Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws get walked off in Walla Walla

Published

8 months ago

June 19, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws lost 5-4 to the Walla Walla Sweets in game two of the series, moving to 10-7 on the season. The game went back and forth, featuring clutch hitting and great outings on the mound, but a ninth-inning controversy led to the Sweets walking it off with a single in the bottom of the ninth.

After a scoreless top half, the Sweets looked to jump on Kamloops starter JM Harduval. The righty gave up a solo home run to begin the bottom of the first. He would later walk a batter and have him score on a double, making it 2-0.

Kamloops responded in the top of the second with first baseman Keegan Drinkle hitting a two-out triple. Third baseman Joey Marino was up next and brought him home with a single, cutting the lead in half.

In the second inning, Harduval walked the leadoff man and gave up a single. A wild pitch advanced the runners, and then Handuval hit a batter, loading the bases and ending his outing. Lefty Tyler Straily was first out of the bullpen and faced a loaded, none-out situation. Miraculously, a strikeout, infield fly, and a ground out got Straily out of the jam as the Sweets couldn’t capitalize.

Kamloops would continue to chip away as second baseman Tanner Hornback singled and right fielder Joey Rico doubled, putting them at second and third. Hornback scored the tying off a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Brendan Burke. The Sweets wasted no time in the bottom of the third, beginning the inning with two walks and a single, making it 3-2.

The NorthPaws once again had a response with runners on the corners and one out in the top of the fourth. Kamloops center fielder Ethan Kodama sent a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Drinkle. Left fielder Cade Palkowski scored the go-ahead run a few pitches later on a past ball.

In the bottom half, despite turning a 5-4-3 double play, the Sweets rallied. Back-to-back singles and a wild pitch is how the Sweets tied things up, and it would be the final inning for Straily. Righty Nolan Austin was next up and was brilliant, going three scoreless innings and giving up only three hits. Righty Daxton Vanderkooi came on in the eighth and threw a scoreless inning.

Both teams went into the ninth deadlocked at four. The NorthPaws went down scoreless in the top half, bringing righty Julio Garcia out to try and pitch a shutdown ninth. Garcia gave up a leadoff single but would strike the next batter out. Kamloops then decided to intentionally walk Nate Stiveson, who already had two hits on the night.

Nikhil Beasley was next for the Sweets and hit a grounder to first base for out number two, but here’s where things get weird. Stivenson started jogging back to first after the out was recorded, so the NorthPaws tagged him for what they thought was an inning-ending double play.

Stivenson was confused because he thought he heard the umpire call time. The base umpire called him out but was overruled by the plate umpire. This ruling had both managers confused as Kamloops never heard time being called.

The Play resulted in both runners advancing 90 feet, and two pitches later, Johnny Backus sent a line drive to left field that touched outfield grass, securing the Sweet’s third walk-off win of the season.

The NorthPaws will play the rubber match tomorrow night at 6:35. You can find the game on West Coast League TV.

Source

Summer Collegiate

John Wilson Named As New Team President

Published

1 week ago

January 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Respected island businessman John Wilson has been named President of the company that oversees the successful collegiate baseball teams based in Victoria and Nanaimo.

Wilson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and whose family owns and operates the Wilson’s Group of Companies, has been part of the core ownership group of the Victoria HarbourCats since 2015, and the Nanaimo NightOwls since inception in 2020 (started play in 2022). The NightOwls, a rival to the HarbourCats on the field, play at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

Wilson takes the position from Ken Swanson, who remains on the board after a solid 10-year run as team president. The group also operates the Victoria Collegiate (CCBC) baseball program and the busy indoor facility on Cook St., the Edwards Family Training Centre.

“Ken has led the corporate structure well, and he’s deserving of a break,” said Wilson. “We have a strong and committed group of owners and staff and a refresh is good for us all, keeping these teams playing great baseball and positively impacting these amazing communities in a stable, creative manner. Ken literally leaves big shoes to fill.”

The HarbourCats, which started play in 2013, will host the WCL All-Star Game in 2026 and 2027, showcasing the island’s immense love of baseball and the team that helped produce eight current MLB players including Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays), Nick Pivetta (Padres), Cade Smith (Guardians), Andrew Vaughn (Brewers) and Chase Meidroth (White Sox). The 2026 all-star festival will take place July 14-15 using Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and sites around the South Island, with exciting details to come.

Wilson and Swanson lead a nine-member ownership group that includes Rich Harder, Helen Edwards, Mike Macdonell, Sean Finn, Vic Vendetti, John Schnaderbeck and Jim Swanson.

“No one knows the community like John, so we are all looking forward to what will be a flawless transition that will bring some new life to the organization,” said Ken Swanson.

