Summer Collegiate

They say every good party ends up in the kitchen.

Published

4 years ago

March 2, 2021

Well, baseball is a party, and in Nanaimo the gathering spot was the big wood stove down the hall from Kent’s Kitchen where former players, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans would all congregate.

The stove was the centrepiece of the Hall Of Fame Room in the bowels of Serauxmen Stadium. That stove is due to be rolled out the door this spring to make way for a new kind of baseball party – the Nanaimo NightOwls Baseball Club of the West Coast League, and the new team’s office space.

It was not sadness that trailed after that symbol of warmth and camaraderie, however. All those same players, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans had worked hard to someday attract a WCL team to their city so to see the space repurposed for such high-calibre ball was a treat, not a gripe.

“We’d have all these old guys come in and just B.S. about baseball,” said Kent Malpass, the man for whom the kitchen was unofficially named. He was one of the young guys who cozied up to that fire, when it first got kindled, and now he is the godfather of these goodfellas.

“If that room had ears, it would have lots of things to talk about. So many great people have worked to keep baseball in Nanaimo going and growing, and a lot of them ended up in that room having those conversations. So many of them have passed on now, great names, great people. Some are in a home now. That’s the way time works. And we’re in the middle of Covid and when that hit, it really shut it all down anyway.”

It was always Thursday morning that the regular gathering would happen, whether there was a ball game on that day or not.

“I’d get there at seven o’clock, and sometimes there were already people waiting to get in,” Malpass said. “They’d show up at 7:30, 8:00, trickling in, but there would often be a dozen of us just here for the conversation and seeing each other, talking about baseball and life.”

The big stove was never the point of these visits, but it was always the unspoken host. Even when there was a lull in the conversation, the crackle of the wood fire would evoke the crack of the bat.

“It’s a big stove. Huge,” Malpass said. “I’ve put wood in that thing at three o’clock in the afternoon and come back at 11 or 12 o’clock the next day and it would still be going.”

Kent and his Serauxmen Service Club members are much the same way. The Nanaimo charity group formed in 1967 over some beers and centennial cheers at the Tally Ho Pub. To this day, it is going strong and Nanaimo is its one and only chapter. They raise tens of thousands of dollars a year for all-local causes. They also pour tens of thousands of dollars worth of in-kind contributions and volunteerism into their community, and baseball is one of their chief loves.

Baseball brings people together, said Malpass, and baseball never ceases to draw in new people but never let go of anyone as they age. It’s something that grows with you no matter who you are or where you are, he said.

When Nanaimo seemed set to take a step up in the baseball world, back in the 1970s, Malpass and the Serauxmen were gleeful. Their club’s name is on the stadium because they took it upon themselves to lead the fundraising and logistics efforts to convert the former coal mine site into a ballpark that is still one of the best in B.C.

It opened in 1976 with a slate of celebrities on-site to throw the first pitches and cut all the ribbons. Malpass still glows at the memory of the top name on that fundraising ticket: the legendary superstar Mickey Mantle. Joining the Yankee Comet was another golden name from baseball’s history, Red Sox Gold-Glover and two-time all-star Jim Piersall.

“We took them fishing and showed them a good time,” said Malpass. “It cost the Serauxmen $5,000 to bring them in, which was a lot of money in 1976, but it worked really well. The place was packed.”

But that wasn’t the end of the Serauxmen commitment to Nanaimo baseball.

“Doug Rogers started the Nanaimo Pirates (of the BC Premier Baseball League) so his brother Danny and I used to do the equipment,” Malpass said, and that volunteer effort carried over into the whole youth baseball league where they would outfit up to 800 kids each year with uniforms, belts, helmets, socks, the whole kit. He would go on buying trips that needed a truck. “It was like Christmas for us, but everything was for the kids.”

A lot of the equipment distribution happened in that same room that eventually became the meeting space.

Malpass wore a lot of different volunteer caps over the years. He would paint the weathered spots on the fence, fix the broken boards on the bleachers, sweep the spilled popcorn, and he was a fixture in the concession kitchen. He grew up in the grocery industry and cooked in restaurants so this was his wheelhouse, but he also sold furniture, assembled satellite antennae, and other career moves that he always turned into a baseball double-play.

“I just love being at the stadium, being around baseball, being with baseball people, it’s a special thing,” he said. He pointed to the example of his friend Burt Lansdale who passed away and wanted his ashes scattered on the pitcher’s mound at the stadium. As the ceremony was going on, as the congregation bowed their heads in prayer, the automatic sprinklers suddenly popped on without warning. Malpass chuckled that even the stadium itself wanted to pay respects to someone who loved being there so much.

“People have a connection to this sport, because it’s more than a sport,” he said.

