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NorthPaws Set to Open 2nd West Coast League Season in Victoria

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KAMLOOPS, BC—Excitement is in the air as the Kamloops NorthPaws are poised to kick off their second season in the West Coast League.

With the Memorial Cup junior hockey tournament being played in Kamloops, the North Paws asked the West Coast league to begin the 2023 campaign on the road.    The North Paws will open the campaign up at Wilson’s Group Stadium in Victoria, BC against the HarbourCats.  The three-game series kicks off Thursday June 2nd and winds up Sunday June 4th. 

Kamloops has 10 veterans back from the team which finished third overall in the WCL North Division (record 26-27).   The NorthPaws have changed managers twice since Cole Armstrong directed them in their inaugural season.   Former Major Leaguer Brian Anderson replaced Armstrong in October 2022 but resigned to take a position with Northwestern University (NCAA Div I).  Keith Francis was named his replacement this past April.   He and Anderson worked together with Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona and was initially coming to Kamloops as an assistant coach in 2023 before the promotion.

The HarbourCats have 13 players returning from the team which finished fourth in the West Coast League North Division in 2022 (record 26-28).

SERIES DETAILS:

Friday June 2nd  6:35 PM , Saturday June 3rd  6:35 PM, Sunday June 4th  1:05 PM

Games streamed at HCATS.TV

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Victoria:

1.     Cam Caley – LHP – Baylor University – Sophomore
2.      Harrison Caley – C – Baylor University – Junior
3.      Jesse Brown – OF – UC Santa Barbara
4.       Dallas Macias – 2B/OF – Oregon State – Freshman
5.       Hudson Shupe – SS – Seattle – Freshman  

 Kamloops:

1.      Andrew Stucky   C-OF  University of Texas San Antonio  Hometown: Tucson, AZ  Sophomore
2.      Robin Villeneuve 1B-LHP  Weatherford College   Hometown: Gatineau QC   Sophomore
3.      Tommy Green  SS-INF   Oakland University   Hometown: Courtenay, BC   Senior
4.      Felix Chenier-Rondeau  OF Oklahoma City University   Hometown: Blainville, QC   Senior

COACHES COMMENTS:

Victoria Head Coach Todd Haney:

“We have assembled a top caliber line-up this season and can’t wait to get things started Friday against the NorthPaws.  This is the 10th Anniversary season of the HarbourCats, and I’d like nothing more than to celebrate that by bringing the HarbourCats their first ever WCL title.  I think we have the team to do that this year and look forward to the challenges the season will bring us.”

Kamloops Head Coach Keith Francis:

Heading into the season you are always a little apprehensive about your roster. Did we get enough pitching is everyone healthy etc. we know we have several still playing in post season play so your not exactly certain who is going to be ready for the opener. Having used all the coaches excuses I am looking forward to the season. I feel like we have an offensive lineup with players who have had very good seasons at their respective schools. I believe that our offense may have to carry else early until the pitching works itself out. Our first series should be mixed bag of a lineup with so many players not expected for another week, but it will give are younger players a chance.”

 LAST YEAR’S (2022) SERIES:

The three games were played in Kamloops at Dearborn Ford Field.  The NorthPaws won two of the three games.  They opened the series June 14th with a 5-4 victory. Kolby Lukinchuk (Prince George, BC), came out of the bullpen to strike out the final two batters for the victory in his one inning of work.  Zac Beatty led the way for Kamloops with two runs batted in.

Game two had Kamloops beating Victoria 9-8. Ben Polack was the winning pitcher going three innings with a strikeout. He was the third of three pitchers for the NorthPaws that night. Kamloops had nine runs on 13 hits with four errors.

Victoria won the final game of the series (June 16) by a score of 8-3, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning after scoring two in the first frame. Michael Nunez was the winning pitcher going four and a third innings giving up four hits and striking out five. Shay Timmer took the loss for Kamloops. He was the second of four pitchers going three innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

NORTH PAWS NOTABLES:

The North Paws have 11 players from British Columbia on their roster including five players from Kamloops itself (three of them: Tyrelle Chadwick, Jared Sucro, Nolan Austin are veterans).

WOLFPACK CONNECTION:

Kamloops has two players who are currently members of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack baseball program:  Lukinchuk and first year outfielder Manny Recchi.   Former WolfPack player Adam Filmon has joined the NorthPaws as an assistant coach.  Filmon is the grandson of former Manitoba Premier Gary.

