Summer Collegiate

Stories with Gorm — on the A’s, Charlie Hustle, and the MLB playoffs

Published

2 years ago

October 15, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

To think that only Boston’s fabled Fenway Park and Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City remain of the fields Gorm pitched at, is a sign of time marching on — new parks host baseball now in Baltimore, where he made his MLB debut, and other American League (no interleague game at that time, folks) stops he made in places like Minnesota, Toronto, Detroit, and even a new Yankee Stadium.

Gorm threw his final MLB pitch at Fenway — quite a tale on its own, a grand slam given up to Hall of Fame outfielder Jim Rice after an error by Morgan helped load the bases.

“I was 27 years old when I got to the big leagues and in Kangaroo Court in the locker room there I was fined by the team for taking too long to get to the majors,” Gorm said, laughing.

“For me, it was a dream come true and I was blessed and lucky to realize my dream, and then to get into coaching like I have — I never thought of it.”

Then, there’s Charlie Hustle. The recent passing of Pete Rose took the baseball world by surprise.

“I never met Pete but I got to know his son (Pete Jr.) in the Phillies organization,” said Gorm, of the younger Rose who played in just 11 MLB games and collected two hits for the Cincinnati Reds — 4,254 fewer than his father did in setting the all-time MLB record.

“I saw Pete play in person many times at Dodger Stadium, he came up in 1963, and the first thing that comes to mind with Pete Rose was him running hard, sprinting, to first base on a walk. The head first slide — we all did that because of him. He played it hard, with such passion,” said Gorm, clearly showing admiration for players who give that all-out effort.

Pete Rose Jr. was with Gorm in Double-A with the Reading Phillies in 2001 — the manager was Gary Varsho, and his son Daulton Varsho was the team’s batboy. Of course, the younger Varsho is now a Blue Jays star outfielder.

Heimueller spent time coaching or coordinating in the Twins, Dodgers, Phillies and Padres organizations, earning World Series rings with the Twins and Phillies. He spent the most years with the Phillies.

“My time with Philadelphia, the closest thing to Pete Rose was Chase Utley, he also played the game hard. Pete wasn’t the most talented player, and they made a big deal about him being the first singles hitter to make $100,000. I never played against Pete, he was in the National League when I was in the American League with Oakland.

“Pete Jr. was in AA, and that was my first or second year coordinating back then, got to know him a little bit and obviously you knew who he was. He got a bit of time in the majors (11 games in 1997). I know Pete (Sr.) would sign every autograph ever asked of him and one time I got to sit with Larry Bowa and Pete Vukovich and most of what they talked about, I was in earshot, was about horse racing,” he laughed.

Now, it’s about watching the players who made it to The Show and smile when he hears a name or sees a player he may have spent even a moment or two working with during their ascension through the minors. Gorm’s last pro job before joining the NightOwls was as co-minor league pitching coordinator with the Padres organization.

Those he has watched just in the playoffs alone:

Cleveland Guardians — Emmanuel Clase, Erik Sabrowski (who hails from the Edmonton area), Joey Cantillo
New York Mets — Phil Maton (former Kelowna Falcons, WCL)
Philadelphia Phillies — Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks, Jose Ruiz
San Diego Padres — Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Team Effort Leads to Series Win in Kamloops

Published

23 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kamloops B.C. – The HarbourCats brought the house down in a 12-run victory over the Kamloops Northpaws, putting up a dozen runs for the second time in a row and taking the series for themselves.

WCL All-Star Erik Rico (Fresno State) was back on the bump for another successful start on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The California native powered through a three-inning stalemate in which both sides were held scoreless, allowing just two hits and picking up six strikeouts.

BOX SCORE

Though held hitless in the first third of the ballgame, the HarbourCats found their stride in the top of the fourth inning. San Jose State slugger Rohne Klein delivered the first blow in the form of an RBI double, before he and teammate Logan Shepherd (Mercer) bounded home on a triple by the speedy Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s).

Victoria took advantage of the Northpaws’ lack of a counterattack with another swift strike in the fifth. Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) hit his second single of the game to drive in Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois), followed by RBI knocks from both Logan Shepherd and Jacob Silva (UTSA).

Bryan Bradshaw has been a strong all-around contributor for the Cats since arriving from UCSD, and notched three hits in today’s win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) took up the torch from Rico in the fourth, holding off Kamloops until the lower half of inning six when a solo homer provided the first run for the Northpaws. Unfazed by this minor blemish in the face of a strong Victoria advantage, Kratt secured three groundouts in a row to end the inning.

The Cats, in retaliation to the home crew’s sting in the sixth, roared back with the power of teamwork. A few patient walks set the stage for a pair of singles from Michael Rodda (Palomar) and Cameron Chee-Aloy, who swiftly turned a 6-1 lead into a 9-1 lead with three frames left to be played.

When the Northpaws conceded another scoreless attempt at the plate, Victoria returned hungry for more. A plethora of baserunners confounded the Kamloops pitching staff, and another three runs crossed the plate before inning’s end. After all, why not make it an even dozen?

Tate Collins (Arkansas State) ran into some trouble in the bottom of the eighth when a walk and a single amplified the ensuing home run into a three-bagger. Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) was summoned to finish off the inning, and ended up holding on through the ninth to bring the game to a triumphant close.

WCL STANDINGS

With this series win under their belts, the HarbourCats will return to Vancouver Island to enjoy the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club. You should too!

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.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Shake Down Northpaws for 13 Runs to Tie Series

Published

2 days ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

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.

BOX SCORE

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.

WCL STANDINGS

With the series now tied, the HarbourCats and Northpaws will battle for the win in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Stifled by Northpaws in 4-2 Loss

Published

3 days ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

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.

BOX SCORE

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.

WCL STANDINGS

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!

Source