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Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws fall behiend early but claw their way to another dominant victory

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The Kamloops NorthPaws are 2-0 on the season following an 11-5 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties in game two of the weekend series. The Lefites scored the first four runs of the ballgame, but Kamloops responded with eight unanswered and never looked back as they cruised to a five-fun victory on Saturday night.

The game started with Lefties starting pitcher Ian Hoffstettetter walking the bases loaded but got out of it by striking out the side. Port Angeles would build on their pitcher’s heroics and got to work in the bottom of the second. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out.  Two singles and two wild pitches plate four runs for the Lefties.

In the top of the third, two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the NorthPaws with no one out—NorthPaw first baseman Keegan Drinkle dove in the first run with a sacrifice groundout. Ethan Kodama would then send a routine ground ball to second base, but a throwing error allowed a second run to score, cutting the lead in half.

In the top of the fourth, Kamloops tied the game by once again loading the bases with none out. Shortstop Elijah Clayton singled up the middle, bringing one home. Then left fielder Cade Palkowski scored from third after another Leftie error.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the NorthPaws found their stride at the plate. Elijah Clayton doubled and would later be driven in by Kalen Applefield. Drinkle doubled, and Kodama walked, setting up pinch hitter Austin Coyle, who delivered with a single, scoring two more to make it an 8-4 game.

The lefties would get one back, but that would be all from them. Drinkle would drive in a run in the seventh, and a throwing error by the lefties would allow two more runs to score. The NorthPaws would put it on cruise control from there and take game two.

“It was cool to see the guys battle back and not feel like they were out of the game,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson.

The comeback wouldn’t be possible without a pair of Kamloops natives on the mound who stopped the bleeding. Right-handers Manny Recchi and
Nolan Austin pitched a combined six innings, giving up four hits, surrendering just one run, and working their way out of jams in the process.

“It was cool to see those guys get in there and be steady and being in the moment and not letting it get too big,” said Jepson.

At the plate, the leadoff man, Elijah Clayton, was all over the score sheet with three hits, three stolen bases and two runs. Clayton reached base in five of his six at-bats on Saturday night.

“Getting on base and getting myself into scoring position is something I feel like I can bring to this team,” said Clayton.

To go along with his great night at the plate, he also made a could of nice defensive plays, including an unassisted double play. Assistant Trey Newman is on the coaching staff at CAL, where Clayton plays, and is very familiar with his game.

“I think he’s set up to have a great summer. He worked hard at Berkley, and I think as good as it’s been so far, he can be even better,” said Newman.

The NorthPaws will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon, with the first pitch set for 1:35. You can watch all the action on West Coast League TV or listen on the NorthPaws Mixlr.

 

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Shepherd shines in Cats’ blowout of Lefties

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July 7, 2025

For immediate release

PORT ANGELES, WA – The Victoria HarbourCats continued their high-scoring road trip Monday night with a 16-6 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties.

It was just a few days ago in Ridgefield when the Cats produced a nine-run third inning that propelled them to a huge 20-5 win. Tonight they went one better, scoring 10 runs in the first inning to take an insurmountable lead before the Lefties even had the chance to come to the plate.

BOX SCORE

The bases were loaded early for Logan Shepherd (Mercer U), who drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single, his first of six RBIs on the night. That was followed by a Cayden Munster (Fresno State) two-run double and a Curtis McKay (Niagara) two-run single to make it 5-0. Back-to-back bases loaded walks surrendered to Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s) and JC Allen (UC San Diego) brought up Shepherd with the bases loaded once again. The slugger went one better this time, hitting a double that scored all the baserunners, giving the Cats a 10-0 advantage.

Tyler Patrick (Fresno State) made his fourth start of the season and completed four innings for the third time this campaign. The freshman struck out five batters while giving up two runs on seven hits.

WCL STANDINGS

A pair of two-run doubles in the fifth inning from Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) and Shepherd extended the lead to 14-2. Jacob Doyle (Nevada) got in on the action in the sixth inning with an RBI double of his own to make it 15-2. Beltowski recorded his third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly later in the frame to give the Cats a 16-2 lead. The shortstop is now hitting .357 on the season, which ranks fifth in the WCL.

Garrett Villa (Angelo State) and Cade Rusch (Bellarmine) both gave up a pair of runs in two innings of work later in the game. Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) wrapped up the 16-6 win with a one-two-three ninth inning.

WATCH AWAY GAMES HERE

Beltowski, McKay, and Shepherd all had three hits in the game. Shepherd’s big night puts him in the top five in the league in RBIs with 29.

The series continues tomorrow at 6:35 PM as the Cats look to continue their red-hot start to the second half of the 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.

10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are on sale for all home games and “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).

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Arrived as a Golden Bear, leaves as a Fighting Camel: How Elijah Clayton navigated the transfer portal amid a busy season

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In April of 2024, the NCAA changed a long-standing rule regarding transfer portal eligibility. Previously, athletes had to sit out a season if they transferred, resulting in very few transfers and players often staying in one spot for longer. The new rules allow instant eligibility for athletes, meaning players no longer have to sit out a season after transferring to a new school.

