Connect with us

Summer Collegiate

More gifts under the tree for NightOwls fans, two returning players and three Canadians among six signed

Published

on

Returning players are always a plus for fanbases of collegiate summer baseball teams, and the Nanaimo NightOwls are glad to add two more to that list.

With five members of last summer’s roster already lined up to return to historic Serauxmen Stadium for the 2025 season (Ryder Florence, Cole Carmichael, Richtter Castillo, Moosa Nonomiya and all-star starting pitcher Adison Mattix), first-year Head Coach Cody Andreychuk is pleased to have the WCL experience of pitcher David Stewart and outfielder Alessandro Volpe — who also happen to be Canadian.

 

Righthander Drew Lenehan, from New Brunswick, is the third Canadian in this group of signings, a hard-thrower with experience as a summer baseball starting pitcher with Lethbridge of the Western Canada League.

 

“We feel like we will have a leadership group that can help us bond faster and be up to the WCL pace of play right from the start, with guys who know the ins and outs of the league,” said Andreychuk, himself a former WCL player. “David’s character is something the organization picked up on right from the start, and more college experience from Alessandro will bring him to a new level in Nanaimo. Drew is excited to take a step forward this coming summer and gives us depth in our plans for a starting rotation.”

 

Volpe, from Toronto, used his family heritage to represent Italy in a recent international showcase in Florida. He played the final three weeks of the 2024 season in Nanaimo.

The full list of player signings announced by GM Tina Cornett today:

C Nate Davis, Everett CC, 6/185, Beaverton, OR
Util Talan Zenk, Everett CC, 5-10/185, Briar, WA
RHP Alex Hill, Everett CC, 6-5/240, Seattle, WA
OF Alessandro Volpe, Lindewood University, 6-1/195, Toronto (returning player)
RHP Drew Lenehan, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 6-5/200, Woodstock, New Brunswick
LHP David Stewart, University of Mary, 6-0-/180, Edmonton (returning player)

Switch-hitting catcher Nate Davis of Everett CC was previously with the Ducks at the University of Oregon, a strong defensive catcher with pop in his bat, while teammate Talan Zenk is a spark plug, a physical player who can handle a multitude of positions.

 

Alex Hill is a huge presence on the mound at 6-5/240, a prototype power arm who projects as another bullpen shutdown option for Pitching Coach Gorm Heimueller.

 

Lenehan made nine starts in the summer of 2024, striking out more than a batter per inning. Stewart was used as a lefty specialist in 2024 by Heimueller, making 11 appearances and under the pitching coach’s guidance he cut down on walks, not issuing a free pass in his last four outings.

 

Team signings will continue into January and February as Coach Andreychuk prepares for the fourth season of NightOwls baseball at Serauxmen Stadium.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats deep fry Pickles

Published

on

May 30, 2026

Portland, OR – It was billed as “Wrestling Night” in Portland Saturday night and while the wrestlers in the ring on the third base concourse of Walker Stadium did their best to ensure chaos reigned there all night, the HarbourCats did the same on the field, pummelling the Pickles by a score of 15-6.

FULL BOX SCORE


Victoria atoned for their three-hit performance in the opener on Friday by body slamming the Pickles for 19 hits in total, 14 of which came in the first four innings, allowing them to build a 13-0 lead over that same time span.

The Pickles got up off the mat briefly in the bottom of the fourth, scoring all their six runs in that frame, but never threatened again after that, shut-out the rest of the way.

The HarbourCats offence was led by leadoff hitter David Krahn, who had four hits, including a double, four RBI and four runs scored. Right behind him was Dryden Fuoco with three hits, including a double and the first HarbourCats home run of the season. Max Bernal, Jax Heid, Lukas Le Gras, Matthew Westley, Rhone Klein and Kade Davis also contributed two hits each to the winning effort.

