Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws end 2023 West Coast League season with back to back losses

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Author: Larry Read

KAMLOOPS, BC—The Nanaimo NightOwls won back to back games on the weekend to take two of three from the host Kamloops NorthPaws in West Coast League action. In a battle of two teams who missed the WCT post season, Kamloops won the opening night (Fri Aug 4) 7-4 but then lost 4-1 on Saturday (Aug 5) and Sunday afternoon 8-3 to Nanaimo.

The NightOwls finished the season at 26-28 while the NorthPaws were 12-40.

The teams played on the Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium.

SERIES RECAP:

Friday, August 4, 2023:NorthPaws 7 NightOwls 4

The NorthPaws snapped a three-game losing streak taking Nanaimo, who trailed 7-0 at one point. Kamloops had a season high two homers in this game. Robin Villeneuve (Gatineau, QC) hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Villeneuve was 2-4 with three runs batted in and a run scored in the contest and has three home runs this summer.

The other homer came off the bat of Matthew McDonald (Kamloops, BC). He led off the fifth inning with a solo blast. He was 1-4 with a run scored. Gage Mestas (Durango, CO) was 3-5 with a run scored. Matthew Ward (Mississauga, ON) was 2-4 with a run scored while Drew Giannini (Troy, CA) was 2-5 with a run scored.

Christian Spitz (Overland Park, KS) went six innings for the win. He struck out four, gave up two walks on five hits to improve his record to 2-4. David Jeon (Coppell, TX) pitched the ninth inning for the save. It was his third of the year in 17 appearances. He struck out one.

Night Owls starter Brian Veniard (Jacksonville, Fla) fell to 1-2 on the year. He pitched only three and two thirds’ innings surrendering 10 hits, five runs, striking out seven and walking one.

Caden Casagrande (Earle, ID) led Nanaimo offensively going 1-4 with three RBI. Brandon Hupe (Delta, BC) went 1-3 with two runs scored while Ethan Rivera (Chino Hills, CA) and Liam Bushey (Abbotsford, BC) were both 2-4 with a run scored.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598528

Saturday, August 5 2023:NightOwls 4 NorthPaws1

The NightOwls snapped a five-game losing skid with the victory. They broke open a scoreless tie scoring once in the fifth, added another in the sixth and had a single run in both the eighth and ninth. They had nine hits in the ball game. The NorthPaws scored their only run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Ward hit his second home run of the season. They had six hits and committed one error.

Hupe was 2-5 with a run scored for Nanaimo. Bryce Johnson (Bellingham, WA) was 1-2 with a RBI. Brandon Nicholl (Coombs, BC) was 1-4 with a run scored. Elijah Ickles (Wahiawa, HI) was 1-3 with a run scored.

Nathan Buchan (Mercer Island, WA) started his ninth game of the year and was the winner. He evened his record at 3-3 going seven innings. He pitched a five hitter with a run given up, three strikeouts and one walk. MacCallan Conklin pitched the last inning for his second save in three starts. He struck out two and walked two.

Liam Reynolds (Trumansburg, NY) fell to 0-3. He started and went five innings, giving up a run, four hits, struck out five and walked six.

Villeneuve was 3-3 at the plate for Kamloops. Ward was 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI (thanks to that homer). Anthony Manuel (Antioch, CA) and Ray Jesse (Oak Lawn, IL) were both 1-4.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598529

Sunday, August 6 2023:NightOwls 8 NorthPaws 3

The NightOwls scored one in the first, two more in the second and third innings to chase MacLain Roberts (Auckland, NZ) off the hit for Kamloops. Roberts was 2-8 on the year. In this game, he went two and two thirds innings surrendering six hits, five runs, walking three and striking out one. He started 10 games in his rookie WCL season. He was one of four pitchers utilized by NorthPaws manager Keith Francis in the contest.

Nanaimo was led offensively by Wylie Waters (West Vancouver, BC). He was 4-5 with three runs scored and three RBI. He also hit a home run. Reid Little (Bellingham, WA) also hit a dinger for Nanaimo. He was 1-3 with two RBI and a run scored. His homer game in the second inning.

For Waters and Little: it was the second home runs of the summer.

Elijah Ickles (Wahiawa, HI) was 2-3 with a run scored as well for the NightOwls.