The HarbourCats have one TRU player on their roster this year.  Pitcher Sam Jordan who completed his first season with TRU in 2023.

HOME OPENER:

The NorthPaws will kick off the home portion of their 2023 West Coast League season Tuesday June 6th at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium. It is a three-game series with the Portland Pickles.  Opening pitch on Tuesday, Wednesday (June 7th) and Thursday (June 8th) will be 6:35 PM.  Tuesday’s opening night festivities will include a pre-game ceremony.

Tuesday’s game will be “Blazers Night” where the NorthPaws will recognize the accomplishments of the 2022-23 Kamloops Blazers.  It is hoped some members of the Blazers hockey club will be in attendance for the contest and will be available to sign autographs.

If you can’t make the games in person, NorthPaws home games will be webcast here : https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/.   There will also be a select number of games will be shown on Shaw Cable.

For “Everything NorthPaws – Go to the website : https://www.northpawsbaseball.ca/ “

Kamloops NorthPaws tickets: ticketing@northpawsbaseball.ca

West Coast League: westcoastleague.com.

For more Information:

Jenna Forter
General Manager, Kamloops NorthPaws
Jforter@northpawsbaseball.ca

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats announce second School Spirit Day for 2025

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SCHOOL DAY SOLD OUT!  Second Mayfair Optometric Clinic School Spirit day added to 2025 schedule

January 22, 2025

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Even with a chill still in the air, the Victoria HarbourCats have already sold out a summer baseball game.

How’s that for a warm feeling in January?

The super-popular Mayfair Optometric Clinic SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY, slated for June 12 at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park, has already sold out with area schools signed up with haste — the office already had a waiting list before the year changed to 2025.

So, the HarbourCats have decided to add a SECOND SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY — an 11am start on Thursday, June 19, with special $9.00 pricing for students and teachers to bathe in sunlight and cheer on the HarbourCats.

“The June 12 game filled up right away, and it led us to look at this second offering,” said Christian Stewart, GM of the HarbourCats. “More than 3,200 school kids are already coming to see us play that day against the Island rival Nanaimo NightOwls — and we can look to sell out a second game, also against the NightOwls, with the same energy the kids bring to the park.

“If you haven’t been to this game before, it’s magic with the excitement, and the lineups for Sub Zero Ice Cream and other concession items — it’s a day our food trucks and the city concession are very busy, that’s for sure!”

For any teachers or schools looking to join the fun, email chris@harbourcats.com or call the office at 778-265-0327, to get signed up.

Tickets for all games can be found online with our Showpass ticketing system, at harbourcats.com/tickets— single game tickets available including opening night, our famous fireworks nights, and all special promotions.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Partner with Showpass for new ticketing system

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Single game tickets for 2025 now on sale! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 7, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Showpass, a leading event ticketing platform, to provide fans with a seamless and enhanced ticketing experience for the upcoming season.

Showpass’s innovative technology will make purchasing tickets for HarbourCats games faster and more user-friendly than ever. Fans can now buy single-game tickets, season passes, flex passes and group tickets through the Showpass platform, which offers an intuitive interface and convenient features such as mobile ticketing, easy transfers, and quick scanning at the gate.

Also being implemented in Nanaimo with the NightOwls, the Showpass platform supports real-time updates and event notifications, keeping fans informed about game-day changes, promotions, and special events.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the fan experience,” said HarbourCats General Manager Christian Stewart. “Showpass provides a modern, efficient solution that makes attending a HarbourCats game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.”

Here are a few of the highlights:

Season Ticket Holders

New Season Tickets are now available to be purchased online for the first time ever at https://www.showpass.com/m/victoria-harbourcats-season-tickets/  Visit the seat map, see what is available, select your preferred ticket type, and checkout securely.

Season Tickets will be delivered to all members by e-mail (planned for April 1, 2025) with an option for printing classic paper tickets. Members can transfer tickets as needed through their accounts, and print their tickets via PDF or simply save into their mobile wallet on their phone.

Renewals are simple, with reminder emails coming from Showpass late in the season, or early fall, with details for the following season and secure, online renewal.

