Bellingham Bells starting tomorrow (July 21). Opening pitch is 6:35 PM. Bellingham is 4-6 in their last 10 outings and have an overall record of 25-15.

The Lefties will take the bus to Kelowna to play three games against the Falcons at Elks Stadium beginning tomorrow (July 21).

All West Coast League games are available via their website: https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

SERIES RECAP:

Tuesday, July 18, 2023: NorthPaws 4 Lefties 2 (10 innings)

Former Lefty Casey Wayne (Phoenix, AZ) came back to haunt his old teammates. He was 1-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in as the NorthPaws held a 2-0 lead after six and a half innings. Port Angeles scored one in the bottom of both the seventh and eighth innings to send it into extra innings. Kamloops notched two in the top of the 10th en route to their ninth win of the season.

Wayne drove in the winning and insurance runs on a single after Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) had led off the 10th with a single and Joey Baran (Austin, TX) had walked.

Neville was 2-3 with a run batted in and a run scored.

David Leon (Coppell, TX), the fourth of four pitchers earned the win for Kamloops. He is 3-2 on the year as he went two innings, giving up a run, a hit and had a strike out. Brock Mayer (Torrance, CA), dropped to 0-4 on the year as he gave up two walks, two runs, struck out two and gave up a hit in three and a third innings.

Port Angeles was led offensively by Chanz Doughty (Lacey, WA) who was 1-4 with a run batted in. Kole Becker (San Diego, CA) was 0-3 with a run batted in. Roberto Nunez (Salinas, CA) was 2-3 while Ethan Young (Jefferson, NJ) was 2-4.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598618

Wednesday, July 19, 2023: Lefties 4 NorthPaws 1

The only NorthPaw scoring occurred in the top of the sixth inning when Robin Villeneuve (Gatineau, QC) hit a solo home run-his first of the season. That broke a scoreless tie.

Port Angeles scored three runs in the bottom half of that inning and added one more in the seventh before 632 fans at Civic Field.

Brock Mayer (Torrance, CA) was 2-3 with two runs batted in for the Lefties. Isiah Waltz (Yucaipa, CA) was 2-2 for two runs batted in and a run scored while Chase Taylor (West Jordan, UT) and Aren Arulaga (Laquinta, CA) were both 1-3 with a run scored.

Villeneuve was 1-3 for Kamloops. Gabe Mestas (Durango, CA) was 1-4 while Phoenix Sommay (Temecula, CA) was 1-3.

Mclain Roberts (Auckland, NZ) went six innings to take the loss. He is 1-6 on the year. In this game he gave up three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and walked five. Kassin Matson (Bothell, WA) went seven innings for his first win of the year in his first appearance. He surrendered two hits, walked two and struck out six. Kole Acker (Port Angeles, WA) came on in relief for his first save pitching an inning, striking out two and walking one.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598619

Thursday, July 20, 2023:Lefties 7 NorthPaws 2

Kamloops opened the scoring in the fourth inning when Baran walked and scored on a balk charged to Port Angeles starter Jake Cumming (Reno, NV). Cumming wound up as the winning pitcher going five innings for his first win of the year. He fanned eight while giving up four walks and two hits. He was the first of four Lefties pitchers.

Alexis Gravel (Repentigny, QC) was the losing pitcher in his second start of the summer. He falls to 0-1. Gravel pitched four innings of six hit ball surrendering five runs, walking four and striking out five. Those five runs came in the bottom of the fifth inning when the Lefties took the lead. They added single runs in the sixth and eighth as they had 10 hits and one error in the ball game.

Kamloops got their other run in the top of the ninth when Sommay made it to first on an error and scored on a wild pitch.

Offensively for Port Angeles: Walz was 1-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Nunez was 21-3 with a run scored and an run batted in. Chaz Doughty (Lacey, WA) was 2-3 with two runs scored.

For Kamloops: Tyler Glowacki (San Diego, CA) was 2-5. Drew Giannini (Tracy, CA) was 1-4.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598620

NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:

The six game homestand for the Paws begins tomorrow (July 21) with an appearance by the Bellingham Bells . These two teams met in Washington State earlier this month: Bellingham is 4-8 in the second half of the West Coast League season and are coming off a 5-4 win on Wednesday (July 19) over Cowlitz.

