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Victoria HarbourCats – 2024 HarbourCats Year in Review

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For immediate release 

August 15, 2024

VICTORIA, B.C — In the blink of an eye, another Victoria HarbourCats season has come and gone. The 2024 season was full of incredible moments from start to finish that will live long in the memory of all Cats fans. From walk-off wins to broken records and much more, the summer had a bit of everything.

This season’s story started on April 4 when the team announced the signings of Lucas Ramirez and Manny Ramirez Jr, sons of 12-time MLB All-Star and 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez. The announcement started to excite the city for the return of HarbourCats baseball as the countdown to opening day had begun.

Todd Haney was back in charge for his fourth year as head coach and was joined by returning coaches Scott Anderson, Troy Birtwistle, Steve Sinclair, and Ethan Fox. Trovin Valdez, a personal coach for Ramirez Sr. during his career, joined the staff as a hitting coach.

The legacy of the team is so strong that our very own Helen Edwards wrote a book, “Victoria HarbourCats: Ten Years and Counting,” about the history of HarbourCats baseball. If you want to learn about the first 10 years of the organization, you can purchase the book on Amazon or at the Cats shop. All proceeds from sales are donated to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.

After a 4-2 road trip to start the season, the HarbourCats returned to Victoria for the home opener on June 7 where they debuted their brand new Montreal Expos-inspired home uniform. This new look was in honour of Haney and Anderson’s time spent in the Expos organization during their careers. The opening weekend included a 9-6 win on the first fireworks night of the season in front of a packed Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.

One of the standout days on the calendar is always Mayfair Optometric’s annual School Spirit Day. Cam Schneider made this season’s game a memorable one hitting a walk-off single in extra innings to beat the Nanaimo NightOwls 2-1 in front of over 5000 fans.

After an up-and-down June, the Cats had a 13-12 record. Camden Sos and Garrett Teunissen both stood out from the first game and quickly established themselves as key players for Haney. Unfortunately, both players suffered injuries and had their summer in Victoria cut short. Sos had 18 hits and 10 RBIs in his 17 games while Teunissen had nine extra-base hits in 24 games including a franchise record five triples, which led the West Coast League.

Ny’Zaiah Thompson, who was with the team from start to finish, had a June to remember leading the team in games played, hits, doubles, RBIs, and stolen bases for the month. On top of all of that, he consistently got the fans out of their seats for his play in the outfield, making a handful of spectacular diving catches.

On Canada Day, the HarbourCats won the RE/MAX Generation Island Cup for the third straight year. It went down to the final day, a doubleheader in Nanaimo, but the Cats edged the season series winning five of nine contests against the NightOwls to clinch the trophy.

The HarbourCats scored a season-high 19 runs in a win at home on July 7 against the Kelowna Falcons. They carried that momentum into an important series win at home against the Edmonton Riverhawks the following weekend. That kept them within striking distance of the second-half lead after the Wenatchee AppleSox secured their spot in the playoffs by winning the first half.

In mid-July the WCL paused for their first All-Star Game since 2019. Tate Shimao and Carson Cormier were the two HarbourCats selected to the North Division team. The game was broadcast on the MLB network, giving these young stars a great opportunity to showcase themselves on a national stage. Shimao, who quickly became a fan favourite and nicknamed “ShamWow,” was an All-Star in every sense of the word. His season was cut short due to injury but in his 20 games for the Cats, he had a .350 batting average, five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 20 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.

Carson Cormier was as dominant as they come from his first appearance to his last. The right-hander from TCU had a 1.45 ERA in 24-2/3 innings of work in the regular season. He struck out 34 batters and walked just eight. Cormier spent most of the season pitching in relief but was relied upon to start games later in the campaign, with his best outing coming against the Riverhawks on July 30 when he pitched five no-hit innings while striking out seven.

July brought the MLB Draft and 2024’s class was full of current and former Harbourcats. From this year’s team Connor Dykstra and Jagger Beck both signed as undrafted free agents with the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros respectively, and Lucas Ramirez was drafted in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Angels. Former players Sean Heppner (12th round, Cleveland Guardians), Ryan Magdic (14th round, Oakland Athletics), and Hunter Omlid (20th round, Colorado Rockies) were also drafted. 2023 HarbourCat Jesse Brown signed with the Miami Marlins as an undrafted free agent making it seven HarbourCats starting the professional journey’s in 2024.

After the All-Star break the battle for playoff spots heated up. The Cats were swept in Ridgefield but that lit a fire in them to go on a nine-game win streak which included a sweep of the Port Angeles Lefties on the road before six straight wins at home against the Kamloops NorthPaws and the Riverhawks.