“Look at what Jim’s done (NightOwls General Manager Jim Swanson) with the team. The Owls were a team in Nanaimo in the 1920s which is where he dug up the name. It’s paying respect, it’s embracing tradition even when you’re doing something new.”

Malpass is excited to see the new team, the new league, and the new level of baseball Nanaimo has grown to embrace. He feels he, his friends, his neighbours, and the Serauxmen club members all had a hand in earning it. He’ll gladly sacrifice more volunteer time and work on the home stadium to make it happen. It’ll keep him as warm as any wood stove whose time has now passed.

That stove is not going to the scrap heap, though. Like the Owls name, it is just changing its context. The stove was a popular item for buildings that still could use that crackling heat, and it will be finding a home that will be fully aware of the history that comes with it.

Summer Collegiate

NightOwls Drop Game Two 15-9 Against The HarbourCats In A Battle Of The Bats

Published

7 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

VICTORIA, B.C. — The balls were flying out of the park on Wednesday night at Royal Athletic Park for game two of the Nanaimo NightOwls and Victoria HarbourCats series. Unfortunately for the NightOwls, they were not able to outslug the HarbourCats, falling 15-9, dropping the second game of the three-game series.

The Nanaimo NightOwls had nine runs on 12 hits and no errors. Normally, that would be enough offense for the win, but it wasn’t our day down in Victoria. Despite jumping out to an early lead thanks to a three-run home run from Talan Zenk. Nanaimo made it 4-0 in the top of the second before the HarbourCats exploded for five runs in the bottom of the second inning and four more in the bottom of the third to make it 9-4.

The game was closer than the score looks. The NightOwls continued to put on the pressure, but the HarbourCats just had their number tonight, scoring two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings before solidifying things with one more in the seventh and eighth.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=620556

It wasn’t a good night for the Nanaimo NightOwls Pitchers as they gave up 15 runs on 18 hits. That concludes the pitching portion of this post-game recap. The nice thing about scoring nine runs is that there were lots of contributors for the Nanaimo NightOwls on Wednesday night.

I feel like I am in the movie “Groundhog Day” because I keep having to write about Talan Zenk blasting balls out of the park. The utility infielder from Brier, Washington, went three for five and was just a triple away from hitting for the cycle. Talan finished the night with a HR, double, single, five RBI, and a stolen base.

Talan Zenk (@TalanZenk, @EvCC_Baseball ’26) went 3-for-5 with a double, home run, 4 RBI, 2 runs, and a stolen base last night for the @wclNightOwls. Zenk has now homered in three consecutive games. pic.twitter.com/k72PCnwg8j

— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) July 3, 2025

https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

I mentioned home runs and 3rd basemen Tyler Arnold also joined the party. He hit a solo shot in the top of the second for his first home run of the season for the NightOwls. Tyler finished the night one for four with a HR, two runs scored and a walk. Raoul Fabian Jr. also had three hits on the night going three for five with two singles and a double and scoring two runs for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

Jacob Hayes has another hitting streak going as he went one for five with an RBI for the NightOwls. Andrew Ivy also went two for three with two singles and a walk.

http://Nanaimonightowls.com/tickets

One more game for the Nanaimo NightOwls against the Victoria HarbourCats, at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. Nanaimo looks to pull out one game from the series and get back closer to a winning record as they enter into the second half of the season.

The two teams will finish off the series on Thursday, July 3rd before the NightOwls head off to Edmonton for a rematch with the RiverHawks. That series will go Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 4th, 5th, and 6th. Make sure to watch the game on the link above and cheer on your team on social media with the Hashtag #IlluminateTheDark and we may feature your post!

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Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws break out the late-game theatrics to sweep the AppleSox

Published

20 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws completed the sweep of the Wenatchee AppleSox, defeating them 6-3 on Wednesday night. Catcher Kalen Applefield drove in five of the six runs for Kamloops, including a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth.

“Credit to him, he’s been showing up early every day hitting in the cages before batting practice and working his butt off trying to get himself back on track and he came up big tonight which is awesome,” said Assistant Coach Trey Newman.

Applefields teammate at UC Berkley, righty JM Harduvel, was on the mound for the NorthPaws and had his best outing of the summer, going three innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits while striking out a season high five batters.

“He’s one of the hardest workers on this team, and everything that’s coming towards him he’s earned, and I think he’s going to keep getting better,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

Harduvel’s only rocky inning was in the second when the AppleSox put up a pair of runs. A hit by pitch, a stolen base and a single scored the first run, while a pair of two-out singles scored the second run, putting the AppleSox up 2-0.

In the bottom of the second, the NorthPaws responded as center fielder Connor Clark singled to begin the inning. With Applefield at the plate, the hit and run was on as Clark broke for second. The NorthPaws catcher sent a double down the right field line that scored Clark, cutting the lead in half.

