Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws Coaches Learn Along With Players

Published

2 years ago

July 19, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

KAMLOOPS, BC—One of the main purposes of the West Coast League is to develop. For the second year Kamloops NorthPaws franchise, they have taken the 2023 season as a learning experience in every sense.

Not only have the players on this year’s roster learned the ups and downs of summertime baseball, but so too have the coaching staff.

For Keith Francis, Jose Bautista and Fernie Lorea, this season has had more valleys than peaks as they languish in the lower depths of the WCL North Division.

Not to look for excuses, but the coaching staff was ‘behind the eight ball’ before the start of the campaign. Very few of the players recruited to play for the NorthPaws this season were familiar to the three coaches. Francis took over the head coaching job March 31st, just weeks before the start of the season.

“As the season has progressed, I have learned so much about what it takes to compete at a successful level,” he says. “We didn’t get enough pitching for this level. For those who we were expecting to produce offensively have struggled. Add to that, some of the players who were supposed to be here didn’t show up due to injuries. They couldn’t help that. Those who did come here tried to the best of their ability.”

Francis put the players through three days of training before the season started. “There are whole lot of 4 o clock hitters (time for batting practice), but there are very few 7 o clock hitters. We found that out this year.”

He and the coaching staff tried different methods to kick start the players in batting practice while at the same time, keeping a positive attitude. “I try to be a turtle,” Francis says. “Coming out of my shell every day as it is a new day. In baseball, you have a chance to win every day. That is one philosophy the players have come to accept.”

The NorthPaws did have a number of returnees from their inaugural season. Francis praised infielder Tommy Green and pitcher Tyrelle Chadwick for their efforts. “Tommy was a leader both on the field and in the dugout. Chadwick led by example when he was on the mound. “

“We had some younger players who tried to step up despite their inexperience.” Francis pointed to Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) and Nathan Grey as two players who have tried to make the most of their opportunity here. “Cooper has been unbelievable and consistently our best player. He has been positive every night. Nathan struggled offensively but as a pitcher, his skills have really come a long this year.”

Jose Bautista came back to Kamloops this season after being with the NorthPaws on their inaugural run. He says the key difference between the two years has been the pitching. “Pitching is key in this league. Last season we had a lot of players who had control of their pitches and were in the right way. This year, the talent level wasn’t as deep. A few guys were doing pretty well but overall, it was tough.”

Bautista felt many of the pitchers on this year’s club were behind developmentally for the calibre of the West Coast League. “It is a big challenge for them to try and compete.”

During a short season, Bautista tries to build a relationship quickly. “We try to focus in on one or two fundamentals.” He admits he had to accelerate the learning process.

“With the age of the players here, I have concentrated on getting the pitchers to believe in themselves,’ he says. “Most players get it quickly. I just get them to focus on strikes. “

He points to the development of Tyrelle Chadwick, Hayden Walker and Christian Spitz as highlights. “ They improved and did a good job when they were out there.”

The pitching coach also credited the development of New Zealander MacLain Roberts as well. ‘Coming from a country where there isn’t much baseball. He has been able to handle himself when he got the chance.”

Bautista feels one of the biggest challenges for himself was to have the players focus on the ‘job ‘aspect of baseball rather than them focusing on the ‘social’ aspect of summer baseball.

He agrees with Francis that patience must be a strong suit during the trials and tribulations of this season. “I have to have patience—I have eight kids,” he laughs. Adding that his pitching staff become his surrogate children during the summer.

Baustista coached 22 seasons in professional baseball. He has experienced less than ideal seasons. “The difference is in the pros, you have a longer season so there is always hope to turn it around. Here, time is so short.”

Fernie Lorea is the third member of the NorthPaws coaching staff. Just a year removed from playing university baseball himself, he was an assistant coach at New Mexico State before coming to Kamloops. He believes the team has bought into ‘learn from all experiences’ philosophy. “You need to love to learn. You lose –you learn. You win—you learn. No matter what it is a learning experience.”

Lorea believes the biggest thing he will take away from the 2023 campaign is the be patient and see how everything plays out before you jump on things. He says it is easier said than done at times.

“What I have said to the players in the dugout is to put it (losses) behind you. This is a new set up, a new game, new everything. If there isn’t someone to say that to them (the players), they could lose hope. If that happens in baseball, you are just defeated”.

Lorea praised the leadership displayed by his former summer ball teammate Green. “Being able to see his leadership style, many of the guys took what he offered to heart.”