Matt McDonald (Kamloops, BC) was 1-3 with a run scored and a RBI. He knocked one out of the park in the seventh inning with the NorthPaws down 8-2. Gage Mestas (Durango, CO) was 2-4 with a run scored. Anthony Manuel (Antioch, CA) was 1-2 with a run scored.

Jacob Fleury (Burlington, WA) was the winning pitcher. He was the third of three pitchers and went three innings tossing a one hitter over that time. He had two strikeouts and two walks. He was 5-0 on the year and it was his first relief appearance of 2013.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598530

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

On the series: “ I am kind of disappointed the way we played today (Sunday). We didn’t get excited about playing today. Everyone was more focused on going home unfortunately. I understand that. I wished we played a little harder. That was the same story yesterday (Saturday). We had enough horses to get it done but we didn’t.

Admits that timely hitting and pitching depth were downfalls this year for Kamloops. He credits those players who stuck it out. “The effort I got from these guys, as bad as its been has been A plus. I know they didn’t give it to me today, but they did it all year long.

Robin Villeneuve (Gatineau, QC).252 batting average, 3 homers, 6 doubles in 32 games

On season: “ It was a pretty tough summer. I came late and it took me a while to get going, but the last few games I started to put it around. It is hard to have a good chemistry when you don’t win but there were a lot of great guys on this team.

Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ): .273 batting average, 183 at bats in 52 games, 22 RBI

On the year: “ I don’t think we had the best odds of winning. We needed to have more guys coming in and our pitching could have been better. We should have had more pitchers at the end instead of losing them all at the same time. I think our hitters could have done a much better job (me included). I don’t know what happened. We just couldn’t get it all together at the same time.”

Nathan Grey (Queen Creek, AZ) 0-1 record 9 games as a pitcher, four starts, 1.71 ERA/.137 Batting average in 31 games. 95 at bats.

On adjusting to the West Coast League after making the jump from high school : “On the mound, it was an easy transition. I just felt comfortable out there. I know my stuff and I know what I could do. At the plate it was a little different, going from high school pitching to college pitching: it’s a little faster. I am making adjustments to that and should be ready for the fall (going to Puma Community College in Arizona).”

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Where are they now?…2025 Alumni update

Published

2 weeks ago

August 26, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

2017 HarbourCat Shane McGuire (above) has recently been promoted to AAA Las Vegas in the A’s system (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

32 former HarbourCats were active in affiliated pro ball in 2025

August 22, 2025

VICTORIA, BC – With the recent news that 2024 HarbourCat Lucas Ramirez had been promoted to “High A” ball in the Los Angeles Angels organization, we felt it was time to give a quick run down on some of our former HarbourCats and where they are now in their pro careers.

In total, 32 former players were active in affiliated professional baseball in 2025, from Rookie ball right up to the MLB level.

MLB

Notable among the 32 players are our currently active MLB guys, including Nick Pivetta (2013)(San Diego), Nathan Lukes (2014) (Toronto), Andrew Vaughn (2017) (White Sox and Milwaukee), Cade Smith (2019)(Cleveland), and Chase Meidroth (2019)(White Sox).

Meidroth is our most recent MLB player, receiving a call up to the Chicago parent club earlier this season and briefly appearing in the same lineup a few times with Andrew Vaughn, before Vaughn was traded to the Brewers.

2019 HarbourCat Chase Meidroth is now with the WhiteSox, having been called up to the big leagues in early 2025 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

BEEN THERE DONE THAT….TRYING TO DO IT AGAIN!

In addition to our five active MLB players, three more have had their cup of coffee and are grinding away at the AAA level hoping to get there again. This includes Davis Wendzel (2017) who made his MLB debut in 2024 with Texas but is now with AAA Louisville in the Reds organization, Jack Neely (2019) who appeared for the Cubs in 2024 and is now at AAA Iowa, and finally Mr. HarbourCat himself Alex De Goti (2013-2015), who debuted in 2021 with Houston, but is now with AAA Round Rock in the Texas Rangers system.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

A few players have advanced to the AAA level this season and are knocking on the door and hoping for their MLB shot. This includes recently promoted Shane McGuire (2017) who is with AAA Las Vegas in the A’s system, Harrison Spohn (2018-2019) who is with Jacksonville in the Miami Marlins system and Carter Loewen (2018) who is with El Paso in the Padres system.