In the bottom of the third, second baseman Tanner Hornback singled to begin the inning. Two batters later, first baseman Joey Rico sent a double of his own down the right field line, scoring Hornback and tying the game at two.

In the fourth, the AppleSox put together a two-out rally with a walk and a base hit. Wenatchee took the lead on an infield error. From there, the bullpen shut the door. Righties Landon Guiterriez, Nolan Austin, and Cade Webber threw a combined five scoreless innings, giving up just three hits, including another unbelievable outing from Austin, giving up just one hit in three scoreless innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, the third baseman, Drew Schmidt, walked. Rico followed that up with a base hit. Left fielder Matt MacDonald reached base via a throwing error from the pitcher off a bunt attempt. Clark struck out, setting Applefield up for the most significant opportunity of the season. He had been hitless in his last six games and came into the contest with just four RBI’s. With his go-ahead grand slam, he had five on Wednesday night alone.

The NorthPaws would complete the sweep as Cade Webber came on and got the save. The series was entertaining to say the least. Two one-run victories and two come-from-behind wins for the NorthPaws. After struggling to get timely hits over the weekend, Hornback, Burke and Applefield all delivered on different nights, playing crucial roles in the victories.

“They’re good players, that’s why they’re here. Good players find ways to make good moments happen, so it was cool to see those guys come through in three separate games,” said Head Coach Riley Jepson.

The team will now have a couple of days off before playing an exhibition double header against Webber Academy on Saturday. The team will resume West Coast League action on Tuesday, July 8th. After a gruelling schedule to this point, Jepson and the rest of the team are looking forward to their days off.

“It will be nice for the guys to reset and let their bodies catch up to them, it’s not easy coming off long spring schedules at school and start playing six days a week,” said Jepson.

You can stay up-to-date with the team and follow along on social media. Stay tuned for more stories coming over the weekend.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Allen leads offensive outburst as Cats beat Owls

Published

20 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The HarbourCats clinched the Island Cup with games to spare, winning six of eight against the NightOwls this season (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

July 2, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats picked up where they left off on Canada Day, putting up season highs in runs and hits Wednesday night, beating the Nanaimo NightOwls 15-9.

It was the visitors who got off to the perfect start in the top of the first inning when Talan Zenk took a Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) hanging breaking ball over the left field wall for a three-run home run. It was the second baseman’s second long ball in as many days and his fourth of the season.

JC Allen extended his hit streak to seven games and has seven hits in this series (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

In the next inning, it was Tyler Arnold who took another hanging slider from Lance over the fence for a solo shot, making it 4-0 Nanaimo.

BOX SCORE

The Cats answered back immediately in the bottom half when Jack Johnson (Baylor) drove home Victoria’s first run of the game with an RBI single. Tanner Beltowski (Westmont College) followed that up with a two-run single, making it 4-3. JC Allen (UC San Diego) tied it up at four with a two-out single, and Logan Shepherd (Mercer U) gave the HarbourCats the lead with an RBI single of his own.

Nathan Davis levelled things up at five in the top half of the third with a two-out RBI single. Victoria restored their lead, putting four more runs on the board in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a Jacob Doyle (Nevada) RBI double.

WCL STANDINGS

The scoring kept coming when Zenk drove in two more runs with a double to make it 9-7 HarbourCats after four innings.

Lance lasted three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out three. He was replaced by Jacob Thompson (Minot State), who walked three and surrendered two runs on three hits. Oliver Mabee (Nebraska Omaha) took over from there and pitched a season-high 3-1/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits, and striking out three.

Garrett Brooks has three hits in his first two HarbourCats games (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

WATCH GAMES HERE

Allen hit a two-run home run for his third long ball of the season in the fifth inning to extend the Cats’ lead to 11-7. Hudson Shupe (Gonzaga) and Allen hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the sixth inning to make it 13-7. The NightOwls scored a pair in the top of the seventh before a Beltowski RBI double in the bottom half gave the Cats a 14-9 lead late on.

Allen capped off his player-of-the-game performance by crushing a solo home run in the eighth inning, bringing the score to 15-9. The first baseman went four for four with two home runs, a double, and five RBIs.

Every HarbourCat starter had at least one hit, with Beltowski and Dillon Lopez (St Mary’s) recording three hits each. As a team, Victoria recorded 18 hits and drew 10 walks.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Jake Finkelstein (Georgia Gwinnett) and Ethan McNish-Heider (Niagara) both pitched a scoreless inning to close out the game.

The HarbourCats go for the sweep tomorrow at 6:35 PM. Buy tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.

Season Tickets, 10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 33 home games and four “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats’ new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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