The management structure remains the same — former GM Jim Swanson in the Managing Partner role, overseeing day-to-day operations, assisted by Adrian Somers (Business Operations and Marketing). In Victoria, Christian Stewart (General Manager) and John Pollard (Marketing Director) remain in place, while Tina Cornett continues her strong leadership in Nanaimo as General Manager, with Kent Malpass overseeing the concession.

The teams maintain wholly separate coaching staffs and recruiting processes — veteran Todd Haney, a five-year MLB player, as the sixth-year Head Coach in Victoria, and local product Cody Andreychuk, a collegiate program head coach at University of Pikeville, enters his second season in Nanaimo, assisted by pitching coach Gorman Heimueller, who has three World Series rings from his 50 years in the game.

Tickets are selling fast…get yours today. www.NanaimoNightOwls.com/ticketinfo

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – John Wilson named president of island WCL teams, HarbourCats and NightOwls

Published

1 week ago

January 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

January 27, 2026

For immediate release

VICTORIA and NANAIMO, BC — Respected island businessman John Wilson has been named President of the company that oversees the successful collegiate baseball teams based in Victoria and Nanaimo, effective immediately.

Wilson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and whose family owns and operates the Wilson’s Group of Companies, has been part of the core ownership group of the Victoria HarbourCats since 2015, and the Nanaimo NightOwls since inception of the second island WCL team in 2020 (started play in 2022). The NightOwls, a rival to the HarbourCats on the field, play at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

The HarbourCats, which started play in 2013, will host the WCL All-Star Game in 2026 and 2027, showcasing the island’s immense love of baseball and the team that helped produce eight MLB products including current MLB players Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays), Nick Pivetta (Padres), Cade Smith (Guardians), Andrew Vaughn (Brewers) and Chase Meidroth (White Sox). The 2026 all-star festival will take place July 14-15 using Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and sites around the South Island, with exciting details to come.

Wilson and Swanson lead a nine-member ownership group that includes Rich Harder, Helen Edwards, Mike Macdonell, Sean Finn, Vic Vendetti, John Schnaderbeck and Jim Swanson.

“No one knows the community like John, so we are all looking forward to what will be a flawless transition that will bring some new life to the organization,” said Ken Swanson.

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 at 6:35pm.

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)
The 2026 WCL All-Star Game and Home Run Derby (July 14-15)

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, Tuesday thru Friday, 10am-5pm.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Four San Jose State stars slated to land in Victoria this summer

Published

2 weeks ago

January 21, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

January 20, 2026

VICTORIA, BC — A former HarbourCats outfielder, a member of the record-breaking WCL team in 2016, knew he wanted to send players he now coaches to a great summer baseball factory.

Jarron Silva, then an outfielder from UCLA, really enjoyed his time in Victoria, on a team that won a record 40 games, including 19 in a row at one point.

Now as an assistant coach at San Jose State, he connected with veteran HarbourCats coach Todd Haney to secure development spots for two pitchers and two position players.

“Jarron was a spark plug for that 2016 team, and he remembers the fan support and atmosphere at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP — Victoria is a baseball city,” said Managing Partner Jim Swanson. “We are excited to see the pitchers signed, and to see the power in Rohne Klein and Ethan Nunez — they have the potential to represent Victoria when we host the WCL All-Star Game on July 15.”

Four Spartans and a versatile fielder from George Mason, Matthew Westley, have been signed by Coach Haney:

RHP Landon Marchetti, San Jose State, 5-11/190, Brentwood, CA
RHP Spencer Kratt, San Jose State, 6-0/210, Woodland Hills, CA
IF Rohne Klein, San Jose State, 6-4/230, L/R, Renton, WA
OF Ethan Nunez, San Jose State, 6-4/190, R/R, Chino Hills, CA
IF/OF Matthew Westley, George Mason, 6-1/210, R/R, Manassas, VA

Marchetti, previously at UC San Diego, has nearly 30 games of college experience, including five starts, and used a lower lefty arm slot to register high strikeout numbers in high school. Kratt is a power righty who runs it up to 92, a transfer from LA Valley College.

Landon Marchetti delivers a pitch while playing for the UC San Diego in 2025.

Klein, a transfer to SJSU from Utah, is a developing power bat who also is noted for a strong arm — can play third, outfield or first. He’s an athlete, playing both quarterback and linebacker on his high school team.

Nunez is a transfer from Colorado Mesa, where he was the RMAC freshman of the year — and he will miss the spring as a redshirt to get an injury fully rehabbed, but will be good to go for summer. At Colorado Mesa, he hit .356 with 14 bombs.

The lone non-SJSU addition announced by Coach Haney is utility guy Westley, formerly of Virginia Tech and now at George Mason. He has two summers of experience in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League.

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: