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

The Bars Fall Short In The Series Finale

Published

3 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

NANAIMO, BC — It seemed to be Arrowsmith day at Serauxmen Stadium as the Nanaimo Bars lost the series finale 10-3 against the Wenatchee AppleSox. “Walk this way” for seven combined walks from the pitching staff.

It was not a good day for starting pitcher Moosa Nonomiya who just went 1.1 innings and gave up four runs.

Nanaimo was down four runs after the 1st inning and were never able to get back in the game. Despite a couple of good rallies in the 3rd and 4th innings the NightOwls were only able to muster one run in each.

There were a couple of bright spots on the offensive side of the ball for the Nanaimo NightOwls. 3rd basemen Drew Gianni, who was making his debut, went three for five with a run. He should provide a solid bat going forward.

Brady Morse, the native of Daville Kentucky, also had a decent day at the plate going two for four with and RBI and a run. Talan Zenk also went two for four and added a Stolen Base and RBI.

Tickets Here

There will be a quick day off Monday before the NightOwls host their island rivals, the Victoria HarbourCats, on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 10th and 11th, before heading back out on a 7-game road trip.

Tuesday is CrackerJack night, and also Italian night at the Ballpark. Our very own Pitcher Vinny Bruno will be cooking up his own special recipe! Make sure to get out to Serauxmen Stadium and cheer on your Nanaimo NightOwls.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats beat Lefties 6-1 to win series

Published

3 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Tanner Beltowski reached base four times this afternoon (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

June 8, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats are back over .500, improving to 5-4 on the season with a 6-1 win against the Port Angeles Lefties on the first Family Fun Sunday of the season.

The Cats wasted no time this afternoon, scoring three runs in the first inning. Curtis McKay (Niagara) walked with the bases loaded, bringing in the first run. McKay was the last batter Lefties starter Cade Stuart faced, being replaced by Levi Arnold after Stuart surrendered three walks and a hit. Isaiah Afework (Tacoma CC) ripped the second pitch he saw from Arnold into left field for a two-run single, giving Victoria a 3-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Enrico “Big Papi” Carrion (Hawaii) made his fourth appearance of the season, getting the start behind the plate, and he proved his inclusion right, driving in a run with an RBI single in the third inning, his first of two hits, to make it 4-0.

Julian Orozco (Cal Baptist) got the start for the HarbourCats and was lights out. The right-hander struck out six batters over four scoreless innings, giving up two hits.

Julian Orozco struck out five of the first six batters he faced (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

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Oliver Mabee (Nebraska Omaha) made his second appearance of the season, throwing two innings, giving up no runs on no hits and striking out a pair.

Three Cats singles to lead off the sixth inning loaded the bases, which put the pressure on Lefties pitcher Brad Johnson, who inherited the runners. He hit Xander McAfee (Texas Arlington) and then threw a wild pitch, which brought home two more runs for the home team, making it 6-0.

WCL STANDINGS

Carson Burks (Hill College), Marcus Janovsky (UBC), and Dustin Davidson (Brookhaven) pitched an inning of relief each for the Cats. Port Angeles tacked on one run in the eighth, but it was no more than a consolation.

The HarbourCats have the day off tomorrow before opening a three-game set against the Nanaimo NightOwls. Tuesday and Wednesday are in Nanaimo, but Thursday, June 12, is Mayfair Optometric’s Annual School Spirit Game in Victoria. First pitch is 11:00 AM and is guaranteed to be an incredible atmosphere.

The HarbourCats had 11 hits for the second straight game (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

WATCH GAME HERE

Missed the game? Catch HarbourCats in 30 airing at 10:30 PM after every home game all season long on CHEK TV.

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.

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Summer Collegiate

Crazy 8s: Another eigth inning rally gives NorthPaws the win in Kelowna

Published

12 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws defeated the Kelowna Falcons on Saturday night at Elks Stadium 7-6, securing the series victory. It was another back-and-forth ball game that saw the NorthPaws score three in the eighth inning and hold on to win their second one-run game of the season.

Following a scoreless first where the NorthPaws left two men on base, third baseman Kieran Gaffney got hit by a pitch to lead off. Left fielder Cade Palkowski drove Gaffney in with a triple to left center field. Second baseman Joey Marino made it a 2-0 game by driving in Palkowski with a sacrifice fly. Kamloops made it 3-0 in the third courtesy of designated hitter Matthew MacDonald. The Kamloops native hit the NorthPaws first home run of the season.

The Falcons responded in the bottom of the third with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. A single to right field scored a pair, making it a one-run game. Two batters later, Kelowna tied the game on a sacrifice fly.

The top of the fifth saw NorthPaws shortstop Elijah Clayton hit the team’s second triple of the night to lead off. Two pitches later, Clayton would score the go-ahead run off a wild pitch.

The back-and-forth battle would swing in favour of the Falcons in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game off back-to-back hits. Later in the inning, a strange situation would unfold as Falcons second baseman Zach Wieder was on third base. Righty Dylan Dekker was on the mound for Kamloops and saw Wieder break for home. Dekker threw the ball home, and the tag was applied. Initially, the Umpire ruled Wieder out at the plate, but the call was overruled because the third base umpire called Dekker for a balk, tying the game.

In the top of the eighth, first baseman Kalen Applefield and catcher Brendan Burke both reached base with third baseman Kieran Gaffney at the plate. Gaffney would get a hold of a 0-2 pitch and drive it to the gap in left-center field, scoring two runs. Cade Palkowski was up next and drove Gaffney in for the second time, making it 7-5.

“He had a big hit last night as well, and to see him do it again tonight was awesome; seeing our guys fight all night long is a great sign for us,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson.

The game would come down to the wire in the bottom of the ninth as righty Keith Manby came into the game with Falcons on second and third with no one out. Manby gave up a sacrifice fly, making it a 7-6 game, but shut the door, recording the final two outs and securing the series victory.

“That was massive for us. Keith was nails tonight. He did a great job,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

Although the NorthPaws improved to 6-2 on the season, the offence has struggled at times. However, tonight, the team finally saw its first home run and triple of the season.

“That’s been missing from our game early on, so it was nice to see tonight; those runs ignited our offence,” said Jepson.

After a pair of challenging games in Bellingham, the team has rattled off three wins in a row, and with more home games on the horizon, Jepson is excited.

“It’s nice for the guys to be able to sleep in their own beds and establish routines; it’s tough to do that when you’re on the road,” said Jepson.

The Falcons and NorthPaws will face off once again on Sunday afternoon at Norbrock Stadium. The first pitch is set for 12:05 pm, and you can watch the game on West Coast League TV.

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