Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – 2024 is the summer of THEME NIGHTS at Victoria HarbourCats baseball

Published

1 year ago

June 3, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

A summer’s worth of great baseball, fireworks and wacky promotions, set to begin June 7!

June 3, 2024

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The themes – they are the thing.

For more than a decade now, The Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park has been the place to be during the summer. The Victoria HarbourCats have long provided Victoria residents with countless theme nights full of fun and memories for fans of all ages.

This season the HarbourCats will host 32 home games, beginning on Friday, June 7 at 6:35 pm against Wenatchee, with exciting new theme nights and returning favourites to follow after that. The first Saturday home game of the season, June 8, will bring the first of four always-popular fireworks nights, also including June 30 (Canada Day), July 13, and August 5 (BC Day).

The HOME OPENING SERIES is sponsored by Starlight Investments – and Opening Night is presented by Wilson’s Transportation.

Fireworks sponsors this season include Re/Max, Odlum Brown, and Joan Wallace Driving School.

Calling all Swifties! The Cats are delighted to give fans the opportunity to see Taylor Swift when she performs at BC Place in Vancouver at the end of this year. The Eras Tour has been a global phenomenon since its first show in March 2023 and the HarbourCats are giving away a pair of tickets! Come to one or more HarbourCats games between June 25-28 to be entered into the draw to win tickets to her December show, thanks to Maxxam Insurance. The winner will be announced during Taylor Swift Night on June 28.

On June 13 at a special start time of 11:00, Mayfair Optometric Clinic’s annual School Spirit Day will bring over 3000 middle school and elementary school students to the ballpark. The lively fan atmosphere that these kids provide will be one of the best of the season.

Harvey the HarbourCat’s birthday will be celebrated at the July 7 afternoon game, which has been a fan favourite game in previous seasons.

The highlight of many dogs’ summer is the popular Bark in the Park game, presented by Bosley’s on Yates, on July 14 where fans are encouraged to bring their dog to the game.

Another returning giveaway will take place on July 10 when one lucky fan will win an extensive funeral package thanks to H.W. Wallace Cremation and Burial Centre. Also returning for 2024 is the ever-popular Odlum Brown “Jersey Off Our Backs” night on August 6, where fans can win a game-worn jersey off the back of a player following the game.

Full list of 2024 theme nights:

June 4: High School Baseball, Victoria Eagles vs Victoria Mariners
June 7: OPENING NIGHT! Opening series sponsored by Starlight Investments. Presented by Wilson’s Transportation. Forces Friday, presented by Galaxy Motors.
June 8: FIREWORKS! Opening series sponsored by Starlight Investments. Presented by Wilson’s Transportation
June 9: First Family Fun Sunday! Opening series sponsored by Starlight Investments
June 11: $10 Tuesday and Pregame Challenger Baseball, presented by Penninsula Co-op
June 13: School Spirt Day, sponsored by Mayfair Optometric Clinic
June 21: National Indigenous People’s Day, Forces Friday presented by Galaxy Motors
June 23: Beacon Hill Little League Day, Family Fun Sunday! With Dodd’s Furniture.
June 25: $10 Tuesday! Special Olympics Pre-Game Softball, sponsored by Penninsula Co-op. Day 1 to enter for Taylor Swift tickets
June 26: Grumpy Bum Pants Night with Helen Edwards. Winning Wednesdays with Red Arrow Brewing. IG Wealth Management Family Day. Day 2 to enter for Taylor Swift tickets
June 27: Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce Mixer. Day 3 to enter for Taylor Swift tickets
June 28: Taylor Swift Night! Presented by Maxxam Insurance. Forces Friday, presented by Galaxy Motors. Final day to enter for Taylor Swift tickets
June 30: Canada Day Fireworks! Sponsored by Re/Max. With Salsa Caliente Dance Company.

