Summer Collegiate

Offers they couldn’t refuse: How a pair of Scottsdale natives ended up in interior B.C.

Published

1 year ago

May 31, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Ahead of the 2025 season, Head Coach Reilly Jepson has brought in a set of best friends from Arizona to round out his coaching staff. Trey Newman will serve as the assistant coach, and Jack Slominski will be the team’s pitching coach.

It won’t be the first time these two friends are on the same coaching staff. Last summer, the two friends coached in the Arizona summer league, and it offered them a chance to build a special dynamic beyond playing the game they love.

Newman’s name may sound familiar to fans, and that’s because he was the first player signed in franchise history. Trey spent the 2022 season as a NorthPaw, where he hit .218 in 16 games.

“It’s cool to see how far this place has come with the money being put into the team and the players were getting as well as the support from the community,” said Newman.

Newman started his Collegiate career at Utah Valley State. After a sophomore season in which he hit .230 in 23 games, the catcher decided to return to his home state. Still, he didn’t play Division I baseball. Instead, Newman transferred to Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Arizona, to play Junior College Baseball. He would play 54 of the team’s 55 games en route to an NCJAA World Series crown.

From there, Trey would receive the call from Arizona State and head back to the valley where he was born. As a Sun Devil, he would appear in 26 games of two seasons, with 18 of those being starts. After the 2024 season, Newman decided Coaching was his calling, but based on his upbringing, many weren’t surprised.

Trey’s Grandfather, Jeff, was a nine-year MLB veteran with the Oakland A’s and Boston Red Sox. After his career ended in 1984, he quickly returned to Oakland as the bullpen coach. In 1986, when Manager Jackie Moore was fired, Jeff Newman was named interim manager, where he guided the A’s to a 2-8 record.

He remained with the organization at the minor league level until 1991. From 1992 to 1999, he was the third base coach for the Cleveland Indians and eventually landed in Seattle, where he retired from Coaching in 2005.

Trey Uncle Ryan Newman also has plenty of coaching experience, having served as a manager in various independent professional leagues. Today, he serves as the infield coordinator for the Chicago White Sox.

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the coach’s office, and I started to think from a young age that this is what I wanted to do,” Said Newman

Today, Newman serves as the Offensive Strategy and Analytics Director at the University of California, Berkeley. Growing up around Coaching planted the seed, but Newman says being behind the plate opened his eyes to Coaching.

“You look at the game in a different way when you are behind the plate. You start to think about the other eight guys as well as yourself and what the other team is trying to do, so it definitely got me into more of a coaching mindset as my career went on”, Said Newman.

Joining Trey this summer is long-time friend Jack Slominski. Despite going to rival high schools in Scottsdale, the two have been close friends since they were 14. Slominski is excited for the opportunity and said it was one he couldn’t pass up.

“He’s one of my best friends in the world, so to have someone like that here, it was a no-brainer to come up,” said Slominski.

Like Trey, Jack’s career took a couple of turns. After graduating from high school, he got recruited to attend Grand Canyon University, located across town in Phoenix. In two seasons there, he made only nine appearances, so he also decided to pursue the Junior College route, moving back across town to Scottsdale Community College.

Like Newman, the 2022 season was a huge bounceback for Slominski, during which he made 13 appearances, 11 of which were starts. He carried a 4-3 record with a 3.75 ERA over 57 and two-thirds innings pitched. The following season, he moved out of state to attend the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

In his final two seasons of eligibility, Slominski appeared in 30 games, making 27 starts. His record was 15-7, and he logged 149 innings, striking out 133 hitters over that time. After finishing his career, he accepted an assistant coaching job at his alma mater, Scottsdale Community College. After just one season of Coaching, Slominski has been promoted to the team’s pitching coach and is excited to build his skills.

“This will be a time where I can start brainstorming my own ideas and philosophies around pitching; I feel like having more responsibility this year will be a great opportunity for me to grow as a coach,” said Slominski.

Being a pitching coach in Summer Baseball can be difficult at times, managing players’ innings limits and the health of pitchers going back to school in the fall. This mentality can sometimes take the competitive spirit out of the game, but Slominski’s message to his staff was simple.

“We’re going to have fun and give you guys innings, but I want to win,” said Slominski.

Slominski believes that a skill that can be developed is learning how to win, something often not talked about by Summer Baseball coaches.

“Winning is fun, and knowing how to win is a great skill to take back to school with you,” said Slominski.

Away from the ballpark, the two friends have been known to take their competitive spirit to the golf course. With both being from a premier golf destination, they’re excited to spend a summer surrounded by great courses. However, Newman is also eager to learn a thing or two from his friend.

“Jack is really good, so hopefully, he gives me some swing lessons this summer,” said Newman.

When asked about this, Slominski took the humble road.

“I think my schedule allows me to play more, so maybe that’s why I’m a little better.”

With these two long-time best friends, their competitiveness has served them well in their short coaching careers and will be welcomed additions this summer as the NorthPaws embark on another season.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Battle to the End for 2-1 Victory

Published

1 day ago

July 3, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – A war of attrition ended in a win for the good guys on Thursday night, with the Cats clawing their way to the finish line to take a series win over the NightOwls.

The Cats weathered the lengthy rain delay and came to the plate ready tonight, striking first on a two-out single from Rohne Klein (San Jose State). Designated hitter Logan Shepherd (Mercer) got the wave around third and Victoria quickly took a 1-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

UCSD’s Quincey Brown added to a string of dominant starting pitchers for the Cats in this series. Brown’s nine strikeouts in his second start of the season are the second-most in a single game for Victoria this year, tied with Austin Lindsey in the previous game and just short of Jeremiah Arnett’s team-leading ten K’s on Tuesday.

