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The Incredible Stories of Gorm Heimueller

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2 years ago

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There may only be one man alive who, in the span of four minutes, can weave a story that includes the best basketball player of all time, a sure-fire hall-of-fame Major League manager, the legendary captain of the Yankees, two all-star catchers, and an accused killer.

Yes, a tale capped with an alleged murderer.
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Gorm Heimueller, now the pitching coach of the Nanaimo NightOwls of the West Coast League, is that guy. (Writer’s recommendation — buy Gorm dinner any chance you have, and sit back and listen to the stories. Worth every penny from a guy whose first spring training managers were Frank Robinson and Billy Martin.)
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This story — well, it’s worth the read for sure.
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Heimueller, a former MLB pitcher with nearly 50 years in the game (should it be mentioned that his college shortstop at Cal Poly was Ozzie Smith?), has World Series rings from developing pitchers for the Twins and Phillies, but his true wealth is the stories he can tell about the people he’s met. (His true wealth aside from his lovely wife LeeAnn, of course. You can’t forget LeeAnn, the Finnish Canadian.)

Gorm (it should be mentioned he once struck out Reggie Jackson, twice, and Rod Carew in a game in the Bigs) heard the news of the recent arrest of ex-Twins lefty Dan Serafini (more on that later) and was left recalling his fall in the fairly-new Arizona Fall League in 1994, sent by the Twins to help the Chandler Diamondbacks, playing games at the archaic former Brewers spring stadium.

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Ah, yes, 1994 — no October MLB playoffs due to the August walkout and players strike that surely kept the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays from their collision course in an all-Canadian World Series. (We all know the Expos would have needed six games to halt the Blue Jays’ run of World Series titles at two, right? Right.)

“We were the only baseball around, there was a lot of attention on us and that was fun,” said Gorm.

Gorm’s team’s catchers were Charles Johnson and Jason Kendall, who would go on to all-star status at the MLB level. A player in the league that fall was none other than Michael Jordan, who for still mysterious reasons abruptly left the Chicago Bulls in the midst of their dynasty to strike out a lot with the Birmingham Barons, AA affiliate of the White Sox. Ex-Expo Terry Francona, surely headed to the Hall of Fame as a manager, had Jordan on his teams both in Arizona and Birmingham — where Jordan famously bought a tricked-out bus for the team’s travel comfort.

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Gorm’s fall league shortstop? Gangly, barely 20 years old, defensively inconsistent at the time but taken sixth overall in 1992 by the Yankees — Derek Jeter.

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“Jeter and Serafini attended my son’s fifth birthday party that fall. I saw Jeter a few years later and, I hated doing this, but I wanted to get something signed so I went up to him — he said ‘Hey, Gorm! How are you’,” said Heimueller. “I was shocked he remembered me. And he was glad to sign some things for me.”

Actually a Jeter connection is why Heimueller is coaching for the NightOwls in the first place. His good friend in the game, legendary scout Marti Wolever, who was scouting supervisor for the Yankees when Jeter was drafted, worked with Gorm in the Phillies organization and they are close friends to this day.

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The classy Wolever, a member of the Professional Scouts Hall of Fame and a former minor league outfielder, was a top scout with the Detroit Tigers in 2016 when Jim Swanson, now GM of the NightOwls, was added as an Associate Scout by the Tigers. Wolever connected Swanson and Heimueller for the pitching coach opening in Nanaimo, putting NightOwls history in motion.

This whole story germinated from news that Serafini, who pitched for four MLB teams over an 11-year span, was arrested for murder and attempted murder tied to an attack in 2021 in the Lake Tahoe area.
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“I remember him well — he gave me a gift at the end of that fall season to thank me for putting up with him being such a pain in the ass,” said Gorm, laughing.
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“I liked him, and he went on to pitch for us with the Twins. But I guess with all those names it just shows you never know what’s going to become of people, right?” he added.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – ALL-STAR GAME PACKAGES ARE DAYS AWAY — BE READY!

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7 days ago

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October 31, 2025

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THIS IS A SPECIAL note for all HarbourCats season ticket holders to get their seats set up next week to be in line for the 2026 All-Star Game festival packages, July 14-15, 2025 – full details soon to be released.

Individual Season Ticket Members who have fully renewed or have initiated a payment plan for their 2026 seats, will have first dibs on securing their seats for the All-Star festivities via a special pre-sale window.