July 5: Forces Friday, presented by Galaxy Motors
July 6: Burpees for Charity, presented by KidSport. Sponsored by BCLC
July 7: Harvey the HarbourCat’s Birthday, Family Fun Sunday!
July 9: $10 Tuesday! Dan Duvall Pre-Game Stand-Up Comedy
July 10: Funeral Package Giveaway, presented by H.W. Wallace Cremation and Burial Centre. Winning Wednesdays with Red Arrow Brewing. Sponsored by Island Savings.
July 12: Forces Fridays, presented by Galaxy Motors
July 13: Summer Fireworks Spectacular! Sponsored by Odlum Brown
July 14: Bark in the Park presented by Bosley’s on Yates. Family Fun Sunday!
July 16: $10 Tuesday! HarbourCats Foundation Slo Pitch Home Run Derby
July 18: BC Transit Game Night
July 26: Kids Free Weekend, with Penninsula Co-op! Forces Friday, presented by Galaxy Motors
July 27: Kids Free Weekend, with Penninsula Co-op! Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Night
July 28: Kids Free Weekend, with Penninsula Co-op! Family Fun Sunday!
July 30: $10 Tuesday! Anawim House Sock Toss!
July 31: Host Family Appreciation Night, Winning Wednesdays with Red Arrow Brewing.

August 1: Help Fill a Dream Foundation Day with BC Transit
August 5: BC Day Fireworks! Sponsored by Joan Wallace Driving School
August 6: Jersey Off Our Backs with Odlum Brown. $10 Tuesday!
August 7: Fan Appreciation Night sponsored by Passion Sports. Winning Wednesdays with Red Arrow Brewing
August 10-12: Divisional Playoffs, sponsored by Wilson’s Transportation
August 14: Championship Semi-Final, sponsored by Wilson’s Transportation
August 16: Championship Playoff, sponsored by Wilson’s Transportation

Check out https://harbourcats.com/events-promotions/ to see the full list of promotions at any time!

The best part is fans do not have to pick and choose which theme night to attend thanks to how affordable tickets are. Single-game ticket prices start as low as $15. There are six $10 Tuesday games where all general admission and premium reserved seats are on sale for just $10. Every Friday home game is “Forces Fridays” where military, first responders, and their families can buy general admission tickets for $7.50. Fans can also grab $11 General Admission vouchers from any Save-on-Foods store and on the weekend of July 26-28, thanks to Peninsula Co-Op, it is “Kids Free Weekend” where all kids 12 and under receive free admission to the three games against Kamloops.

At the park, fans will have plenty of food and beverage options at all the different food trucks that are stationed around the stadium, as well as the City concession and a new Fan Food ordering app will be available for fans seated in the Campbell Club and Diamond Club VIP section. “Winning Wednesdays” are back where all Red Arrow Brewing products will be sold for $6.

Between innings, activities such as “bubble balls,” “dizzy bats,” and other fun promotions will allow select fans to compete for prizes on the field and hopefully make the rest of the crowd laugh!

Fans can also come on the field following the game and run the bases and get autographs with the players on our “Family Fun Sundays,” following each of our five Sunday matinee games.

The HarbourCats are proud to be a part of the community here in Victoria and will give local organizations a platform to showcase their initiatives. This season they are partnering up with Habitat for Humanity and Soap for Hope Canada for a pair of full-season promotions. The Cats are also working with the HarbourCats Foundation to provide fundraising opportunities for over 30 different community organizations and youth sports teams through the HarbourCats 50-50 program, which this year, will be electronic for the first time!

Also of note, on June 11 there will be pregame challenger baseball while on June 25, Special Olympics softball teams will have the opportunity to play at the park ahead of the HarbourCats game against the Redmond Dudes. There will be more community giveaways throughout the season.

There is a lot for fans to be excited about off the field, however, the excitement does not stop there. Led by returning head coach Todd Haney, the Cats are determined to go one step further in 2024 after losing in the Championship Final in 2023. They will look to replicate their remarkable performances at home as they won 27 games and lost only two here in Victoria last season. In addition to returning players, the Cats have added some new players to their ranks, none more exciting than Lucas and Manny Ramirez Jr., the sons of 12-time MLB all-star and 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez.

