Luiz is a Canadian sophomore catcher at Jackson State University who will bring another left-handed bat to the NorthPaws lineup.
He played in 46 games as a freshman with a .252 batting average and 18 RBIs. He played in nine games in 2020 before the season came to an early close.
“I don’t strike out a lot so I’m a really tough out. My freshman year I only struck out like 12 or 15 times in 40 to 50 games. That’s something I’m proud of that I’m not an easy guy to get out,” Luiz said. “I’ll do anything it takes to get on base. I’ll lay down a bunt every now and then and I definitely want to help the team win. So, if we need a sac bunt or a hit and run, I’m your guy.”
Luiz, who grew up in Surrey, jumped at the opportunity to play summer ball close to home and learn from head coach Cole Armstrong, who played 10 professional seasons behind home plate.
“It’s pretty cool to have a West Coast League team not too far from home and be able to play competitive baseball in such a highly touted summer collegiate league. Being a BC guy, it’s going to be really cool to experience that and be a part of it.”
Jackson State were swept in their three-game series against Mercer University to open the 2021 season. They were ranked to finish second in the Southwest Athletic Conference East Division in preseason rankings.
Skansi is a freshman middle infielder at the University of Utah.
He is from Gig Harbor, Wash. and was a multi-sport athlete in high school playing baseball and football before choosing the diamond over the gridiron for his collegiate career.
“I’m a power hitter. I like to hit doubles and home runs. I can go gap to gap. I take pride in my defense as well,” Skansi said. “I love making the great plays but making the routine plays consistently is something I pride myself in too.”
Skansi picked up his first collegiate at-bat on Sunday when he pinch hit in a loss to Cal State Fullerton during the season-opening series.
Utah was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
Swapp is a sophomore at Brigham Young University (BYU).
He is entering his first full collegiate season as he was limited to seven at-bats in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Swapp, from Heber City, Utah, will bring speed to the NorthPaws outfield. His fastest posted time is a 6.30 60-yard dash, the same as Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout. By comparison, the Major League average is 6.90.
“I’m a competitor. I pride myself in having competitive at bats. I can run, so I like to implement that in my game,” Swapp said. “I feel like I can get to anything in the outfield and leg out some extra bases and extra base hits. I can hit for a little bit of power. I think I have some variety in my game.”
BYU will wrap up a four-game, season-opening series against Texas State University on Tuesday. They were picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
NorthPaws fans can follow the progress of all the Kamloops-bound players, as all three of the signees continue their 2021 season with multiple games this week.
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.
NANAIMO, B.C. — Bring out the brooms, cause the Nanaimo Bars pulled out a 5-3 win in game three to sweep the series against the Edmonton RiverHawks. That brings the winning streak up to four and six overall, and the Nanaimo Bars are back to .500 for the season with a 12-12 record.
It didn’t take long for the Nanaimo Bars to jump out to a lead. Nathan Davis took a walk before Talan Zenk stepped up to the plate and drove an opposite two-run home run to right field over the Save-on-Foods sign. The RiverHawks would tie it up in the top of the third inning, 2-2, before taking a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. The score would stay that way until the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Nanaimo Bars weren’t going to go away and leave the over 1000 fans at Serauxmen Stadium in attendance disappointed. An eight-inning rally saw them put three runs on the board and take a 5-3. The Bars would close out Family Fun Day with a win, and the kids ran the bases with Jacob, one of our SuperFans!
For the second night in a row, the Nanaimo Bars’ pitching was superb as they gave up just three runs on seven hits. Carter Chard-Hill got the win on the afternoon, pitching just one inning but not needing help from anyone in the field as he struck out the side. Starting pitcher Zach Horwith went three innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits. Dawson Shultz and Dillon Thompson both threw scoreless innings in relief for the Nanaimo Bars.
Sliding into third safe! (Photo credit Chad Frostad)
After the Nanaimo Bars took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, they turned to Asher De Leo. Super happy to see Asher come on to get the save for the Bars, as he was bitten on the leg by a dog yesterday. He toughed it out, came back today, and got a three-up three-down inning for the save and solidified the sweep.
Mentioned Talan Zenk had a huge two-run bomb in the first inning, and he also scored the winning run on a wild pitch. He had a good night at the plate and went two for four with a home run, two RBI, and two runs.
— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) June 30, 2025
I spoke with Talan Zenk after the game about his home run, ” The count was 2-0 and I was just looking for something to drive, saw a fastball outer half and was able to do damage.”
I also wanted to know about the NightOwls celebration on base, “The celebration is just something we do to fire up our team, we are looking to keep the energy and continue attacking the other team.”
Nanaimo Bars win 5-3 and sweep the series (Photo Credit Chad Frostad)
It was another all around effort from the Nanaimo Bars. Seven of the Nine starters had a base hit in the 5-3 victory. Raoul Fabian Jr, Jaisen Abner both had hits and RBIs on the day for the Nanaimo Bars.
Monday the NightOwls have an exhibition game on June 30th against the Nanaimo Selects before our big Canada Day festivities against Island rivals, the Victoria HarbourCats. Make sure to get out early for that one as we are going to be packed. We have fireworks presented by the Kwumut Lelum Foundation.
Then the team heads off to Victoria for the rest of the three game series on July 2nd and 3rd. After that the NightOwls are on the road to Edmonton for three games for a rematch with the RiverHawks July, 4th, 5th and 6th!
Make sure to check the live stream in the link above to catch you NightOwls on the road. Tag us in your social media and use the Hashtag #IlluminateTheDark! Go NightOwls Go!!
The Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-1 lead, including a Bates two-run single. Logan Rumberg (George Mason) made his third start of the season for the Cats and went 2-2/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out one.
Dustin Davidson (Brookhaven) was first out of the bullpen and hit the first batter he faced, and followed that up with a bases-loaded walk. The lefty faced nine hitters over 1-1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits.
Afework drove in his second and third runs of the game in the top of the fourth, powering a ball to the wall in centre for a two-run double.
The Sox restored their three-run lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Ethan Thomas hit a two-run home run off Davidson, making it 6-3 Wenatchee.
JC Allen (UC San Diego) brought the visitors within one run of the hosts with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh, making it 6-5 Sox.
Cade Rusch (Bellarmine) threw three shutout innings, giving up one hit, walking three, and striking out three, including a big strikeout with the bases loaded to end the threat in the bottom of the seventh.
Afework led off the eighth with his second double of the night, but was stranded there as Joe Thornton retired the next three Cats in order, keeping hold of their slim lead.
Austin Lindsey (Hill College) pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out one batter.
Thornton was back out for the ninth and recorded three straight outs to clinch the 6-5 win and the sweep.
Hudson Shupe (Gonzaga) went two for five Sunday night with his first hit being his 100th career regular season hit as a HarbourCat.
Tomorrow is Fireworks night! Doors open at 5:00 PM, and first pitch is at 6:35 PM, as the Cats take on the Redmond Dudes. General admission tickets are still available and can be purchased 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.
The Kamloops NorthPaws have lost their first series at home this season following a 9-1 defeat against the Bellingham Bells. Despite out-hitting Bellingham, the NorthPaws couldn’t come up with a big inning.
The Bells got off to another quick start, scoring two in the top of the first. Bellingham’s first run came from two walks, a past ball, and a sacrifice ground ball. A base hit would score the second run.
The NorthPaws got off to another slow start at the plate, registering their first hit in the third inning. The Bells took advantage in the top of the fourth when they had two runners on with two outs. A double that turned into a triple via an error put two more runs on the board. The next Bells hitter sent a two-run home run over the wall in left field, making it 6-0.
In the bottom half, Drew Schmidt and Tanner Hornback hit back-to-back singles and would later advance 90 feet on a balk call. Left fielder Joey Rico sent a ball to center field that was deep enough to score Schmidt. Fans felt optimistic, given last night’s comeback effort, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.
That would be the first and only run scored for the NorthPaws as they left five runners on base through the following five innings. Kamloops couldn’t get a rally going despite having runners on and getting hits.
“We had hits pretty much every inning and had guys on, but just no follow-up,” said first baseman Jared Hall.
The NorthPaws couldn’t string together a big inning on Saturday night. The Bells staff walked just three batters, while the NorthPaws issued seven walks. The Bells hitters took advantage and gave Kamloops no hope of a comeback effort.
“We just have to flush tonight and put together a full team effort tomorrow and save the series,” said Hall.
The NorthPaws will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon for a matinée game beginning at 12:05.
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