The Kamloops NorthPaws have strengthened their inaugural rotation with two freshman pitchers from the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
Vic Domingo and Sean Heppner are following very parallel paths through their baseball development.
They both grew up playing in the BC Premier Baseball League, they simultaneously attended the 2019 Tournament 12 showcase hosted by the Blue Jays Baseball Academy, they are dorm mates for their freshman season with the Thunderbirds, and they will both look to solidify the NorthPaws pitching staff this summer.
The NorthPaws have six Thunderbirds players signed for the 2021 season.
“UBC is a tremendous program that has set the standard for player development at the collegiate level in Canada,” said head coach Cole Armstrong. “Having the opportunity to showcase Thunderbird players against players attending NCAA schools is something we’re very excited about.”
Vic Domingo
Domingo is the first player to play for the Thunderbirds after developing for the UBC Thunder youth program. Even though he received attention from other schools, he wanted to stay at home to play baseball and study.
Photo Credit: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
“I love the culture, I love everything about UBC,” Domingo said. “I’ve been playing here since I was 15 years old. This is my home, this is where I want to be so I don’t see why I would go anywhere else.”
The Vancouverite has had the opportunity to represent Canada on two occasions.
His South Vancouver represented Canada at the Little League World Series when he was 11 years old, and he made the Junior National Team in 2020, which was unfortunately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic after spring training in Florida.
Listed at 5’10”, Domingo is the shortest pitcher on the NorthPaws roster, but his demeanour and ever-improving three-pitch repertoire – fastball, changeup and slurve – gives his coaches the confidence he will succeed in the West Coast League.
“He comes after you, he challenges you on the mound. He might be shorter in stature than some of these other guys, but he doesn’t lack anything from the confidence piece and the presence on the mound,” said Sammie Starr, assistant coach for both the Thunderbirds and the NorthPaws. “He’s gritty, he’s not scared of anybody and his stuff is good. He’s got the stuff to back it up. When we put him out there, I would feel comfortable with him on the mound against almost anybody at this point.”
Sean Heppner
Heppner is the most Canadian American on the NorthPaws roster. Though his identification indicates he is a resident of the United States, his resume would suggest he’s from the Great White North.
Photo Credit: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
Heppner grew up in Point Roberts, Wash., located on the southernmost point of the Tsawwassen Peninsula. A town where the only land access through to the rest of Washington is to drive through B.C.
“Because Point Roberts is isolated from the rest of Washington, I’ve basically done everything in Canada my whole life with school, baseball, all sports and all my friends are in Canada too,” Heppner said. “It’s definitely one of the most unique places in North America because it’s basically Canada, but it’s not.”
He was the ace on the 2019 version of the North Delta Blue Jays, helping win a Baseball BC provincial title and earn a berth at nationals.
He throws what he calls a very traditional mix of pitches with a fastball, changeup and slider.
“Sean’s a bit more of a later bloomer. He had a really successful senior year in the PBL and has made huge strides in the past eight months,” Starr said. “This fall he just dominated our guys throughout our fall camp.”
The next step for Heppner will be to test himself against West Coast League talent.
“When I heard about Kamloops and how it’s part of the West Coast League, how it’s such a competitive league and also that it’s starting up as a new organization, I was really excited and really want to be a part of that first season with the team,” he said.
The Kamloops NorthPaws are an expansion West Coast League franchise bringing the highest calibre baseball Canada’s Tournament Capital has ever seen. The West Coast League, founded in 2005, has 15 teams across Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta featuring some of the top collegiate players during a 54-game summer season. Find the NorthPaws online at www.northpawsbaseball.ca, @northpawsbaseball on Instagram and Facebook, or @northpawsbb on Twitter.
EDMONTON, A.B. — The NightOwls bats continue to pop, but they can’t seem to outscore their opponent as they fall 14-12 to the Edmonton RiverHawks on Friday Night. Despite two home runs from Jacob Hayes and one from catcher Nathan Davis, Nanaimo drops to 12-16 on the season.
The two teams went back and forth all game, and the NightOwls had a late lead in the eighth inning but couldn’t hold on, and the RiverHawks were able to get a late lead. Nanaimo has a chance at redemption tomorrow at Re/Max Field as the two teams are back at it at 7:05 MST. That’s 6:05 our time in Nanaimo, and the game can be streamed on the link below.
Leading the way at the plate was first baseman Jacob Hayes, who went yard twice on the night for his fifth and sixth Home Runs on the season for the NightOwls. Catcher Nathan Davis also went deep for his first home run of the year. Jacob Hayes spoke on his recent hot streak.
“This game has a lot of ups and downs, so making adjustments is crucial. I definitely have felt more confident at the plate. I think using a whole field approach at the dish has given me that. Cody has been talking a lot about that recently, and just trusting him with his advice has also allowed me to feel freer up at bat.”
Asher De Leo came in relief for the Nanaimo Night Owls and was the only pitcher not to allow a hit or run in this very offensive game against the Edmonton RiverHawks. Starting pitcher Aidan Boice had three strikeouts in his five innings pitched and didn’t factor into the decision on the night.
I spoke to the manager of the Nanaimo NightOwls, Cody Andreychuk after the game about the play of Jacob Hayes and how they could balance the pitching and hitting, “Hayes has been on a tear in the last little bit there’s a lot to like about how he drives the ball out of the ballpark , Talan Zenk has also been swinging a hot bat . As far as the balance between pitching and hitting the pitchers won us the series against Edmonton earlier in the year we are going through a rough patch and I’m confident they will respond and bounce back.”