In addition to a whole lot of swings and misses, Brown kept the NightOwls off the bases with just two hits across his five innings of work. Davis Lee (Calgary) came in on the heels of Brown’s start, opening up the sixth inning on the mound with a one-run lead. Lee got himself into some trouble, loading the bases with two consecutive walks and letting the game-tying run sneak by on a pitch straight to the backstop.

Will Zielinski held strong in his Cats debut, scoring important outs in the late innings. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Lee returned in the seventh for a much cleaner frame, striking out two for a scoreless inning. Will Zielinski made an impressive Cats debut in the top of the eighth. The local Victoria product secured a quick two strikeouts and a groundout to keep the score tied and bring the HarbourCats lineup back up to the dish.

Victoria rallied to finally break the tie in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) special. The outfielder walked, stole a base, and came in to score on a throwing error from the Nanaimo shortstop to take a 2-1 lead for the Cats.

Zielinski was back for the top of the ninth, shutting it down and securing a close win for the Cats to take the series and tie up the Island Cup!

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will now hit the road to Kelowna for a three-game weekend series against the Falcons.

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Bats Heat Up in 11-2 Win Over Nanaimo

Published

2 days ago

July 1, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats evened the series with a titanic 11-2 win over their island rivals on Wednesday night.

It was a blink-and-you’ll-mis-it start for the Cats, who scored their first run just four minutes after the first pitch. David Krahn (UBC) and Matt Westley (George Mason) found themselves on base with a single each, and a double off the wall from Logan Shepherd (Mercer) drove Krahn in from second. Westley came in to score an an extremely well-placed bunt from Jacob Silva (UTSA), and a Rohne Klein (San Jose State) single swiftly made it 3-0 Cats after the first half-inning!

BOX SCORE

Krahn touched the plate once again in the second inning, reaching base on an error and being cashed in by a Logan Shepherd base hit. Westley followed suit, pushing the score to 5-0.

Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) powered through six innings in his fifth start of the season, allowing three hits, no runs, and striking out nine. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The onslaught continued in the middle innings, highlighted by a two-run homer from infielder Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) in the fifth. A Tristan Buehring (Whitman) single brought home another before the end of the frame. Victoria followed up with another two tallies in the sixth, a result of some wild pitches and a knock from Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD). 10-0 Cats after six.

That strong start carried over to the other side of the baseball as well, with Jeremiah Arnett putting on a pitching clinic. The Rice University starter let up three hits in a scoreless six innings, striking out nine NightOwls. Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) took over in relief for the seventh and eighth, keeping things clean and keeping Nanaimo off the board.

Matt Westley was on fire at the dish in Nanaimo, badgering NightOwls pitching for a four-hit game. (Photo by JPM Photography)

David Krahn stayed hot in the top of the ninth, crushing an RBI double to extend the lead to 11. Hunter Daniels (Phoenix) was sent in from the bullpen with a safe cushion to work with, giving up the first runs of the game for the NightOwls but ultimately closing out an 11-2 victory.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats finish off the series in Victoria at 6:35 pm Thursday night before hitting the road for a weekend series in Kelowna.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Bested by NightOwls in Fourth Game of Remax Island Cup

Published

3 days ago

July 1, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats’ late comeback bid was unsuccessful this fireworks night, dropping the first game of the Nanaimo series 10-7

Usual relief pitcher Austin Lindsey (Hill College) settled into his newfound starting role nicely tonight. The Lufkin, Texas righty was straight up impenetrable in his first four innings, pocketing eight strikeouts over that span. A rare walk from Lindsey came back to bite him in the fifth, driven in by the second hit of the game for Nanaimo to put the NightOwls on top.

BOX SCORE

Rohne Klein (San Jose State) retorted with a blistering line drive straight to the right field wall, cruising into second with a double and tagging up to third base on an ensuing flyout. Despite Klein’s effort, the bats sputtered and the first baseman was stranded on third to end the inning, still down by one to the visiting side.

Nanaimo made another edit to the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, battling with two strikes and two outs to turn a ball the other way and double their lead to two. Lindsey got into a bit of hot water following that second run, loading the bases and relinquishing the mound to Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State).

It was a packed house on Tuesday night for the postgame fireworks show! See if you can spot Harvey the HarbourCat in the crowd . . . (Photo by JPM Photography)

The sticky situation only got stickier, with an error by the Cats shortstop allowing two more runs to slip by on Tomlinson’s watch. The NightOwls added a three-run homer as the exclamation point on the inning, taking a 7-0 lead before the Cats got out of it.

The NightOwls loaded them up once again in the seventh, but the inning was saved by third baseman Matt Westley (George Mason). Westley made a diving stop in the hot corner, stepped on third base, and fired a bullet to first base to keep the score from getting further out of hand.

Victoria finally found their way on the board in frame number seven. Rohne Klein’s screamer off the glove of the Nanaimo first baseman moved catcher Jacob Silva (UTSA) over to third base, and Silva came in to score on a wild pitch for the first Cats run of the game. A sacrifice fly from Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) brought home Klein and yet another wild pitch made room for Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) to score, whittling the deficit down to four with two innings to go.

Tomlinson’s struggles to find the strike zone in the eighth inning gave way to Jake Rafferty (Tacoma) from the bullpen. Rafferty let three more runs fly by before eventually retiring to the dugout.

The Cats put some serious pressure on the NightOwls in the bottom of the eighth, running the bases loaded and scoring four runs on a couple of walks, a sac fly, and an RBI single right back up the middle by Tristan Buehring (Whitman). The comeback effort came up short, however, as the bats returned to dormancy in the bottom of the ninth.

WCL STANDINGS

The series goes to Nanaimo on Wednesday night for a Canada Day showdown with the NightOwls, before the third game of the Remax Island Cup takes place in Victoria at 6:35 pm on Thursday.

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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