We will also offer this pre-sale window to anyone who has purchased a Season Ticket Equivalent Flex Pack (32-Game Flex Pack).

If you are a 2025 HOST FAMILY, please let us know as soon as possible if you intend to return as a host for 2026 and we will save your seats AND you will also be eligible for the pre-sale window for the All-Star activities.

If your season seats are part of a CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP deal, again please let us know as soon as possible that you will be renewing that sponsorship for 2026 (contact your sales rep) and we will save your seats AND you will also be eligible for the pre-sale window for the All-Star activities.

Once the pre-sale window has passed, any unclaimed Season Ticket seats  (for All-Star festivities only) will be released and we will open up sales to the general public.

**IF YOU ARE a traditional 10/12-pack holder, now is the time to trade up for Season Tickets or a 32-Pack Season Ticket Voucher Equivalent to get All-Star Game privileges!

Contact GM Christian Stewart at the HarbourCats office (778-265-0327 or chris@harbourcats.com) to make arrangements!

The excitement around baseball and the 2026 season has hit new heights!

Season ticket memberships and 12-game flex packs (new for 2026!) are now on sale for the HarbourCats 2026 season at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. BE SURE TO LOCK IN YOUR SEASON TICKETS TODAY to get first right of refusal on your seats for the 2026 WCL All-Star game that will be played here in Victoria.  These will be going on sale SOON!

Season tickets, 12-packs and team merchandise are also available at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, Tuesday thru Friday, 10am-4pm.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Haney, HarbourCats bring back former player to lead pitching staff

Published

1 week ago

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October 28, 2025

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October 28, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, BC — A very familiar name and face is returning to Victoria to lead the pitching staff of the HarbourCats.

Zachary Swanson — who has served as batboy, pitcher and play-by-play voice of the team — has been hired as Pitching Coach for the 2026 season by Todd Haney, the Head Coach who is entering his sixth season as the Victoria skipper.

Swanson is in his first year as the pitching coach at Hawaii Pacific University (D2) in Honolulu, under Head Coach Dane Fujinaka, a former HarbourCats catcher who coached in the Toronto Blue Jays system.

“After coaching Zach a couple of seasons, I am thrilled for the opportunity to coach with him now,” said Haney, who started Swanson on the mound against the Corvallis Knights in Game 1 of the WCL championship series in 2019.

“Zach brings energy, experience and expertise to the HarbourCats coaching staff. Our pitchers will love working with him.”

Swanson, the son of Managing Partner Jim Swanson, is a Lambrick Park grad who spent time with both the Eagles and Mariners BCPBL programs. He spent two college years with the San Diego Christian (NAIA) Hawks, then moved to the Park-Gilbert (NAIA) Buccaneers in Arizona, under Head Coach Kelly Stinnett, a long-time MLB catcher, to complete his college playing career.

Swanson will work with Bullpen Coach Darius Opdam Bak, who filled the same role last summer under now-retired Scott Anderson, who held the pitching coach job for three seasons. Opdam Bak is a former HarbourCats and Victoria Golden Tide (CCBC) pitcher who is now Pitching Coach of the Golden Tide.

Swanson, who will be 26 by next season, earned his MBA and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Park-Gilbert business program. He served as pitching coach at Skyline High School (6A) in Mesa, AZ before accepting the HPU offer. He is married to Madeline, and they reside in Kailua, HI.

“This is an extremely special opportunity for me, to return home and coach in front of this amazing city is such a privilege,” said Swanson. “I’m excited to coach some great young men and bring a West Coast League championship home to Victoria.

“It is a tremendous honour to have the chance to coach alongside Coach Haney, someone I consider a mentor. His intensity and passion for player development combined with his true joy for the game are traits that I admire as a coach.”

Swanson was 7-3 in his collegiate career, including playoffs and non league, including five starts.

Opdam Bak was a HarbourCat for two seasons and spent four seasons with the Golden Tide, as a dependable starter. He made eight starts last spring for the Tide, going 3-1 — he made 17 CCBC starts overall.

Season ticket memberships and 12-game flex packs (new for 2026!) are now on sale for the HarbourCats 2026 season at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. BE SURE TO LOCK IN YOUR SEASON TICKETS TODAY to get first right of refusal on your seats for the 2026 WCL All-Star game that will be played here in Victoria.  These will be going on sale SOON!