Experience the thrill of high-quality baseball in action or enjoy a day out in the sun with friends, HarbourCats baseball offers something for everyone to enjoy.

Victoria is on a six-game road trip to start the season, and now head to Kelowna for a three-game series with the Falcons starting Monday night, before returning to Victoria for the home opener against the Wenatchee AppleSox on Friday June 7 at 6:35 pm.

Tickets for that game are going fast and can be found on-line at our one and only ticketing partner Select Your Tickets at http://harbourcats.com/tickets, or can be bought at the office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

NEED A SCHEDULE?
The Victoria HarbourCats are proud to announce direct links to a DOWNLOADABLE SCHEDULE that will work on your iPhone or tablet, your Google calendar, or your Android device. Click here to access the calendars! Contact zach@harbourcats.com if you have any problems downloading the calendar to your device.

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Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws embark on second half of the 2025 season: Hear from the coaching staff on the teams performance so far

Published

49 mins ago

July 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Although the team is three games into their second half schedule, the first half concluded with the NorthPaws finishing 14-13. With last week’s three-game sweep of the Wenatchee AppleSox, the team has now surpassed last year’s win total. Head Coach Riley Jepson and assistants Trey Newman and Jack Slominski had a goal of changing the team’s vibe and becoming a winning ball club again.

“I think it’s huge to be winning games and in a lot of games, we want to put a good product out there for the community and encourage them to come out to more games,” said Jepson.

The team proved their point early on with an opening weekend sweep over the Port Anglels Lefties and continued to be consistent, including at Norbrock stadium, where they won four of their first five series at home.

Coming into the season, all eyes would be on the bats as the team featured several significant additions, but the bullpen has been one of the biggest keys to success so far, according to the coaches.

“At the beginning of the year, our starters struggled a bit, so the bullpen helped save us a few times, but the starters have been getting better every day, and the bullpen has still been just as good,” said Slominski.

The NorthPaws have taken the league by storm on the basepaths, having over 80 stolen bases and sitting second in the West Coast League. The team also has stolen base leader Elijah Clayton, who has 19 to this point. The coaches believe that this identity has been easy to adopt, given the team’s makeup.

“We preach to the guys every day to play your game, and we have a lot of team speed and athletes one through nine in our lineup, so we can’t get away from that, knowing that’s how we’re going to beat teams,” said Newman.

The West Coast League schedule isn’t an easy one to navigate, and the team hasn’t been immune to tough stretches at the plate, but Newman gives his group credit for staying tough.

“I give the guys a lot of credit, they show up every day, get their work in and take it seriously. They never had their heads down, they just kept battling, which is cool to see, and I think that mentality is infectious and runs through our whole team,” said Newman.

After a pair of disappointing seasons, the team has dramatically turned things around, including opening the second half with a sweep and sitting four games over .500. The NorthPaws last made the postseason in 2022, a year when Newman played on the team. The coaches are trying to revive that vibe in the community.

” We’ve played well so far, but I think we can play even better going forward. I think the guys are starting to realize that and believe it, and if those guys buy in, this is going to be a tough team to beat,” said Newman.

The NorthPaws will return from their days off Tuesday night when they visit the Wenatchee AppleSox as they look to extend their winning streak to a season-long four games.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats hold on for 3-2 win over Lefties

Published

49 mins ago

July 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

July 8, 2025

For immediate release

PORT ANGELES, WA – It went down to the final pitch, but the Victoria HarbourCats battled their way to a narrow 3-2 win over the Port Angeles Lefties Tuesday night.

Levi Joyce got things rolling early for the hosts, hitting a two-out RBI single to make it 1-0 Lefties in the first inning.

The story of the game was the starting pitchers with Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) on the bump for Victoria and Seth Wrightstone for Port Angeles. It was Lance’s fifth start of the season, and he pitched five innings, matching his season-high, giving up one run on four hits while striking out one.