PLAYERS TO WATCH ON BELLINGHAM:

1. Andrew Valee (Visalia, CA): attends Fresno Pacific University. He leads the team in home runs (3) and RBI (21).

2. Will Armbruester (Sammanish, WA) of Arizona State University has the most wins on the Bells pitching staff with four.

3. Daniel Paret (Miami Lakes, FLA) attends Stetson University and has a team leading 39 strikeouts among the pitchers

4. Anthony Kodama (Mill Creek, WA) attends Edmonds Community College. He has the top batting average on the Bells with .311. That is 18 th best in the WCL.

5. Matt Molina (Alice, TX), of Texas A.U. Corpus Christi has the best earned run average among the Bellingham pitchers at 0.00

Friday’s (July 21) contest will be ‘Country Night’.

Following the visit by Bellingham, the Victoria HarbourCats will be in town for a three game series (July 25-27). The teams met in Victoria on the opening weekend of the season where the HarbourCats swept the NorthPaws.

If you can’t make the home games, they are all webcast on https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ . Some home games will also be shown on Shaw TV in Kamloops (Cable 10 or 105 with Blue Curve).

TAILGATE PARTY:

The Molson’s Tailgate Party is operating before every NorthPaws home game. It runs Tuesday through Saturday 5-630 PM. The Party runs Sundays noon-1 PM. Hotdogs and a Pilsner are sold for $ 12.00 plus tax.

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Summer Collegiate

2026 NightOwls Coaching Staff

Published

7 hours ago

May 23, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

NightOwls coaching staff grows in 2026

Heimueller celebrating 50 years in baseball

Cody Andreychuk, the Head Coach of his hometown Nanaimo NightOwls, already had tremendous experience with collegiate and summer baseball.

Going into his second season steering the NightOwls, he feels even more prepared and supported with the challenge of the West Coast League ahead.

Andreychuk will have veteran Pitching Coach Gorm Heimueller with him again.

The 70-year-old is entering his 50th year in the game dating back to his college years at Cal Poly when he was a teammate of Ozzie Smith. Heimueller, who has three World Series rings from his stellar pro ball coaching career, is the only pitching coach the fifth-year organization has ever known.

Returning as the Athletic Therapist Extraordinaire is one of the best in the business, Dr. Kyle Salloum — a chiropractor and AT from Prime Performance and Therapy, which also serves as the official training centre of the NightOwls.

Added to the NightOwls staff this year is assistant coach Cam Revolt, a former college player now an assistant with Andreychuk at the University of Pikeville in Kentucky. The infielder hit nine home runs and drove in 111 while playing four seasons and batting .312 for the Bears.

The NightOwls have added Jordan McLeod as Bullpen Coach — a product of Nelson, B.C. and currently a teacher in Nanaimo and a graduate of Vancouver Island University, who is the Pitching Coach for the VIU Mariners. He is a former Douglas College and VIU pitcher.

Bench coach and mental skills coach Dr. Jordan Herbison, an instructor at VIU and a former UBC pitcher, is back to support the staff.

Andreychuk, 33, played in the West Coast League in 2013 for the Kelowna Falcons and served as an assistant coach in the famed Cape Cod League, the top summer collegiate league. In his first season leading the NightOwls, the former VIU player and Nanaimo product led the NightOwls to within a whisker of the playoffs, finishing at 23-31. Pikeville finished the spring season with a 29-19 record, reaching the playoffs, on the heels of winning 27 games in 2025 and 30 games in 2024.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Victoria HarbourCats Announce Expanded Premium Group Experiences for 2026 Season

Published

21 hours ago

May 22, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

New and enhanced hospitality spaces, upgraded fan experiences, and streamlined online booking now live at harbourcats.com/groups

May 22, 2026

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats are elevating the group entertainment experience for their 2026 season with expanded premium hospitality offerings, upgraded fan spaces, and a newly enhanced online booking platform designed to make planning summer outings easier than ever heading in to the All-Star Game Festival taking place at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and around the City July 14th – 16th, 2026.

With demand continuing to grow for corporate outings, staff events, client entertainment, birthdays, reunions, and social gatherings, the HarbourCats have introduced several refreshed and newly-enhanced group spaces at Royal Athletic Park – many of which are already seeing strong early demand.

Fans and organizations can now explore real-time availability, view space details/renderings, review spacing/capacity and pricing information, and submit booking requests directly at harbourcats.com/groups.

New and enhanced premium spaces for the 2026 season include:

Canadian Club House – a newly themed hospitality space along the third base line designed for groups and premium experiences.

