Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws Add Trio of NCAA Division I Players

Published

5 years ago

February 25, 2021

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws have deepened their inaugural roster with the addition of three players at the beginning of their NCAA Division I seasons.

Catcher Marshal Luiz, shortstop Zane Skansi and outfielder Hunter Swapp have been signed for the 2021 West Coast League season.

Marshal Luiz

Photo Credit: JSU Athletics

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.

Zane Skansi

Photo Credit: Utah Utes

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.

Hunter Swapp

Photo Credit: BYU Athletics

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.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats 2026 School Spirit games now open for registration

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Take your class to the ballpark for the best field trip of the season!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 8, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Club is pleased to announce that their ever popular School Spirit games are back again for 2026 and now open for registration!

Due to the ever increasing popularity of these games, the HarbourCats will once again be offering two separate games for teachers and students to choose from:

Thursday, June 4th, 11:00am vs. Edmonton Riverhawks
Thursday, June 18th, 11:00am vs. Redmond Dudes

Tickets are just $9.00 per person!

Last season our two School Spirit games saw over 4,100 students and teachers enjoy a day at the ballpark and we hope to topple that number this year! Seats are limited and do fill up fast, so if you are a teacher, be sure to get your class on the list today! And if you are a parent, please let your child’s teacher know about this great opportunity!

To register your class, or if you have any detailed questions, please e-mail HarbourCats General Manager Christian Stewart at chris@harbourcats.com with all relevant contact information and let him know what game you wish to attend, your school name and the total number of students, teachers and parent chaperones you anticipate. In addition, if there are any special access or wheelchair needs for your class, we need to know that too!

Numbers do not have to be precise at this time as we will be in touch in the new year to refine totals and collect payment then.

The Victoria HarbourCats will begin their 2026 West Coast League season in late May of 2026, with the home opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Plenty of excitement is on board for 2026 including:

Three fireworks nights (June 6, 30 and August 3)
Two 11:00 AM School Spirit Games (June 4 and 18)
Five Family Fun Sunday Matinees (June 7, 14, 28 July 19 and 26)
$12 Tuesdays and Thursdays (June 16, July 2, 7, 9, 28 and 30)

Season ticket memberships, single-game tickets, 12-game flex packs (new for 2026!) and 2026 WCL All-Star Game ticket packages are now on sale for the HarbourCats 2026 season at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

All ticket types and team merchandise are also available at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, Monday thru Friday, 10am-5pm from now until December 22nd.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – 2026 HarbourCats Single-Game Tickets Now On Sale!

Published

1 week ago

December 1, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

All 2026 ticket types, including single-game, 6, 12 and 32 game flex -packs, season memberships and All-Star Game ticket packages are now available!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 1, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to announce that just in time for Christmas, single-game tickets for all 31 2026 regular season games and the 2026 WCL All-Star Game are now available for purchase.

Fans can see our schedule and purchase tickets on-line with our ticketing partner SHOWPASS at http://harbourcats.com/tickets, or stop by in person to the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street. Fans can also call the office at 778-265-0327 to order.

Also announced today is the availability of 2026 ALL-STAR GAME ticket packages that include a Home Run Derby event on July 14th and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game on July 15th. Ticket packages that include both events are available now at https://www.showpass.com/wcl-all-star-home-run-derby-and-all-star-game-package/.

Individual All-Star Game and Home Run Derby event tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Note, if you are a season ticket holder, your seats are reserved for the Home Run derby and All-Star game, but as this is a separate purchase, you do need to contact the office to claim and pay for your seats.

FLEX-PACKS

Also on sale for 2026 are our regular 12-game and 32-game flex packs, as well as a new STOCKING STUFFER 6-Pack that will be offered until Christmas. The 6-Pack starts at $99 for General Admission seating and all 6-Packs will include a souvenir baseball that will fit nicely in the toe of the stocking of your favourite HarbourCats fan.

12 and 32-game flex packs can be bought on-line at http://harbourcats.com/tickets or in person at the HarbourCats office. The 6-Pack offering is only available in person at the HarbourCats office.

NOTE: If you already have ticket vouchers for the 2026 season, you may now begin to redeem them for single-games as desired. You can do so on-line assuming you are all set up in SHOWPASS to do so, or pop into the office and we can handle this for you!

SEASON TICKET MEMBERSHIPS

Season tickets are also still available for the 2026 season. Prices start at $400 for General admission seating and seats can be ordered on-line at https://www.showpass.com/m/victoria-harbourcats-season-tickets/ or by visiting the HarbourCats office.

MERCHANDISE

We also have a wide range of merchandise available for the baseball fan on your list including new 2026 All-Star game tee-shirts and our Nathan Lukes Blue Jays World Series commemorative tee-shirt. Items can be ordered on-line at The Cat Shop at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/ or by visiting the HarbourCats office, where a 15% in store discount is in effect until Christmas!

The Victoria HarbourCats will begin their 2026 West Coast League season in late May of 2026, with the home opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Plenty of excitement is on board for 2026 including:

Three fireworks nights (June 6, 30 and August 3)
Two 11:00 AM School Spirit Games (June 4 and 18)
Five Family Fun Sunday Matinees (June 7, 14, 28 July 19 and 26)
$12 Tuesdays and Thursdays (June 16, July 2, 7, 9, 28 and 30)

Stay up to date with other promotions and special events by visiting the HarbourCats web page at https://harbourcats.com/events-promotions/

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats, EFTC and Richardson Sport announce Harvey’s Sports Stars!

Published

1 week ago

November 29, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Victoria HarbourCats, in association with Richardson Sport Inc. (RSI) and the Edwards Family Training Centre (EFTC) are excited to announce the launch of Harvey’s Sports Stars!

Harvey’s Sports Stars will give children exclusive access to a professional-quality indoor turf facility and a wide range of fun, skill-building sports programs. Whether they’re swinging a bat, learning new movement skills, or high-fiving mascot Harvey the HarbourCat, Harvey’s Sports Stars will be part of a vibrant sports community that celebrates fun and teamwork, while staying active!

Families can look forward to enjoying year-round opportunities to play, connect, and make lasting memories, through exciting RSI programming inside the HarbourCats’ exciting indoor training space, located at 1821 Cook Street.

YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR KICK-OFF EVENT!

With this exciting new partnership, RSI is inviting all kids and their families to join the exciting SPORTSAPALOOZA day taking place on Sunday, November 30th from 1:30-5:30pm at the Indoor Training Facility. – the EFTC – located at 1821 Cook St.

Our Sportspalooza Day is a chance for children to jump in, meet RSI coaches, see the indoor facility, and get a sneak peak at our upcoming Harvey’s Sports Stars Programming.

During this Demo Day, children will get to:

Explore the activities we offer
Meet the coaches and see the facility
Get a feel for the environment
Discover what makes this program so engaging and confidence-building

Spaces are limited, so we highly encourage you to claim your spot as early as possible.

The Victoria HarbourCats will begin their 2026 West Coast League season in late May of 2026, with the home opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Season ticket memberships and 12-game flex packs (new for 2026!) are now on sale for the HarbourCats 2026 season at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. BE SURE TO LOCK IN YOUR SEASON TICKETS TODAY to get first right of refusal on your seats for the 2026 WCL All-Star game that will be played here in Victoria. These will be going on sale SOON!

Season tickets, 12-packs and team merchandise are also available at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, Tuesday thru Friday, 10am-4pm.

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