BOX SCORE

Curtis McKay (Niagara) continued his hot road trip with an RBI single in the fourth inning to tie it up at one. The versatile defender was in right field tonight and now has seven hits in his last four games.

After that, Wrightstone shut the door, throwing eight innings of one-run ball, giving up just four hits and striking out seven HarbourCats.

Ben Hewitt (Ottawa) kept the game tied out of the bullpen, going three innings, giving up no runs on one hit while striking out three.

WCL STANDINGS

It was all square heading into the ninth inning, where Ian Hoffstetter replaced Wrightstone but could not replicate his dominance. After Logan Shepherd (Mercer U) led off the inning with his second hit of the game, Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) hit a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Cats their first lead of the night, making it 3-1.

Jake Finkelstein (Georgia Gwinnett) came out for the save in the bottom of the ninth, but the Lefties did not go down without a fight. A walk and a single put the tying run on base, and after a Finkelstein error allowed a run to come home, it was 3-2 with nobody out. The next batter hit a grounder to JC Allen (UC San Diego) at first, who threw out the runner at the plate to keep hold of the Cats’ one-run lead. Finkelstein settled down from there, inducing a groundout for out number two, and striking out Tommy Markey for the final out.

This 3-2 win puts the HarbourCats’ second-half record at 7-1. They’ll turn to Logan Saloman (Nevada) tomorrow as they look to finish the road trip on a high. The big right-hander recorded the win last week against the Nanaimo NightOwls after pitching five scoreless innings.

WATCH TOMORROW’S GAME HERE

The HarbourCats are back home for an exciting weekend series against the Kelowna Falcons Friday, July 11 at 6:35 PM. Friday is Harvey’s Birthday, Saturday is a Fireworks night, and Sunday’s matinee is the always popular Bark in the Park game, where all dogs are welcome! Get tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.

10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are on sale for all home games and “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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Shepherd shines in Cats’ blowout of Lefties

Published

14 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

July 7, 2025

For immediate release

PORT ANGELES, WA – The Victoria HarbourCats continued their high-scoring road trip Monday night with a 16-6 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties.

It was just a few days ago in Ridgefield when the Cats produced a nine-run third inning that propelled them to a huge 20-5 win. Tonight they went one better, scoring 10 runs in the first inning to take an insurmountable lead before the Lefties even had the chance to come to the plate.

BOX SCORE

The bases were loaded early for Logan Shepherd (Mercer U), who drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single, his first of six RBIs on the night. That was followed by a Cayden Munster (Fresno State) two-run double and a Curtis McKay (Niagara) two-run single to make it 5-0. Back-to-back bases loaded walks surrendered to Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s) and JC Allen (UC San Diego) brought up Shepherd with the bases loaded once again. The slugger went one better this time, hitting a double that scored all the baserunners, giving the Cats a 10-0 advantage.

Tyler Patrick (Fresno State) made his fourth start of the season and completed four innings for the third time this campaign. The freshman struck out five batters while giving up two runs on seven hits.

WCL STANDINGS

A pair of two-run doubles in the fifth inning from Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) and Shepherd extended the lead to 14-2. Jacob Doyle (Nevada) got in on the action in the sixth inning with an RBI double of his own to make it 15-2. Beltowski recorded his third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly later in the frame to give the Cats a 16-2 lead. The shortstop is now hitting .357 on the season, which ranks fifth in the WCL.

Garrett Villa (Angelo State) and Cade Rusch (Bellarmine) both gave up a pair of runs in two innings of work later in the game. Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) wrapped up the 16-6 win with a one-two-three ninth inning.

WATCH AWAY GAMES HERE

Beltowski, McKay, and Shepherd all had three hits in the game. Shepherd’s big night puts him in the top five in the league in RBIs with 29.

The series continues tomorrow at 6:35 PM as the Cats look to continue their red-hot start to the second half of the season.

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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