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!
Victoria, B.C. – Victoria bounced back hard to stomp the Kamloops Northpaws 13-3 tonight, knotting the series up at 1-1.
The HarbourCats were off to the races early in this one! Victoria hitters patiently drew three walks in the top of the second, and singles from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) and Jacob Silva (UTSA) drove in three runs for the Cats. A quick start, and a much-needed buffer for a visiting team looking to rebound from last night’s loss.
Kamloops swung back in the home half of the third with an RBI single, but the HarbourCats brought the hammer back down immediately. Riley Kwak made it to third on a double-steal, creating an opportunity to dash home on a groundout before Logan Shepherd (Mercer) bashed a homer to widen the lead.
Logan Shepherd’s homer in the fourth put the Cats well in front. (Photo by JPM Photography)
The visiting team’s onslaught would proceed throughout the middle innings. Riley Kwak and Logan Shepherd continued their dazzling individual performances with an RBI single each in the fifth frame, and Kwak came back for a monstrous three-run homer in the sixth. A trio of consecutive three-run innings gave the Cats a robust 11-run lead to work with after the first two thirds of the game.
The Northpaws strung some singles together to score twice in the bottom of the sixth, only to suffer through a long seventh frame where Logan Shepherd scored on a wild pitch. The scoring quieted down after that thirteenth run, and the HarbourCats sauntered off the diamond with a 13-3 win in game two of the series.
Riley Kwak (left) had a gem of a game tonight. The Abbotsford, B.C. product went 4/5 with five RBI and four runs scored. (Photo by JPM Photography)
As for the pitching side of things, returning arm Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) tossed a strong three-inning start in which he allowed one run on two hits. Trent Schlim (Concordia-Nebraska) toed the slab for two smooth scoreless innings and handed the ball off to Tate Collins (Arkansas State). Collins allowed two runs on four hits over the span of innings six, seven, and eight. Carter Germain (Allen CC) made his HarbourCats debut in the bottom of the ninth, nailing down a relatively easy inning to close out the win.
With the series now tied, the HarbourCats and Northpaws will battle for the win in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.
Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games 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.
GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.
Kamloops, B.C. – The series opener didn’t go how the HarbourCats hoped, with the Kamloops Northpaws taking a 4-2 win over the visiting Cats.
The Northpaws got a jolt to their offence early on, rocking a solo homer in the second inning to take the upper hand. Kamloops continued their production in the next frame, capitalizing on two consecutive walks from HarbourCats starting pitcher Landon Marchetti (San Jose State). A couple of stolen bases and a double, and a wild pitch later, and the visiting Cats suddenly find themselves in a four-run deficit.
Victoria made up some ground in the second half of the ballgame when infielder Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) legged out a leadoff triple. A single from the reliable Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) brought home Kwak for the HarbourCats’ first run.
Rohne Klein (San Jose State) made a rare start at third base tonight and picked up an RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Merchetti’s night was done after the opening third of the game, over which he allowed four runs on three hits and struck out five Kamloops batters. Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) appeared from the bullpen and delivered the best outing you could really ask for from a reliever. His four innings featured just two hits, no walks, and a grand total of zero runs scored.
The HarbourCats mustered another run in the top of the eighth, a sacrifice fly by Rohne Klein (San Jose State). An important step, but still a ways to go if the visiting squad were to catch up. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) sliced through an efficient frame in the bottom of the eight inning, retiring the side on just eight pitches, but Victoria were held off by the Northpaws in a 4-2 loss.
The HarbourCats will look to rebound and tie the series in Kamloops tomorrow night, before coming back to Victoria for the long-awaited Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club!
Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games 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.
GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.
Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats fought to the bitter end in a ten-inning showdown that ended in a 7-6 Bend Elks victory tonight.
The first run of the game belonged to the visitors this time. A couple of walks in the first inning came back to bite Quincey Brown (UCSD) when they were moved over and cashed in by a two-out single. 2-0 Elks in the early going, putting the Cats on their back foot. Victoria retaliated in their first turn at the plate, bringing home David Krahn (UBC) on a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) fly ball to cut the lead in half.
The HarbourCats surged back to reclaim the lead in the second inning, taking advantage of some heads-up baserunning, a single from Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD), and a handful of wild pitches. Two frames down, and it’s suddenly 3-2 for the home team.
Quincey Brown was relieved after two innings where he wasn’t at his sharpest. The Seattle-born righty tightened it up in the second inning, but his command wavered in the first, leading to two runs allowed. Davis Lee (Calgary) took his place in the third and quickly turned two strikeouts before his control began to slip and the free passes became an issue. All of a sudden, what looked like a quick one-two-three turned into a three-run inning to give Bend a 5-3 lead.
Tacoma reliever Carson Ackermann was summoned from the bullpen to close out a long top half of the third and did just that, securing a quick out to change sides and give Victoria another chance on offence. Ackermann wasn’t quite so efficient in his second inning of work, loading the bases and letting up another run for the Elks before getting out of it.
Matt Westley was one of two HarbourCats to register a hit on Thursday night, bashing a homer in the fourth inning. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Bryan Bradshaw has displayed some great aggressive baserunning since arriving in Victoria, and this game was no different. The UCSD outfielder got on base with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, and proceeded to steal two bases before coming home on a wild pitch. WCL All-Star Matt Westley (George Mason) further cut into the lead later in the inning, pulverizing his fourth homer of the summer to pull the Cats back within one.
The HarbourCats clawed their way back to a tie ballgame in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly from returning catcher Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) bringing the score to an even 6-6. Victoria threatened with more runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth but were unable to take advantage, leaving them stranded on second and third.
Taylor Franklin (George Fox) entered the game in Ackermann’s wake in the top of the seventh and had no trouble at all, striking out the side on 12 pitches to preserve that tie.
The deadlock lasted all the way into extra innings, when a wild pitch by Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) allowed an Elk to cross the plate and take the lead in the top of the tenth. Despite a bases loaded opportunity, the Cats were unable to climb back, and fell in the third game of the series by a score of 7-6.
The Cats are back on the road this weekend in Kamloops, and will return next week for the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club!
Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games 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.
GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.
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