Season tickets, 12-packs and team merchandise are also available at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, Tuesday thru Friday, 10am-4pm.

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Victoria HarbourCats – 2026 HarbourCats schedule features many highlights

Published

2 weeks ago

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October 24, 2025

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Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park will be abuzz with fans packing the seats for  at least 31 home games in 2026, as well as the West Coast League All-Star Game.

October 23, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, BC — Who is the next Nathan Lukes, to don the V-Cat logo and start a path to the World Series?

That will come into focus starting in May of 2026 when the Victoria HarbourCats — the first collegiate summer league team of Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Lukes, a playoff star this fall — begin an eventful West Coast League campaign with a road series in Portland.

It won’t just be the games with the HarbourCats to look forward to, it will also be about the 2026 WCL All-Star Game being played at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park as part of a planned Festival of Baseball, July 14-15. The HarbourCats are hosting the event in both 2026 and 2027.

“No question, this is the most anticipated season yet for us — the All-Star Game, after a very strong schedule leading up to that, and playoffs to follow,” said Christian Stewart, the GM of the HarbourCats. “The variety of visiting teams, the rivalries with teams like Nanaimo, Wenatchee and Bellingham, facing the other tough Canadian teams — it’s a great mix for our fans and our corporate partners.”

The HarbourCats open on the road on Friday, May 29, against the Pickles, then are back on the island for the home opener on Tuesday, June 2, against the Edmonton Riverhawks.

Tentative plans for fireworks dates are Saturday, June 6 (vs. Kelowna Falcons, now managed by former Blue Jay Gregg Zaun), Tuesday, June 30 (vs. the Nanaimo NightOwls), and a special event on Monday, August 3 featuring local talent and a fireworks show to follow.

Further plans to announce popular features such as the Woofability Bark in the Park, the Mayfair Optometric School Spirit game (and maybe a second game!), something we are calling “Early Father’s Day,” and Harvey’s Birthday will be announced soon. Game times remain the popular 6:35pm, except for Sundays (1pm) and the School Spirit games (11am).

“Getting two teams from Oregon at our park this year will be fun — we have the first visit from the Springfield Drifters (June 12-13-14) and a rare appearance by the Bend Elks (July 7-8-9),” said Stewart, who is taking season ticket bookings and doling out 12-packs of tickets already.

“We plan to have the All-Star Game package on sale in short order, too — we love that we have so much time to plan out the WCL schedule and make it work for promotions and logistics. We are known for our creative ideas — this schedule will make things a lot of fun next summer.”

HOME GAMES 2026
June 2-3-4 (T-W-Th), vs. Edmonton Riverhawks
June 5-6-7 (F-Sa-Su), vs. Kelowna Falcons
June 12-13-14 (F-Sa-Su), vs. Springfield Drifters
June 16-17-18 (T-W-Th), vs. Redmond Dudes (non-league)
June 24 (Wed), vs. Nanaimo NightOwls
June 26-27-28 (F-Sa-Su), vs. Bellingham Bells
June 30 (Tues), July 2 (Thurs), vs. Nanaimo NightOwls
July 7-8-9 (T-W-Th), vs. Bend Elks
ALL-STAR GAME FESTIVITIES — Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15
July 17-18-19 (F-Sa-Su), vs. Wenatchee AppleSox
July 24-25-26 (F-Sa-Su), vs. Kamloops NorthPaws
July 28-29-30 (T-W-Th), vs. Port Angeles Lefties
August 3 (Mon), vs. SIBL All-Stars (non-league)

ROAD GAMES 2026
The HarbourCats visit the following teams — Portland Pickles (May 29-30-31), Edmonton Riverhawks (June 9-10-11), Port Angeles Lefties (June 19-20-21), Nanaimo NightOwls (June 23, 25, July 1, and July 21-22-23), Kelowna Falcons (July 3-4-5), Kamloops NorthPaws (July 10-11-12), Bellingham Bells (July 31, August 1-2), Wenatchee AppleSox (Aug 3-4-5).

NOTE: SINGLE-GAME TICKETS, ALL-STAR GAME TICKETS and FLEX-PACK VOUCHER RENEWALS ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE. We are finalizing a few logistics and dates and building the 2026 ticketing system and anticipate all those to go on sale in the next few weeks.

Season tickets and 12-game flex packs are NOW on sale on line at harbourcats.com/tickets or by stopping into the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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