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Victoria HarbourCats | 17-year MLB vet Greg Swindell added to 2021 HarbourCats coaching staff

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Todd Haney completes HarbourCats plans, staff will have combined 31 years of MLB experience

For Immediate Release

Jan. 26, 2021

VICTORIA, B.C. — There are MLB team coaching staffs that don’t have this much big-league playing experience. Count ’em up, 31 years.

Greg Swindell, a 17-year MLB pitcher, has been added by Head Coach Todd Haney for the 2021 Victoria HarbourCats season, as Bench Coach. Add that to Haney’s five seasons and the nine seasons of Pitching Coach Mark Petkovsek, the West Coast League (WCL)) summer collegiate team’s coaching staff will have a combined 31 years of MLB playing time to its credit.

Greg Swindell pitches for the Indians against KC in 1988. File Photo: Cleveland Plain Dealer

A fourth member, Hitting Coach Curtis Pelletier, is a scout for the Miami Marlins. Troy Birtwistle and John Schnaderbeck round out the coaching staff planned for the upcoming WCL season.

“We’re overjoyed to see this coaching staff come together, and even more excited for our players and fans to see what this group can do in terms of development and results,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner and GM of the HarbourCats. “Our players are very fortunate this has all come together for us. Greg will have a lot to offer to all sides of the game, not just pitching, but clearly our pitchers have access to a wealth of knowledge and experience.”

Haney, Petkovsek and Swindell, a lefty pitcher who appeared in the 1989 MLB All-Star game and won a World Series ring as part of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, played college baseball together for the Texas Longhorns. In fact, in Petkovsek’s recruiting visit to Texas, he was hosted by Swindell.

“I joked we may need a translator with all the Texas drawl we’ll hear in our dugout,” said Swanson.

Swindell won a World Series while pitching for Arizona in 2001.

The three have had a close friendship ever since. Haney guided the HarbourCats to within one game of the WCL title in 2019, and his 39 wins that season is the third-highest total in league history.

“I’ve talked to Greg about this for a few years, and he was in Victoria before (with wife Sarah) on a cruise ship stop, so he knows what a great city it is,” said Haney. “The timing is right for him now, and we’re glad to have him. We all know what it takes to prepare and be successful in this game, to the highest level.”

Haney, who played for the Cubs, Expos and Mets, and Swindell coached together in the summer of 2020 in an impromptu pro league that popped up during the pandemic, when the WCL was on hiatus.

Petkovsek pitched for the Rangers, Pirates, Cardinals and Angels between 1991 and 2001, going 46-28 with a 4.74 ERA.

“I know what kind of coaches and people Todd and Mark are, and what Todd says about the HarbourCats program,” said Swindell, who played for Cleveland (twice), Houston, Minnesota, Arizona, Cincinnati and Boston, going 123-122 with a 3.89 ERA, with a whopping 664 appearances. The 56-year-old won at least 10 games six times, and after retiring in 2002 he has been inducted in both the College Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

“I fell in love with Victoria very quickly, and a summer there in such great weather helping players strive for improvement, working with close friends who are accomplished professionals themselves, is something I really look forward to.”

Swindell (top left), his wife Sarah and his four children (front, L to R, Hayley, Dawson, Brenna, Sophia) are looking forward to travelling to Victoria and working with the HarbourCats.

Swindell has been a successful coach at the college level, including at Texas, along with media and charity work since his playing days. He was on the coaching staff for the 2005 College World Series championship team from Texas. He’s currently part of Longhorns baseball broadcasts.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Hawks blow out Cats in game one of doubleheader

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August 4, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – In the first game of today’s doubleheader, it was the Edmonton Riverhawks who came out on top, beating the Victoria HarbourCats 10-1.

The Hawks loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first, but Cats starter Clayton Broeder (Angelo State) struck out three in a row to escape the jam.

The game remained scoreless into the third when once again the visitors loaded the bases and this time cashed in when Broeder walked Trent Lenihan, giving the Hawks their first run of the game. Ben Hewitt (Ottawa U) replaced Broeder and was one strike away from escaping the jam and keeping the score at 1-0, but instead walked in another run. He then gave up a three-run double to Stevie Waters to give Edmonton a big 5-0 lead.

Broeder struck out six batters over his 2-1/3 innings of work but struggled with control, walking five.

BOX SCORE

Edmonton continued to pile on the runs, putting up four more in the fourth inning. A sac fly and wild pitch brought home a pair before Jason Green crushed a two-run home run over the right field fence to extend the lead to 9-0.

The visitors added one more in the top of the sixth inning when Green drove in his third run of the game with an RBI double, pushing the lead to 10-0.

The HarbourCats finally got on the board when Jake Butler (George Mason) drove home Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s) with an RBI single.

Victoria native Myles Chamberlain started for the Riverhawks and went six innings, giving up one run on six hits while striking out four to record his West Coast League-leading seventh win of the campaign.

Jake Finkelstein (USAO) replaced Hewitt after the big righty gave up six runs over 1-2/3 innings. The Richmond, BC native matched his season-high, throwing three innings and giving up one run on three hits.

Lucas Webber-Kitching pitched the seventh inning for the Hawks to close out the 10-1 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The Riverhawks need one more win to clinch the second-half title. As for the HarbourCats, they will need to win the next three games in this series to earn the second-half crown and first-round home-field advantage in the playoffs that comes with it.

Game two starts shortly with Ryne Palmer (Cal Baptist) on the bump for the hosts. General admission tickets are still available at the gate!

Can’t make it today? Tomorrow is Jersey off our Backs night, sponsored by Odlum Brown, where lucky fans will receive the popular baby blues. Wednesday is the final regular-season game of the campaign and is Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Passion Sports. Get tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.