It’s all part of a new era in the NCAA, along with NIL deals that allow athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness. In college athletics today, it’s very common for underclassmen to transfer out of their program to find a spot where they can get more playing time sooner.

For NorthPaws utility man Elijah Clayton, he found himself coming to Kamloops with the portal being a possibility. Clayton just finished his freshman season at CAL, which saw him make just three starts with two hits in 12 at-bats. The purpose of Clayton coming to Kamloops was to gain additional playing time and develop ahead of the fall.

Collegiate summer baseball is the ideal setting for underclassmen development, with leagues across North America offering a condensed, pro-style schedule that allows players to log additional playing time. For Clayton, the goal shifted when decisions were made at CAL, and it became in his best interest to find a new home and enter the portal.

“I definitely thought it could be a possibility, but I wasn’t 100% set on anything,” said Clayton.

When the goal shifted from developing to showcasing skills for schools in the portal, being an everyday player for the NorthPaws helped his case. Clayton has made 25 starts for the team this season and has played at five different positions in the field. Clayton has been a mainstay at the top of the batting order, hitting .287. Clayton is also the West Coast League stolen base leader and is in a tie for first with three triples this season.

“It’s definitely nice to be in the lineup almost every day because I’m able to show coaches that I can play anywhere in the infield as well as the outfield and showcase my skills night after night,” said Clayton.

The West Coast league schedule certainly isn’t an easy one, and being an everyday player can be tough. When you add the element of now needing to find a new school to play at, it can get overwhelming, but Clayton credits the NorthPaws staff with helping him through the process.

“It was hectic at times trying to find a place to play for next year while also trying to focus on coming out every day and performing, but I had some good teammates and coaches helping me out with everything,” said Clayton.

Ultimately, Clayton chose to transfer to Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The Fighting Cammels play in the Coastal Athletic Association. Clayton couldn’t be happier and is eager to get started.

“I just felt like I’m a perfect fit for them, I’m going to work hard and get developed, and that’s a place I think can make me better,” said Clayton.

Heading into the second half of the season, Clayton’s goal has changed once again: he will prepare to impress the coaches during the fall and try to earn an everyday spot on the roster.

Clayton and so many others have similar stories, and it’s yet another example of how beneficial Collegiate League Baseball can be for young players in the new era of NCAA sports.

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New Country, same mentality: How four UT Tyler teammates are trying to bring a winning culture back to the NorthPaws

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When the NorthPaws made Riley Jepson their new head coach at the end of last summer, he got full autonomy in constructing this season’s roster. Jepson played at the University of Texas at Tyler from 2020 to 2021 and still has excellent connections with their coaching staff since becoming a coach.

When building the roster, one of his first calls was to UT Tyler. He was able to sign infielders Drew Schmidt and Tanner Hornback, outfielder Connor Clark, and right-handed pitcher Julio Garcia. Schmidt, Clark, and Garcia were all teammates last summer with the Victoria Generals in the Texas Collegiate League.

With the Generals, they won the TCL and continued their success this past spring as UT Tyler took a huge step, going 49-13 and advancing to the NCAA Division II World Series for the first time in program history. It’s been a very successful year of baseball for those players, and they bring a unique perspective to the team, having played in very meaningful games both in the TCL and at UT Tyler.

“Last summer, we had this expectation to win in Victoria, and we did so. For us, going into the fall, we learned how to win games,” said Clark.

Collegiate Summer baseball and the NCAA have some significant differences, but Schmidt notes that winning in both settings shares some commonalities.

“I think it’s all about camaraderie, especially in the summer, you need to be a close-knit group to win games, and we certainly did that last summer as well as in the spring,” said Schmidt.

Clark and Schmidt each played 20+ games with the Generals last summer, and Garcia logged 12.2 Innings. Clark played 43 games in the spring, and Garcia made 17 appearances out of the bullpen. Schmidt, however, took the most significant strides playing 62 games and hitting a staggering .410 in the spring.

The three of them are once again on the same squad, but joining them this time around is fellow middle infielder Tanner Hornback, who, like Schmidt, played 62 games and hit .410. Coming to a new country can be difficult, but the transition has been easier.

“Tanner and I played up the middle all year at Tyler, so that’s just tremendous to have a guy you’re so close with be on the same team as you in the summer,” said Schmidt.

For all of them, the West Coast league and the country of Canada are all new, but the familiarity with each other makes it easier.

“Having buddies from home and familiar faces with me in a different country is always cool, it’s good to have them around,” said Garcia.

Injecting winners into your lineup can always be a boost to teams, especially for the NorthPaws, who have already won more games than in 2024 and are looking at making their second-ever playoff appearance.

“I feel like we walk around with the mentality of we’re not going to let people come here and push us around, we’re here to win,” said Schmidt.

The UT Tyler teammates have been instrumental in the team’s success, with Clark and Schmidt combining for 15 RBIs, Garcia cementing himself as the team’s closer, and Hornback hitting .340. Every night, one of these players has an impact on the game, and it’s all part of an effort to get the NorthPaws back to the postseason.

The team is already turning heads this season, and the “Tyler Boys,” as they’re known, are looking to continue leading the charge and building a winning culture with Jepson and the rest of the NorthPaws.

 

 

 

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