This stretch was led by first baseman Michelle Artzberger, who joined the team at the end of June and stayed until the end of July. In his 22 games played he had hits in all but three games. He recorded two or more hits in 14 games and finished his season with a batting average of .414, one home run, seven doubles, and 23 RBIs. He had a knack for clutch moments, including hitting a bases-clearing double in back-to-back games against the NorthPaws during the winning streak.

Those nine wins in a row put the HarbourCats in a favourable position to make the postseason and they clinched their spot with a couple of games remaining. The last home game was against the Corvallis Knights where they wrapped up the regular season in exciting fashion coming back from 6-0 down to win 11-8.

Michael Crossland, who returned for a second year in Victoria, was named team MVP after his outstanding season. The outfielder from UC San Diego hit .326 with four home runs, 11 doubles, and 21 RBIs. Cormier was named Pitcher-of-the-Year and Jai Berezowski won the Community Service Award.

Due to stadium renovations for a BC Lions game at Royal Athletic Park on August 31, the HarbourCats could not play their home playoff game in Victoria. Instead, the Cats and their fans travelled to Serauxmen Stadium in Nanaimo to open a three-game series against the Wenatchee AppleSox. Fans showed up in numbers and created a special atmosphere at the ballpark, where the two teams were tied 2-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Kerim Orucevic wrote his name into the HarbourCats history books hitting a two-run walk-off home run to win the game 4-2.

Unfortunately, the HarbourCats could not take that momentum into Wenatchee where they lost games two and three to the AppleSox.

The HarbourCats broke a franchise record in 2024 with an overall attendance of 80,453 fans. On the field, Todd Haney’s team set a WCL single-season record with 169 stolen bases, breaking their previously set record of 150 from 2023.

You can’t talk about the 2024 season without mentioning a few more key contributors on the field. Tyrus Hall returned for a second season and was a mainstay in the lineup from start to finish. The Victoria native played in 42 games, stole 26 bases, and had a team-high 12-game hitting streak during the business end of the campaign. On top of his play at the plate, he arguably made the catch of the year.

Sky Collins led the Cats with 45 games played and his team-high 27 stolen bases tied a franchise record. The outfielder from Fresno State finished the season with a .304 average and a team-high 49 hits. Gunner Antillon hit .294 in 34 games while playing many different positions. His impressive season included a 24-game on-base streak which was good for the second-longest across the WCL this season.

TEAM STATS

It was a revolving door of pitchers this season with 38 different arms making appearances. Ryne Palmer, Payton Hawkinson, Jake Finkelstein, and Jack Finn led the way pitching the most innings along with Cormier. After a mechanical adjustment to a side-arm delivery, Garrett Villa became one of the most dominant relievers in the league. In his final 14-2/3 innings pitched he gave up just one run while striking out nine and consistently inducing soft contact. He ended his time in Victoria with three straight saves, including back-to-back saves against the Riverhawks to extend the team’s win streak to nine.

Although 2024 didn’t end with a championship, there are countless highlights to remember and be proud of. The countdown to 2025 opening day is on and Haney’s team will be back more determined than ever to go all the way.

Thank you to the best fans in the league for your unwavering support all season long.

Victoria HarbourCats 2025 Season Tickets are now available! If you have been loving HarbourCats baseball, lock in your existing seats, or purchase new seats by our Early Bird Deadline of September 30th to secure seats at 2024 pricing. Stop in at the office or contact Christian by email at Chris@harbourcats.com for details.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Middle infield combo, power corner infielders added by HarbourCats

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Above:  Infielder Jake Butler from George Mason University should be a key cog in the middle infield for the HarbourCats in 2025. 

March 24, 2025

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA — It’s always a bonus to find a double-play combo from the same school, especially one as strong as George Mason University (GMU).

The Victoria HarbourCats are excited to add middle infielders Owen Clyne, who starts at short, and Jake Butler, his usual counterpart at second but also able to play third, from GMU — the school that provided star catcher Connor Dykstra, who signed in July with the Seattle Mariners.

“This group we are announcing today, we will be counting on them to lead key parts of our team this summer,” said HarbourCats GM Christian Stewart.

“Butler and Clyne are impressing everyone this spring, and JC Allen from UC San Diego is off to a strong start as well. Our offense just got even stronger with these four signings, and you know (head coach) Todd Haney will get the most out of them.”

Announced as signed today, by Coach Haney:

IF Owen Clyne, George Mason, L/R, 6-2/185, Wichita, KS
IF Jake Butler, George Mason, R/R, 5-11/185. Towson, MD
IF JC Allen, UC San Diego, R/R, 6-4/210, Irvine, CA
IF/OF Curtis McKay, Niagara, R/R, 6-3/205, Dorchester, ON

Clyne, batting .363, has 28 RBIs in 24 games so far this season, with three home runs, nine extra-base hits and more walks than strikeouts. Butler has 35 runs driven in and is batting .326 with a .457 on-base clip in 20 games.

