The NorthPaws regular season starts with a visit from the reigning North Division Champion Victoria HarbourCats, who last year finished the year 38-15, before falling in the Championship game to the Corvallis Knights 5-0.
The ‘Paws failed to make the postseason in 2023, fighting to a 12-40 overall record.
Kamloops will have a new, yet familiar man at the helm for 2024 as 10-year MLB veteran Jose Bautista will take over as manager after spending the previous two seasons as the NorthPaws pitching coach.
NorthPaws lined up during anthems
Photo by: Allen Douglas
As the season begins Bautista will have a few familiar faces to look to on the bench including a trio of Kamloops locals in #39 Nolan Austin, #27 Manny Recchi, and #23 Matthew MacDonald. Austin and Recchi both played for the TRU WolfPack this past year with fellow returnee #6 Kolby Luckinchuk who is back for his third season with the ‘Paws, a feat only accomplished by himself and Austin. Another name that fans may remember from last season is infielder Anthony Manuel back for his second stint in Kamloops.
Bautista did note that the roster is still fluid as players arrive from their college teams and there is a possibility for more Kamloops locals to be added to the squad.
The 2024 ‘Paws will also have some international flavour on the roster which is dominated by Canadians and Americians. A trio of players from Japan, and one from the Netherlands are spending their summer in Kamloops. All four are listed as pitchers, #25 Hayato Ikeda from Kanagawa, Hideyoshi Kawahara from Tokyo, and #8 Manato Tateno from Tokyo join #4 Casper Rammeloo hailing from Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands are on the roster.
Casper Rammeloo delivers a pitch during the first inning on Wednesday
Photo by: John Hill
The home opener is sponsored by Dearborn Ford with gates opening at 5:00 p.m. and the local band Rooster entertaining the fans both before and after the game. Game day contests include a chance to win a Ford Maverick through the Dearborn Ford golden ticket promotion. There will be giveaways from Molson Coors, and Tourism Kamloops will be on hand. Kamloops’ own Dance Gallery will be making an appearance as well.
The NorthPaws are also offering fans a 10% discount on all merchandise.
UpcomingNorthPaws Schedule
Friday, May 31, 6:35 first pitch vs Victoria
Saturday, June 1, 6:35 first pitch vs Victoria
Sunday, June 2, 2:05 first pitch vs Victoria
Monday, June 3, Off-day
Tuesday, June 4, 6:35 first pitch vs Bellingham (Stingray Country Night)
Wednesday, June 5, 6:35 first pitch vs Bellingham
Thursday, June 6, *11:30 first pitch vs Bellingham (School Spirit Day) *note the start time*
TGI Friday Pack – reserved seat to all Friday regular season home games and a NorthPaws branded New Era 940SS Hat – $149.99 Weekday Warrior Pack – reserved sear to all Wednesday and Thursday home games – $139.99
Family Pack – $99 – four tickets, four non-alcoholic drinks, four hot dogs
Birthday Bundle- $299 x10 Tickets! x10 Hotdogs OR Burgers! x10 Pops! Also Includes: – Visit and photo with Homer! – Signed picture! – PA announcement during the game!
The Cats played hard with the lead all afternoon to come away with a 14-7 win. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Victoria, B.C. – The Redmond Dudes took on the HarbourCats for the rubber match of the series, eventually being ousted from town in a 14-7 Cats win.
Collegiate Cats pitcher Nate Major was simply lights-out through his three-inning start today. The right-hander only allowed two hits, striking out two and keeping the Dudes off the board.
The HarbourCats the first move offensively in the bottom of the third inning, as designated hitter Logan Shepherd (Mercer) singled to right field to drive in Hayden Woodson (USC) and take a 1-0 lead.
Major was relieved in the top of the fourth by Travis Hartfield, another Collegiate Cats pitcher, who made quick work of Redmond’s lineup for three more clean innings! Hartfield’s afternoon came to an end following the sixth inning, allowing no runs on just one hit.
Kade Davis went 1/2 with two runs scored in the Thursday matinee. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Victoria made a splash in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Redmond walked in a run before allowing two more to cross the plate on a wild pitch and a throwing error, breaking the game open and extending the Cats’ lead to 4-0. Carter Eberhard (Cal Baptist) came to the plate ready to swing in the next inning, driving in run number five on a single right back up the middle.
The HarbourCats went to the bullpen in the seventh for another Collegiate Cats arm, this time retrieving Peter Cunningham. The righty walked the bases loaded, surrendering four runs on a sacrifice fly, a single, and a double to tighten the score to 5-4 in favour of Victoria.
Hayden Woodson found his way home on an error in the next inning to bolster the Cats’ fragile lead, but the Dudes swung right back. Three more runs scored in the top of the eighth, giving Redmond the upper hand in a 7-6 ballgame. The away team then threw the lead away, loading the bases with no outs and allowing two runs on a pair of wild pitches. The Cats’ bats took advantage of the opportunity, widening the lead to 10-7 courtesy of a Hayden Woodson base hit.