Lorea’s big takeaway from the year? “Just how everything was so hard this year. Not in a bad way but something I could grasp and learn from. “

Francis on what he has learned this year. “ What I have learned the most is how the roster should be put together. I have learned from the other teams on what it takes to succeed. The league is very competitive. “

Message for NorthPaws fans? “Hang in there. I think this has a real future here. It was a less than successful season but the fans have stuck with us. We will get the right players here next year and be successful.”

Bautista has a message for fans as well. “They have been very supportive. I hope they will continue to do that. We will be better and the results will be better moving forward.”

Francis and and Lorea will head to Pima Community College in Arizona at the conclusion of the West Coast League season. Bautista will return home to the Dominican Republic.

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Summer Collegiate

The Losing Streak Continues For The Nanaimo NightOwls

Published

10 hours ago

June 22, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

NANAIMO, B.C. — The losing streak continues for the Nanaimo NightOwls as they were on the wrong side of a 5-0 score line against the Port Angeles Lefties. That brings the losing streak up to five games and drops the NightOwls to 8-12 on the season. The good thing is they are back at it tomorrow at 1:00 pm for the final game of the series, with a chance to salvage a game of the series and get back to their winning ways.

They couldn’t capitalize on runners in scoring position and finished the game with nine left on base. Nanaimo finished with zero runs on seven hits and one error. The Lefties had five runs on seven hits and no errors.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=621644

Starting pitcher Aidan Boice took the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. He had a rough start to the game, giving up four runs in the first inning before settling in nicely and only giving up three hits in the next five innings of work.

Nanaimo NightOwls Pitcher Aidan Boice

Relievers Dillon Thompson and Asher De Leo pitched solid in relief combined for three innings of one hit one run ball. Thompson also struck out two while De Leo struck out four of the eight batters he faced to end the game.

Once again it was Spencer Sullivan with a multi-hit game. After going two for two in the first game of the series against the Port Angeles Lefties, he followed it up with a three for four night with 3 singles. He currently has five of the 12 hits for the Nanaimo NightOwls in the series and is hitting a crazy .833, lets hope it continues for the final game of the series.

Drew Giannini continues to hit well contributing with a single and stolen base and going one for four on the evening. Eli Watson, centerfielder Owen Wessel, and Nanaimo product Easton Mould all added singles for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

In the field the NightOwls were able to turn 3 double plays. Shortshop Andrew Nykoluk, from Simi Valley, California, was a man one wrecking crew in the middle of the infield. At one point in the fourth and fifth innings he made five straight outs including a highlight reel diving catch to rob the Lefties of a base hit. Should probably have that highlight!

One more game in the series against the Port Angeles Lefties on Sunday June 22nd where the NightOwls will look to end their 5 game losing streak. Then the Redmond Dudes come into Serauxemen Stadium for a two game series on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24th and 25th.

Sunday after noon we will be wearing our Nanaimo Bar jerseys and it’s a Family Fun Day where kids get to run the bases after the game. It’s also Halloween in June! So show up to the stadium in a costume and cheer on the team. Make sure to follow all of our social media accounts for the latest news and updates about the Nanaimo NightOwls and all the team. Stay tuned this week for a special player profile on one of your Nanaimo NightOwls!

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Summer Collegiate

Great pitching, solid defense and almost no offense. A wacky double header gets split on Saturday

Published

21 hours ago

June 22, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws split Saturday’s doubleheader with the Victoria HarbourCats winning the first game 1-0 and losing the second game by the same score. After Friday’s contest was rained out, the two teams were back at it for a pair of seven-inning games that saw just two runs and nine hits combined between the two teams in 15 innings of baseball.

“That’s a first for me,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson. “The pitchers threw well today, and both teams hitters just couldn’t hit; it happens in baseball sometimes.”

Game one saw righty Keith Manby get the start and throw four scoreless innings, walking and striking out two batters, all while not allowing a hit. Lefty Mac Gatzke came on in relief and pitched three scoreless innings. In the fifth, he gave up back-to-back singles but got a nifty 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam. Righty Julio Garcia was called upon in the eighth and hit the first batter he faced but got out of the inning unscathed.

At the plate, it was a struggle for Kamloops as HarbourCats starter Thomas Bridges gave them five scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out seven batters. Unlike the HarbourCats, the NorthPaws never really had a dangerous opportunity to score, only leaving one runner on base. That stranded runner came in the bottom of the seventh with Right Fielder Connor Clark at second base and first baseman Jared Hall failing to drive him in with two outs.

The NorthPaws eventually would put together good at-bats in the eighth. Catcher Kalen Applefield led off with a walk. Tanner Hornback pinch hit and reached base via an error and would later steal second base. The next two NorthPaw hitters failed to convert with Applefield 90 feet away, bringing up a two-out situation. Center fielder Ethan Kodama walked, loading the bases and setting up Elijah Clayton to be the hero. Clayton found himself in a two-strike count but worked a walk, scoring the lone run of the game and giving Kamloops the win in a bizarre fashion.