The Nordic Fencing Dugout – an intimate field-level hospitality option next to the HarbourCats dugout that places guests close to the action while providing a unique experience for smaller private groups with tables for two.

The Strath Party Deck – a long-time fan favourite that continues to be one of the stadium’s most popular group destinations, offering a high-energy atmosphere ideal for larger celebrations, team outings, and company events.

Top Deck Lounge by Sipsmith Gin – one of the most unique viewing experiences in summer baseball returns with major upgrades for 2026, inside and atop the iconic double-decker British bus along the first base line.

Vancouver Island Brewing Islander FanZone – a casual and energetic group environment giving an outdoor brewery patio vibe that remains a popular option for fans looking for a fun and flexible game-day gathering space.

“Our premium hospitality program has grown significantly because people are looking for experiences that go beyond simply attending a baseball game,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the Victoria HarbourCats. “We’re proud to have hired some of the best in hospitality management to take it to the next level, whether it’s a company event, client appreciation night, staff party, birthday celebration, or just getting friends together, our team has created unique options to fit every type of group.”

Several key summer dates – including fireworks nights, weekend matchups, and 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game festivities – are already seeing limited availability.

Groups interested in booking are encouraged to visit harbourcats.com/groups to explore options and secure preferred dates before availability becomes limited.

More details are forthcoming on additional activations, including an exciting addition to the park, a recently-installed viewing platform with arguably the best view in the house!

ABOUT THE VICTORIA HARBOURCATS

The Victoria HarbourCats are a premier summer collegiate baseball organization competing in the West Coast League, delivering high-quality baseball and entertainment to fans at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, British Columbia.

Media Contact:
Jim Swanson
(778) 265-0327
jim@harbourcats.com
www.harbourcats.com

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Summer Collegiate

Two returning pitchers, two D1 bats added to roster

Published

1 day ago

May 21, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

May 21, 2026

For immediate release

NANAIMO, B.C. — In the West Coast League, top-tier college status matters, and the Nanaimo NightOwls adding two position players from D1-level UC San Diego is a strong step for the coming season.

Nathaniel Widelski and Liam O’Day, an outfielder and infielder respectively, bring all around skills to the NightOwls for the summer of 2026 at Serauxmen Stadium.

Just as much interest for Nanaimo fans is the signing of pitcher Jaden Patrick of the Vancouver Island University Mariners, and returning lefty Jake Schumacher to the mix.

“We love having island players, and we like bringing quality people back for additional seasons, where they know our program and can be leaders,” said GM Tina Cornett. “Getting Liam and Nathaniel from UC San Diego is a big boost for the lineup.”

The player signed this week by Head Coach Cody Andreychuk, further bolstering the 2026 roster:

IF Liam O’Day, UC San Diego, 6-2/195, R/R, San Diego

OF Nathaniel Widelski, UC San Diego, 6-1/180, R/R, San Diego

LHP Jake Schumacher, East Texas Baptist University, 5-10/180, Kennewick, WA

RHP Jaden Patrick, Vancouver Island University, 6-0/205, Victoria, B.C.

RHP Cesar Corrales Jr, Long Beach City College, 6-2/215, Playa Del Rey, CA

O’Day, a freshman, played in the California Collegiate League last summer, while Widelski recently hit his first college home run, in the lineup in centre field against the University of San Diego. Both have pro-potential body types and are expected to be key players at UCSD starting next season.

Patrick spent most of the summer of 2023 as a NightOwl, with four hits allowed and two strikeouts in three appearances in league action. The Victoria product is pitching for VIU this spring.

Schumacher, a Kennewick, WA product then pitching out of D2 St. Martin’s, made seven appearances for the NightOwls in 2024 and one rough outing inflated his ERA to 4.76. He is now at ETBU and has 20 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.

Corrales, who went to the same LA-area high school (St. Bernard’s) as pitching coach Gorm Heimueller graduated from a half century ago, has a fastball that gets up to 92, and is eager to pile up innings throwing for Heimueller.

Tickets are available for all games — season tickets, ticket packages, and single game offerings, though the NightOwls website (nanaimonightowls.com/ticketinfo). Don’t be fooled by third party resale sites.

The NightOwls open on the road at Ridgefield on May 29 but return home for the club’s fifth home opener on June 2 against the Kelowna Falcons, who are coached by former MLB player and broadcaster Gregg Zaun.

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