The Cats kept adding on and Redmond just couldn’t keep up, eventually resulting in a 14-7 victory for Victoria.
The HarbourCats will now hit the road for a weekend series in Port Angeles against the Lefties!
Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.
Victoria, B.C. – The Cats and Dudes faced off again on Wednesday evening, with Redmond taking a 9-5 victory this time.
It was the Dudes’ turn to strike first tonight. Victoria starting pitcher Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) got two outs in the top of the first before watching a ball sail over the left field fence for the first run of the ballgame. The top of the Cats lineup was quick to answer with a leadoff double by Hayden Woodson (USC), a stolen base, and a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) sacrifice fly to bring home the tying run in the bottom of the first inning.
Redmond came close to taking back the lead in the top of the second, but the go-ahead run was gunned down at the plate on a laser beam from Rohne Klein (San Jose State) in left field. Although the Dudes were kept scoreless, Ackermann’s command noticeably wavered in his second inning of work, inspiring a pitching change for the Cats.
Pierce Stone (Regis) appeared on the mound in the top of the third. After a couple of Cats errors led to a go-ahead run for the Dudes, Stone held strong and left the rubber with the Cats down 2-1. The sidewinder returned for the fourth and let another run slip by, but a bizarre Redmond baserunning gaffe somehow resulted in a double-rundown to end the frame.
Photo by JPM Photography
Proven clutch performer Matt Westley (George Mason) drew the score back to even in the bottom of the fourth. Following a couple of stolen bases to create an RISP opportunity, the third baseman sizzled a ball through the infield to tie the game at three.
Hunter Daniels (Phoenix) took control of the mound to kick off the fifth inning, and was immediately greeted by a solo homer to put Redmond back in the lead. The freshman had a shaky inning, walking two batters in a row, but managed to end the frame without surrendering another run. Daniels ran into more trouble in the form of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, walking in three runs to widen the Dudes’ lead to 7-3.
Finn Vlahovic (Collegiate Cats) made his HarbourCats debut in the top of the seventh, working quickly to complete a clean inning. That solid frame paved the way for a Jax Heid (Southeast Oklahoma State) solo blast in the bottom of the seventh to chip away at the lead.
The Cats looked dangerous in the bottom of the eighth, finding themselves with runners on second and third with no outs. Victoria’s offence only scraped together one run on the opportunity though, scoring on a groundout to second base.
Local catcher Jai Berezowski (Victoria Collegiate) made his pitching debut in the top of the ninth inning for the Cats. The backstop-turned-bullpen arm stunned with two straight strikeouts to shut down the Dudes.
Victoria tried and failed to get a rally going in the bottom of the ninth, sealing a 9-5 win for Redmond.
The Cats finish off the exhibition series on Thursday morning for an 11:05 School Spirit Game!
Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.
Hayden Woodson (USC) and many others crossed the plate for the Cats tonight. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Victoria, B.C. – The home team put on a show tonight in a decisive 17-7 defeat of the Redmond Dudes.
The HarbourCats were thankful for the invention of the batting helmet in the first inning. After loading the bases with one out in the opening frame, Redmond pitching walked two batters and plunked three in a row, inviting a parade of runners across the plate. The Cats were more than happy to trade ice packs for runs, taking an early 5-0 lead.
Cats starter Asher Clark (Northern Colorado) looked much more controlled, but a line drive to right field drove in Redmond’s first run in the top of the second inning.
It was a full team effort tonight to take away the win. (Photo by JPM Photography)
The onslaught continued for the HarbourCats in their second wave at the plate. A couple of bases loaded walks and singles from Carter Eberhard (Cal Baptist) and Logan Shepherd (Mercer) vaulted the score to 11-1 by the time the dust settled on the second inning.
Redmond fought back once again in the very next inning on the watch of Tate Collins (Arkansas State). The Dudes wrangled two more runs by way of a double off the wall to right field, but still found themselves on the wrong end of an 11-3 ballgame.
The Dudes continued to chip away throughout the middle innings, but were fended off by Collins and Marcus Janovsky (UBC) for the most part. Janovsky in particular put on a reliable performance this evening, striking out three Dudes and giving up one hit in just under two innings of work.
Marcus Janovsky had one of his best outings of the season, tallying three strikeouts. (Photo by JPM Photography)
A seemingly routine single by Logan Shepherd turned into trouble for the Dudes when aggressive baserunning and an errant throw combined. Jax Heid blazed his way around to third base and managed to dash home, scoring lucky number 13 for the Cats.
Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) was tapped in to pitch the seventh and eighth innings, conceding a couple of runs before handing the ball off to Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi). Stuckly closed it out with a smooth ninth inning and the HarbourCats vacated the field with a 17-7 win.
The Cats and Dudes do battle twice more this week, once on Wednesday night at 6:35 pm and again on Thursday at 11:05 am for School Spirit Day!
Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.
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