Victoria starter Erik Rico was flat out brilliant in his HarbourCats debut, going three shut-out innings, and allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out six, including the first three Portland batters of the game. Relievers Bryson Toner, Hunter Daniels, Easton Reimers and Anson Stuckly were also solid, combing for 5.1 innings of scoreless relief with eight strikeouts.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats and Pickles will complete the rubber match of the series on Sunday night wth a 6:05 PM start. Victoria then travels home for their opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, June 2 at 6:35. Tickets for that are selling fast and are available at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Raptors edge NightOwls on Saturday evening

Published

on

RIDGEFIELD, WA — Nearly, another comeback win for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

Nanaimo has the go-head runner on base in the ninth but fell just short in a 4-3 setback Saturday against the tough Ridgefield Raptors, the NightOwls falling to 1-1 on this young West Coast League season. Nanaimo opened the summer with a 7-6 come-from-behind win on Friday.

Runners were on first and second in the ninth but a pair of strikeouts ended the Nanaimo threat.

BOXSCORE LINK — https://wclstats.com/sports/bsb/2026/boxscores/20260530_0fwy.xml 

Jacob Hayes, one of the top hitters in the WCL dating back to a year ago, got the NightOwls out to a lead on Saturday with an RBI single. Ridgefield scored two in the third, one in the fifth and one more in the sixth to go ahead 4-1.

Carter Cathers drove a ball to right in the eighth and an error led to Easton Mould and Tyler Clementz crossing the plate, cutting the score to 4-3.

STANDINGS AND STATS LINK — https://wclstats.com/sports/bsb/2026/standings

Starter Caleb Morrison, Parker King, Cesar Corrales and Moosa Nonomiya handled the pitching chores for Nanaimo. Ridgefield made two errors to just one for Nanaimo, and the Raptors outhit the NightOwls 7-5.

WCL PIXELLOT VIDEO LINK — West Coast League Live

The NightOwls play one more game in Ridgefield before returning home for the home opener, which is on Tuesday against the Kelowna Falcons at historic Serauxmen Stadium. The game in Ridgefield on Sunday, a 1:05 PM start, will feature former all-star Adison Mattix as the starting pitcher for Nanaimo.

Tickets for the home opener are going fast — nanaimonightowls.com/tickets for the official Showpass ticketing site, do not be fooled by googling and ending up at a third-party offshore ticketing website.

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Drop Season Opener in Portland

Published

on

The Cats fought hard but fell short in the first game of 2026

Portland, OR – The HarbourCats began the 2026 season tonight, falling 8-2 in the first game of the year to the Portland Pickles.

The Cats struck first in the season opener, as Kade Davis (UTSA) scored from third in the first inning on a Dryden Fuoco (Hill College) groundout. Portland returned fire in the bottom of the first, cashing in a run on a base knock to right field and tying the ballgame at 1-1.

BOX SCORE

HarbourCats starter Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) saw his night come to an end following an action-packed second inning where he fielded all three outs. The Los Angeles product went two innings, giving up a pair of hits, one earned run, one walk, and a strikeout. Caden Shoul (Wenatchee Valley) kicked off the bottom of the third inning on the mound for the Cats, and the Pickles would break through with three more runs to claim a 4-1 lead.

A fruitful eighth inning broke the game open for Portland

Victoria got back on the board in the top of the fifth with Frankie Rutigliano (Portland) taking first on a dropped third strike and later scoring from third on a groundout from Jai Berezowski (Victoria Collegiate Cats).

Pierce Stone (Regis) worked the fourth and fifth innings for the Cats, refusing to surrender any runs on a pair of hits and a walk. Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) took over for the sixth and seventh, and kept the lid on the Pickles through two hitless innings.

Portland added on in the eighth, as Cats reliever Marcus Janovsky (UBC) gave up four runs on three walks and a hit.

Victoria managed to load the bases in the ninth, but the runners were left on and Portland came away with the 8-2 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will be in Portland all weekend, with 6:30 pm games on May 30 and 31, before returning home on June 2 for the Home Opener.

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.

Source

Continue Reading

Trending