AJ Lewis (2018) had also advance to AAA Albuquerque in the Rockies’ system, but moved into a front office position with the Chicago Cubs in 2025.

GRINDING AWAY IN DOUBLE A

Players working hard and climbing the ladder at the AA level include AJ Block (2017) and Joe Redfield (2022) who are both with Rocket City in the Los Angeles Angels system, Travis Kuhn (2017) who is with Erie in the Tiger’s system, Indigo Diaz (2017) with Somerset in the Yankees system, Wyatt Young (2016) with Binghamton in the Mets system, and Caleb Ricketts (2018) with Reading in the Phillies system.

Rowdy Jordan (2018) had also advanced to AA Corpus Christi in the Mets system but announced his retirement in 2025. Adam McKillican is also with AA Hartford in the Rockies system but was on full season IR in 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery.

2024 HarbourCat Lucas Ramirez was recently moved to High A Tri-City in the Angels system after time in Rookie ball and with Team Brazil (Photo: Christian J. Stewart).

THE ‘A’s” ARE JUST GETTING STARTED

Ten former players spent time in single A ball this season (either short-season A or high A), the most notable among these being Dakota Hawkins (2019) who finished the year with Brooklyn, but also had stints at the AA and AAA level in the Met’s system. Another 2023 free agent Noah Takacs (2022) is with Bradenton in the Pirates system.

Headlining our 2024 draft class is the aforementioned Ramirez, who is now with High A Tri-City in the Angels organization. Ryan Magdic (2023) is with High A Lansing in the A’s system, Hunter Omlid (2019) is with High A Spokane in the Rockies system, Sean Heppner (2023) is with Lynchburg in the Guardians system, Connor Dykstra (2024) is with Modesto in the Mariners system, and Jesse Brown (2022-2023) is with Jupiter in the Marlin’s system.

From our 2025 draft class, Nick Dumesnil (2023) has been assigned to Lakeland in the Tigers system, while Dallas Macias (2023) is with Augusta in the Braves system.

HEY ROOKIE!

Also just starting their path on the pro ladder and still with their Rookie League teams are Jagger Beck (2024) with the Florida Complex League Astros and Carson Latimer (2023) with the Arizona Complex League Reds.

MOVING ON

In addition to Rowdey Jordan and AJ Lewis who hung up their pro cleats in 2025, a number of other former HarbourCats enjoyed a few years of affiliated minor-pro ball before recently moving on to other things. Here are a few notables:

Nick Meyer (2015) – played six seasons in NY Mets and Tampa Bay organizations, making it to AAA before being released in 2024.

Jack Owen (2017) – The 2017 WCL Pitcher of the Year, played four seasons most with the Lansing Lugnuts before retiring in 2024.

Matt Clayton (2018-2019) – A 2023 free agent signing by Minnesota, played two seasons, all at the A/A+ level.

Dillon Larsen (2019) – Signed by Arizona as a free agent in 2022, played three seasons making it to AA Amarillo before being released.

Josh Gessner (2019) – Signed by the Phillies as a free agent in 2019, moved to Rangers organization where he went to High A Hickory in 2024 before retiring.

Luke Boyd (2017) – Drafted in 2021, played parts of three seasons in Padres system before moving to independent pro ball where he was still pitching for Winnipeg in 2025.

Kekai Rios (2017) – Drafted by Milwaukee in 2018, traded to Dodgers, then Blue Jays where he advanced to AAA Buffalo before being released in 2024.

Joe Record (2013) – perhaps our longest grinding minor leaguer, Record was drafted in 2017 by the Twins and eventually rose to AAA with Houston and ultimately Tampa in 2024 before moving to independent ball where he is still going, having pitched in the Mexican leagues in 2025.

Ready to see what HarbourCat may have their shot at pro ball? Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are now on sale for the 2026 season at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. 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.

Season tickets, 10-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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Five HarbourCats selected to 2025 “All WCL” team

Published

3 weeks ago

August 20, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Above: Logan Shepherd belts one of his eight home runs on the season against Wenatchee on July 27th. Shepherd earned All WCL first team honours for his play this season (Photo: Christian J. Stewart).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 19, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are extremely pleased to announce the following players have been named to the 2025 “All WCL” team:

Starting Pitcher, Tommy Bridges (First Team)
Designated Hitter, Logan Shepherd (First Team)
Shortstop, Tanner Beltowski (Honourable Mention)
Starting Pitcher, Logan Rumberg (Honourable Mention)
Relief Pitcher, Austin Lindsey (Honourable Mention).