UC SanDiego’s JC Allen is another player who should see plenty of playing time in the HarbourCats infield in 2025.

Allen is off to a huge start at the D1 level, after two years at Saddleback College, with six home runs and 24 RBIs in his first 22 games for UC SAN Diego. He hit 13 bombs in his second season at Saddleback. He can play either corner infield spot, or get his bat active in the DH role.

McKay, from Ontario, can play corner infield or outfield, is batting .303 with four home runs and an RBI per game (22 total) over 18 starts at Niagara.

The HarbourCats open their 2025 home schedule on Friday, June 6, with the Port Angeles Lefties visiting Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP. Season Tickets, 10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 33 home games and three “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

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

ATTENTION 2024 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS – FINAL NOTICE! If you have not already done so, please renew your seats for 2025 so that they can be locked into the new ticketing system. Season Tickets will be sent to all members electronically this season on April 1, 2025, perhaps sooner. Any seats not renewed by MONDAY, March 31 will be released and placed back into the system. Contact Christian at the office at 778-265-0327 to renew.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – KidSport celebrating notable anniversary with HarbourCats in 2025

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March 18, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Count ’em, 25 years of helping youth enjoy sports.

KidSport Greater Victoria is teaming up with the Victoria HarbourCats to celebrate an amazing 25 years of assisting kids in the pursuit of both participation and excellence in local sports, with planned events this summer at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.

And, not the least of which is the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, a Thursday matchup starting at 11am featuring the HarbourCats and island rival Nanaimo NightOwls, with many schools all but emptying to take in the action and helping celebrate this tremendous achievement for KidSport Greater Victoria.

“We can’t think of a better community organization to have involved with this, the KidSport School Spirit game,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats.

“This will be a season-long theme of celebration, of reminding our fans of the great work they do and have done for so long in Victoria. Each and every game, people will have an opportunity to show their support for KidSport Greater Victoria, including a few special events outside this School Spirit Game.”

This will be the second Thursday game in a row in the HarbourCats home schedule in 2025 which will be dedicated to kids — on June 12, the Mayfair Optometric School Spirit Game will take place, also an 11am start featuring the HarbourCats and NightOwls. KidSport Greater Victoria and Mayfair Optometric Clinic are aligned with community values and supporting youth, making this an ideal match to welcome a combined total of more than 5,000 school kids to the park.

“We are so grateful for the past and ongoing support the HarbourCats have offered KidSport, and very excited about the various ways our organizations will work together this year,” said Jill Shaw, Executive Director of KidSport Greater Victoria. “Demand for our support is at an all-time high. We are seeing more families than ever coming to us in need of help so their children can access organized sport. The HarbourCats June 19th School Spirit Game is a great opportunity both to raise awareness about the work we do, and to offer local kids great access to another fun and rewarding local sport experience – we are very happy to be involved!”

KidSport Greater Victoria will also be front and centre on Harvey’s Birthday Game on July 11 at Wilson’s Group Stadium, and will be involved in other special games that are still to be announced.

Supporting KidSport will be a constant theme of the HarbourCats in this 2025 West Coast League season. The HarbourCats encourage all who can to contribute to this great cause, which you can action by clicking this link (https://www.kidsportvictoria25.ca/).

KidSport Greater Victoria has seen tremendous growth over the last 25 years, with demand for their support increasing very steeply starting in 2023 in particular. KidSport Greater Victoria exists to help ensure all kids have opportunity to play; annually they cover the registration fees for well over 1400 local kids living in financial need, enabling them to take part in seasons of sport of their choice – including baseball! As the largest KidSport chapter in the province, we know that on just about every sports team in the region, there are children playing who are able to take part thanks to KidSport and the supporters and donors who make their work possible.

To order tickets as a school group for the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, or the June 12 Mayfair Optometric Clinic School Spirit Game, contact GM Christian Stewart, chris@harbourcats.com — some seats are left, but not many!

For fans looking for tickets for these exciting games, and any other HarbourCats game in 2025, visit the HarbourCats ticketing site HERE.

 

 

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Star Vegas catcher, Hawaii Pacific players added to summer roster

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Unveiled today for Coach Andreychuk’s roster in 2025:

C Anthony Marnell IV, S/R, College of Southern Nevada (and Oregon State), 6-2/200, Las Vegas

RHP Zach Horwith, R/R, 6-1/200, Bellarmine University, Castle Rock, CO

RHP Brennan Kettle, R/R, 6-0/155, Hawaii Pacific, Houston, TX

SS Andrew Nykoluk, R/R, 5-10/165, Hawaii Pacific, Simi Valley, CA

RHP Jayden Gabrillo, L/R, Hawaii Pacific, 5-8/165, Ewa Beach, HI

OF Owen Wessel, R/R, 5-8/165, Hawaii Pacific, Huntington Beach, CA

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