NOTE:  Season Ticket holders who have not yet renewed their seats for 2025 should ensure they call or visit the office to do so as soon as possible so that all relevant details are updated in the new system and so their seats are locked in for 2025.  Any seats not paid / renewed by April 1, 2025 will be released for sale to the public at that time.

10-Game and Season Ticket Flex Packs
10-game flex packs and our Season Ticket equivalent flex-packs (32 vouchers) are also now available to purchase and manage on-line in the Showpass system.

https://www.showpass.com/10-game-flex-pack/

https://www.showpass.com/32-game-flex-pack/

Once purchased, fans can skip coming to the office or box office and can easily exchange their vouchers / credits on-line for the games that they wish to attend.  Once exchanged, fans can also e-mail those tickets to someone else, if they don’t plan to attend the game themselves.

Fans with existing 10-packs or season ticket packs purchased during the off-season can come into the office and get set up properly in the new system in order  begin to exchanging vouchers on their own.

Single-Game Tickets
Single game tickets are now available on-line and can be purchased at Harbourcats.com/tickets.

Scroll down the list to find the game of interest, including three “Showcase” games being held this season, click through to the seat map, select your seats and check-out with your tickets delivered to the e-mail used to set up your account.

Group Tickets
Group tickets (10 people or more) can also now be purchased on-line in most of our seating areas and larger groups can be set up and ticket sales managed through a convenient Group Sales platform within Showpass.

The Showpass system also comes with a very easy to use Help system to guide users through the ticketing sales or exchange process and of course, fans can always come to the office or the box office on game days to order their tickets in person.

The HarbourCats begin the 2025 season with a six-game road trip starting May 30th in Kelowna and finishing in Edmonton June 5th.  They return home for the Home Opener on Friday, June 6th at 6:35pm against the Port Angeles Lefties, with the first fireworks night of the season on Saturday June 7th at 6:35pm.

As noted, tickets for all home games are now on sale at HarbourCats.com/tickets.

About Showpass
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Showpass is a cutting-edge ticketing and event management platform trusted by organizations across North America. Known for its ease of use and robust features, Showpass empowers event organizers and attendees with a superior ticketing experience.  In addition to Victoria and Nanaimo, Showpass is being used by the Bend Elks in the West Coast League, the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, the Welland Jackfish Baseball Club in Ontario and has a large footprint in Victoria, being used by a number of smaller event venues such as Brewery and the Beast. Visit their website for more information at https://www.showpass.com/

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NightOwls Pitching Coach Fondly Recalls Time Playing with Rickey

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Every pitch Gorm Heimueller threw in the major leagues, Rickey Henderson had his back, positioned in the outfield behind him.

When news broke Saturday of the far-too-soon passing of the greatest base stealer the game has ever known — and likely will ever know — Heimueller was stunned, and saddened.

 

“I heard from a friend of Rickey’s, who had heard from (former MLB pitcher) Dave Stewart — this is a big blow for the baseball world, like Pete Rose a few months ago,” said Heimueller, who will be pitching coach again for the NightOwls again in 2025, the only pitching staff leader the West Coast League team has known since debuting at historic Serauxmen Stadium in 2022. This season will mark 49 years in the game for Heimueller, one of the most-respected people in all of baseball.

 

“I loved Rickey — but I loved everyone, I was in the big leagues. I got to play with Rickey and Joe Morgan, two Hall of Famers, it’s hard to believe they are both gone. Rickey looked like he was doing well and healthy. Very sad news.”

 

Henderson, who would’ve turned 66 on Christmas Day, passed away Friday, a surprise to everyone as he had appeared to be in good health. Initial reports indicated a bout of pneumonia claimed the Hall of Famer, who played with nine teams over 25 years and stole 1,406 bases. Canadian baseball fans will recall his short time with the Blue Jays in 1993, helping Toronto win its second consecutive World Series.

“The best part of playing with him was knowing I didn’t have to face him,” said Heimueller.

 

“My first game, he made a catch up against the wall — really good catch. People think of the stolen bases but look at all the home runs he hit. He was also unique as not many guys are right-handed hitters and then throw left-handed, very rare in the game. He was one of the more confident players I ever played with — and Rickey talked about Rickey, he had his ways about him that you never forget, that was the way he talked.

 

“That first game, in Baltimore, he’s leading off — I’m thinking this is pretty cool, and I’m the starting pitcher. I knew I was in the big leagues right there.”

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