After a game no one expected, the two teams regrouped and returned to the field for game two. No one in the crowd thought another contest like that was possible again, but they would be proved wrong.

The NorthPaws saw their righty starter Lukas Dykstra make his longest outing of the season, going four and a third innings, giving up just one run on two hits. The Harbourcats got to him in the fifth inning after a walk, hit by pitch and a single. From there, the HarbourCats shut the door with their starter going five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and a six-out save by former NorthPaw Oliver Mabee.
The NorthPaws had a chance in the bottom of the seventh after a Connor Clark single, but Tanner Hornback hit into a game-ending double play, securing the split for the HarbourCats.

Five hits in 15 innings for a team that put up 18 runs in their previous three games in Walla Walla. Heading into the series finale, the Kamloops hitters are going to put more of an emphasis on their team approach at the plate.

“I think we were a bit antsy tonight; I know I was antsy in some at-bats swinging at stuff I shouldn’t be swinging at, but we just need to get back to our approach tomorrow,” said infielder Drew Schmidt.

The pitching on both sides was excellent all night, with just nine combined walks in the doubleheader. Notably, the HarbourCats staff did not walk a single batter in game two. Despite the split, there are plenty of positives to take away, including the performances from the NorthPaw bullpen.

“I think we commanded the inner half really well tonight, and that allowed us to work that outside corner more. Usually, when you throw a lot of strikes and don’t give guys free passes, you give yourself a good chance to win,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

The series finale will be a crucial one, as both teams are tied for fourth in the North Division at 11-9. The matinée will get underway at 12:05.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – ‘Cats earn split in Saturday double header in Kamloops

Published

23 hours ago

June 22, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

For Immediate Release

June 21, 2025

KAMLOOPS, BC – Mother Nature sure put a damper on the HarbourCats offence on Saturday.

After scoring 23 runs and notching 30 hits in their sweep of Nanaimo last week, the HarbourCats could only muster one run and four hits on Saturday in Kamloops, but, thanks to some stellar pitching, that was enough to earn a split with the NorthPaws, taking game two Saturday 1-0, after dropping the first game by that exact same score in extra innings.

After a rain out Friday night that created today’s 7-inning double header scenario, Tommy Bridges (Northwestern) got the start for the HarbourCats in game one and he was brilliant, facing the minimum number of batters and striking out seven in five innings of work.

His only blemish was a fourth inning single by Drew Schmidt, who was then thrown out trying to steal second by HarbourCats catcher Kyle Hepburn (S. Illinois Edwardsville), who came on in the first inning to replace Jacob Silva (TCU), who injured a foot sliding into second earlier in the game.

Unfortunately for Bridges and the HarbourCats, Kamloops starter Keith Manby was also strong, going four scoreless and hitless innings, giving way to Mac Gatzke who went another three scoreless innings to keep the Cats off the board.

BOX SCORE GAME 1

After such great pitching performances on both sides, forcing the game into an extra eighth inning, it would be somewhat ironic that Kamloops would win the game on a bases loaded walk surrendered by Garret Villa (Angelo State) to the NorthPaws Elijah Clayton.

In game two, Logan Rumberg (George Mason) got the start for Victoria and taking a cue from teammate Bridges, he also dominated, going five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and striking out six.

He got all the run support he needed in the fifth inning when JC Allen (UC San Diego), making his first start as a HarbourCat, walked and then later came in to score on an RBI single from Jack Johnson (Baylor).

BOX SCORE GAME 2

Victoria native Oliver Mabee (Nebraska Omaha) came on to pitch the final two innings and earned the save, giving up one hit and striking out two, and inducing a game-ending double-play to kill a NorthPaws threat in the bottom of the seventh.

The split Saturday moves the HarbourCats record to 11-9 on the season, tied with Kamloops for fourth place and 3.5 games back of Division leading Bellingham.

The HarbourCats and NorthPaws will complete their three-game set with a quick turn around for the rubber match of the series, a 12 noon start on Sunday. Scheduled to take the mound for the HarbourCats is Julian Orozco. That game can be seen on-line live at WCL amd Kamloops streaming site at https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/events/68413255ee5610062bf7f4d7/

The ‘Cats will then head home to begin a three-game set with the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, on $12 Tuesday, where select Premium Reserve seats are available for just $12. Tickets for that game are available at http://harbourcats.com/tickets or by calling the HarbourCats office at 778-265-0327.

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