Talan Zenk went one for three with a single, walk and RBI, and three runs as he was also hit by a pitch. Nathan Davis had a great stat line going three for four with three RBI, a HR, two singles, three runs, a walk, and a stolen base. Shortstop Andrew Nykoluk also had a nice day at the plate with two hits, an RBI and a walk.
The series continues on Saturday and Sunday July 5th, and 6th in Edmonton against the RiverHawks. Note the start times as Saturday is a 6:05 first pitch PST and Sunday is an afternoon affair that goes at 12:05 PST.
Then the team will have a well deserved day off after 10 straight days of games. The NightOwls return home with a three game series against the Kelowna Falcons in a mid week matchup. That starts Tuesday July 8th at 6:35pm and continues Wednesday and Thursday at the same time. Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest NightOwls news and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark!
RIDGEFIELD, WA – On the Fourth of July, the Victoria HarbourCats scored four times as many runs as the Ridgefield Raptors, winning the series opener 20-5.
The fun started in the top of the third inning when the HarbourCats brought 13 batters to the plate and put up nine runs in the frame. Xander “Boogie” McAfee (Texas Arlington) opened up the scoring with an RBI single to make it 1-0. Boogie also had an RBI double later in the inning.
Logan Shepherd (Mercer U) and Dillon Lopez (St Mary’s) drove in one run each with singles, while Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) and Connor Ross (Cal Baptist) each hit two-run singles in the inning. Garrett Brooks (St Mary’s) drove in his first run of the season with a double.
The Victoria offence was relentless this afternoon as they put up five more runs in the fourth inning to extend their advantage to 14-0. Shepherd’s RBI single was followed by a Jack Johnson (Baylor) sacrifice fly. Boogie McAfee then hit his second RBI double of the game, and Beltowski smacked a triple to the wall to score another run.
Johnson has reached base in all 24 games he has played this season.
Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) started the game for Victoria and was fantastic through his first four innings of work, surrendering just two hits. He retired the first two batters in the fifth but then pitched into trouble. After the next two Raptors reached base, Taylor Takata hit an RBI single to get the home team on the board. Andrew Estrella then hit a three-run home run to the opposite field to make it 14-4 and put an end to Lake’s outing.
Marcus Janovsky (UBC) pitched the next 2-1/3 innings and gave up one run on three hits while striking out a pair.
If you thought that complacency would become an issue for the HarbourCats’ offence after 14 runs, you would be sorely mistaken. The visitors tacked on another five runs in the seventh inning through a two-run single by Johnson and a three-run home run from Ross.
Ross had four hits, five RBIs, and scored three runs.
Shepherd drove in his third run of the game in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly, pushing the lead to 20-5. The designated hitter, along with McAfee and Lopez, recorded three hits in the game. Beltowski drove in four runs and had two hits, increasing his season average to .342. The shortstop has two or more hits in five of his last seven games.
Dustin Davidson (Brookhaven) completed the final two innings, facing the minimum, giving up just one hit.
Thomas Bridges (Northwestern U) is the projected HarbourCats starter for game two tomorrow against the Raptors at 6:35 PM. The right-hander will enter the game with a 0.45 ERA in 20 innings of work this season.
The HarbourCats are back home for an exciting weekend series against the Kelowna Falcons Friday, July 11 at 6:35 PM. Friday is Harvey’s Birthday, Saturday is a Fireworks night, and Sunday’s matinee is the always popular Bark in the Park game, where all dogs are welcome! Get tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.
Season Tickets, 10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 33 home games and four “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats’ new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.
Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.
For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
VICTORIA, B.C. — The Nanaimo NightOwls dropped the final game of the series 8-3 to the Victoria HarbourCats on Thursday night. The HarbourCats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and continued to add to it with six more runs between the third and sixth innings.
Nanaimo was able to get a couple of runs back thanks to home runs from Jacob Hayes and Tyler Arnold, but they couldn’t complete the comeback and ended up dropping both games at Royal Athletic Park. The NightOwls had three runs on nine hits with no errors. The Victoria HarbourCats finished the night with eight runs on 10 hits and no errors.
Starting Pitching Lino Zepeda went three innings, surrendering three earned runs on six hits while striking out three. Brennan Kettle and Jakin Rohne both came in relief and threw scoreless outings.
Kettle, a junior from Hawaii Pacific University, pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and striking out one. Rohne went two innings, giving up no runs, no hits, and striking out two.
The NightOwls made a late push in the game against the HarbourCats thanks to a pair of home runs. First it was Jacob Hayes who had a two run shot, he finished the night one for three with a HR, two RBI and a walk.
— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) July 4, 2025
Tyler Arnold also got into the home run action in the ninth inning. He smacked a solo shot and finished the day one for four. Raoul Fabian Jr. continues to wield a hot bat as he went two for four with 2 singles and a run scored.
The loss drops the Nanaimo NightOwls to 12-15 on the season and 0-3 to start the second half. No time to worry about the series against the HarbourCats as the team heads right out to Edmonton for a Friday night game. Nanaimo swept the RiverHawks when they were in Nanaimo last week.
The road trip to Edmonton against the RiverHawks goes, Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 4th, 5th and 6th. Then the team will have a well deserved day off after 10 straight days of games. The NightOwls return home with a three game series against the Kelowna Falcons in a mid week matchup. That starts Tuesday July 8th at 6:35pm and continues Wednesday and Thursday at the same time. Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest NightOwls news and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark!
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