The HarbourCats were among seven of the 17 WCL teams that had five or more players named to the First Team, Second Team and Honorable mentions, with the Portland Pickles leading the way with 11 players. Bellingham led the way in the North Division with eight players selected.

See full list of “All WCL” team selections HERE.

Bridges was lights out on the mound for the HarbourCats this season and was selected to the midseason All-Star Game thanks to his 1.83 ERA in his nine appearances, all starts. In that time, he pitched 39.1 innings, striking out 37 and walking only seven.

Tommy Bridges’ 1.83 ERA was good enough to earn him All WCL First Team honours for 2025 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Shepherd was an offensive catalyst in 2025, hitting .345 with 41 RBI and eight home runs, tying the HarbourCats franchise record. He also added 28 walks to the mix and had an OPS of 1.039.

Beltowski was a pleasant surprise for the HarbourCats, originally intended to be a start of the year fill-in player, but he earned himself a regular spot and an All-Star game selection thanks to his .303 batting average, 27 RBI, three home runs and 32 walks. He was also second on the team in runs scored with 44.

Tanner Beltowski earned an All WCL Team Honourable Mention for his solid play for the HarbourCats in 2025 (Photo: Justin Morash).

Rumberg made seven appearances on the season, all starts, and amassed a 2-3 record with a 3.64 ERA in 29.2 innings of work. He struck out 35 and walked only 11. His most notable appearance was his last, going seven complete innings in a 13-8 win over Wenatchee.

Lindsey was a consistent arm out of the bullpen for the ‘Cats, appearing in 13 games and earning a 2-1 record with two saves and a 4.12 ERA. He also pitched two innings of scoreless relief in Victoria’s 3-1 playoff win in Edmonton, striking out three to earn the save.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are now on sale for the 2026 season. Get yours now at http://harbourcats.com/tickets, or by calling the office at 778-265-0327. You may also drop in at 101-1814 Vancouver Street. Off-season hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10AM to 5PM.

Fans who renew or purchase new Season Ticket Memberships prior to tickets going on sale for the 2016 WCL All-Star game here in Victoria, will get first right of refusal to purchase their seats for that game and any other associated events. It is anticipated that All-Star tickets will be available in October, so lock your season seats in now!

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Thank you, Coach Anderson!

Published

3 weeks ago

August 15, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

August 15, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – Using his signature phrase of “figure it out,” the Victoria HarbourCats would like to thank coach Scott Anderson for his years as Pitching Coach of the West Coast League team. He has, indeed, figured out that he is saying a fond good-bye to the organization.

Anderson, a veteran baseball guy and a veteran of the league, will turn 70 in October — a very young 70 for all who know him! He has been a tremendous asset on and off the field in guiding the pitching staff and working so closely with Head Coach Todd Haney for three seasons — the HarbourCats have enjoyed every moment, and Scott will always be a part of the family.

“Scott has been tremendous in the role, his pitchers loved working with him,” said Managing Partner Jim Swanson. “He was the perfect addition for us three years ago and gave us every bit of his energy. Such a classy baseball gentleman — even when suggesting an umpire should maybe return to school,” Swanson joked. (Well, kinda…)

The HarbourCats made the WCL Playoffs all three years Anderson was pitching coach, including the run to the Championship Final in 2023. The Cats had a combined regular-season record of 100-62 in three years with Anderson on the coaching staff.

Countless pitchers who have played in Victoria and worked under Anderson have seen major improvements in their game. Right-handed pitchers Carson Cormier and Tommy Bridges were named to the WCL All-Star Games in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Anderson has also played a part in the development of recent MLB draftees such as Ryan Magdic, Sean Heppner, and Carson Latimer, who all played for the Cats in 2023.

2026 SEASON TICKETS – Season ticket renewals and sales are now on for the 2026 season! 10-Game Flex Packs are also on sale! Existing season ticket holders can log in to their Showpass account and navigate to the Memberships link, where they can easily renew their seats online. Members can also drop in or call the office at 778-265-0327, and we can process the renewal for them. New Season Ticket buyers can click HERE to purchase seats for 2026!

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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