VOUCHER REMINDER: If you have any remaining vouchers, don’t forget to redeem them as they are only eligible for the remaining regular-season games. You can do so at harbourcats.com/tickets, and if you have any questions or need help exchanging your vouchers, call the HarbourCats office at (778) 265 0327.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Cats comeback late to beat Hawks

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August 4, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats scored four runs in the sixth inning to comeback and beat the Edmonton Riverhawks 7-5 in game two of the doubleheader.

Shiryu Sato took the first pitch of the ball game yard to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. A Tanner Beltowski (Westmont College) error later in the inning allowed another run to score and it was 2-0 Edmonton early.

The Cats cut their lead in half immediately in the bottom half when Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) drove in a run with a double to the wall.

BOX SCORE

Tristen Buehring (Whitman College) made his HarbourCats debut tonight and made his presence known, tying the game at 2-2 in the third inning with a two-out RBI single.

Beltowski gave Victoria their first lead of the ballgame in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly, making it 3-2.

Ryne Palmer (Cal Baptist) started for the Cats and lasted four innings giving up two runs on two hits, while walking four and striking out four.

Dustin Davidson (Freed Hardeman) replaced Palmer to start the fifth inning and gave up back-to-back doubles to Sato and Kyle Yip which tied the game up at 3-3. Later in the inning Connor Ross (Cal Baptist) made a diving grab at third to save a run and keep the game tied.

WCL STANDINGS

Edmonton took the lead in the top of the sixth and it was Sato and Yip again driving in the runs to give the visitors a 5-3 lead.

Time was running out for the Cats with this being a seven-inning game, but they started to rally in the bottom of the sixth. The bases were loaded for Jack Johnson (Tulane) who was hit by a pitch to bring home a run making it 5-4. Nahaku then hit a sacrifice fly to level things up at 5-5. That brought up Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s) with two outs and he fouled off four pitches before hitting a bloop single that plated two runs and gave the Cats a 7-5 lead.

More than 3000 fans were on their feet in to watch Austin Lindsey (Hill College) get the final three outs as he induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the ball game.

WATCH GAMES HERE

Each team winning one game of the doubleheader keeps them tied for first place in the North Division second half standings. With Edmonton holding the tiebreaker the math is simple, one more win for Edmonton and they will clinch the second half title, while the Cats need to win the remaining two games to finish above the Hawks and earn home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Tomorrow is Jersey off our Backs night, sponsored by Odlum Brown, where lucky fans will receive the popular baby blues. Wednesday is the final regular-season game of the campaign and is Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Passion Sports. Get tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.

BUY TICKETS HERE

VOUCHER REMINDER: If you have any remaining vouchers, don’t forget to redeem them as they are only eligible for the remaining regular-season games. You can do so at harbourcats.com/tickets, and if you have any questions or need help exchanging your vouchers, call the HarbourCats office at (778) 265 0327.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Cats claw past Lefties to take series

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August 3, 2025

For immediate release

PORT ANGELES, WA – The Victoria HarbourCats ended their final road trip of the regular season with a hard-fought 8-6 win over the Port Angeles Lefties to win the series.

It was a back-and-forth encounter early with multiple lead changes in the first few innings. The Lefties scored two in the bottom of the first, but the Cats answered back with three runs in the top of the second to take the lead. Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) drove home his college teammate Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s) with an RBI double before scoring on a Jake Butler (George Mason) single to make it 2-2. Dominic Biello (Golden Tide) continued his strong weekend with an RBI double of his own to make it 3-2.

BOX SCORE

The lead didn’t last long as Tommy Markey tied things up in the bottom half with an RBI single before Taylor Kirk’s sacrifice fly restored the Lefties’ lead, making it 4-3.

An error by Lefties’ third baseman Jett Nelson on a Lopez groundball allowed two runs to score, which gifted the visitors a 5-4 lead.

Marcus Janovsky (UBC) started for Victoria but only lasted two innings, giving up four runs on five hits while striking out a pair. He was replaced by Jack Finn (Illinois State), who was impressive through three shutout innings, striking out three.

WCL STANDINGS

While Finn shut things down on the mound, the offence went to work adding three insurance runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead. First, Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) drove in his 25th run of the campaign with a sacrifice fly. Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) then came up with the bases loaded and smacked a single up the middle to score a pair, extending the lead to 8-4. The Auburn, WA native has a hit in all 12 games he has suited up in this season.

Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) was next out of the bullpen for Todd Haney’s team and pitched the rest of the way. He surrendered a pair of runs, including one in the ninth when the Lefties were pushing for a late comeback, but was overall effective over four innings of work, striking out three and recording his second save of the season.

Victoria and the Edmonton Riverhawks continue to be tied at the top of the second-half North Division standings, as the Hawks won their sixth straight game Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow is the start of the final series of the regular season as the Riverhawks come to town. Monday is a BC Day doubleheader starting at 4:05 PM, followed by FIREWORKS presented by Joan Wallace Driving School. Tuesday is Jersey off our Backs night, where the baby blues will be given away thanks to Odlum Brown. The regular season wraps up on Wednesday on Fan Appreciation Night, sponsored by Passion Sports.

BUY TICKETS HERE

VOUCHER REMINDER: If you have any remaining vouchers, don’t forget to redeem them as they are only eligible for the remaining regular-season games. You can do so at harbourcats.com/tickets, and if you have any questions or need help exchanging your vouchers, call the HarbourCats office at (778) 265 0327.

The HarbourCats are heading back to the playoffs! Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park will host at least one playoff game during the August 8-10 weekend. Seeding is still to be determined, with the second-half North Division title up for grabs and five games to go! For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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