Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats | Anawim House Sock Toss to be held July 15, 2021

Published

5 years ago

July 6, 2021

Dugout Wire Service

Despite loss of season, HarbourCats once again providing support to local community organizations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 6, 2021

VICTORIA, B.C. — It is that time of year again, even without a season, when the Victoria HarbourCats do their part to support the local community and with the help of the Knights of Columbus Council 13356, from St. Joseph The Worker, the HarbourCats will be holding their annual SOCK TOSS for Anawim House on Thursday July 15, from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

Normally an event held during a HarbourCats game, this year’s event, as it was last year, will be held just outside the home plate gates of Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park, along Caledonia Avenue, where fans will be able to toss new or used/laundered socks over the fence of the stadium toward numbered prize buckets, with the socks going to use with Anawim’s programs. People can also make cash donations that day to Anawim’s efforts.

Last year’s event raised over $650.00 for Anawim House and resulted in 400 pairs of socks being donated and the HarbourCats, Anawim House and the Knights of Columbus hope to exceed those totals this year.

“Anawim is truly a leader in the North Park neighbourhood and we are proud to be their neighbours and to work so closely with them,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats. “The people who run Anawim, they get it. They see the needs, and they work to address them. We are sad that we can’t be doing this event in the park again this year, but last year’s event, in the middle of a pandemic, was amazing and we hope to top those efforts this year.”

Fans can bring their own used or new socks to toss, but socks will also be available for purchase at the booth on the day, with all proceeds going to Anawim House. Prizes available will include, but not be limited to HarbourCats tickets and merchandise, golf passes to local courses, gift cards from local businesses and other items donated by the community.

The HarbourCats, Knights of Columbus and Anawim House challenge everyone to make time on Thursday, July 15, to come to Wilson’s Group Stadium and throw socks over the fence and support a great cause!

For details on Anawim House and their mission and programs, please visit https://www.anawimhouse.com/

SUPPORT YOUR HARBOURCATS! WE NEED YOUR HELP MORE THAN EVER!

Two summers in a row without baseball has been simply devastating for us, but we are confident that there will be a celebratory return to the diamond and the ballpark in 2022. To help us get there, we need your support. If you have been doing well throughout this pandemic, please consider supporting us in any of the following ways:

2022 Season tickets — “We’re Brand New in 2022!” Or as the saying goes, “What’s old is new again!” New players, some new coaches, some new seating changes, new promotions! Come and jump on the HarbourCats bandwagon and see the “new” team in town! Purchasing season tickets is the best way to help, one that guarantees you seats to all our games (usually 35 per year or so) plus other season ticket holder perks. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.

10-Game Flex Packs / Vouchers — Don’t want to commit, or can’t commit to season tickets? Consider 10-game flex packs – anytime vouchers that can be used in any combination…10 tickets at one game, 1 ticket at 10 games or anything in between. For you, for your friends, for your staff. Season ticket voucher equivalents are also available. Flex Packs can be purchased at the office and are also available on-line at THE CAT SHOP.

Corporate Partnerships – Want to put your company name or brand in front of our 80,000-100,000 fans we anticipate in 2022? Or know someone who does? Consider joining us as a partner. From a simple program ad, to the most complex of game day sponsorship, complete with signage and tickets, we will customize any campaign to suit your needs and budget. And with our new HCATS.TV platform and our ownership group’s expansion of a new team in Nanaimo in 2022, the opportunities are now Island wide! Contact john@harbourcats.com for details.

Fundraising / 50-50 – Have an organization that needs to raise funds now? A $1000 investment buys you 100 anytime 2022 game vouchers for our Premium Reserved seats that you can then turn around and sell NOW for $20 each, earning you your investment back, plus another $1000 in return. We will then hold a 50-50 date for you in 2022 and you can bring your group to the park to sell that game, taking home 50% of the proceeds. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.

Merchandise – Consider a HarbourCats merchandise purchase from our store at 1814 Vancouver Street, or from our on-line store, THE CAT SHOP. We have lots of stock that needs to go!

OFFICE HOURS

We are officially open Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, but may be away at meetings, or dealing with other issues. Best to call 778-265-0327 before venturing over to make sure. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Bested by NightOwls in Fourth Game of Remax Island Cup

Published

3 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats’ late comeback bid was unsuccessful this fireworks night, dropping the first game of the Nanaimo series 10-7

Usual relief pitcher Austin Lindsey (Hill College) settled into his newfound starting role nicely tonight. The Lufkin, Texas righty was straight up impenetrable in his first four innings, pocketing eight strikeouts over that span. A rare walk from Lindsey came back to bite him in the fifth, driven in by the second hit of the game for Nanaimo to put the NightOwls on top.

BOX SCORE

Rohne Klein (San Jose State) retorted with a blistering line drive straight to the right field wall, cruising into second with a double and tagging up to third base on an ensuing flyout. Despite Klein’s effort, the bats sputtered and the first baseman was stranded on third to end the inning, still down by one to the visiting side.

Nanaimo made another edit to the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, battling with two strikes and two outs to turn a ball the other way and double their lead to two. Lindsey got into a bit of hot water following that second run, loading the bases and relinquishing the mound to Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State).

It was a packed house on Tuesday night for the postgame fireworks show! See if you can spot Harvey the HarbourCat in the crowd . . . (Photo by JPM Photography)

The sticky situation only got stickier, with an error by the Cats shortstop allowing two more runs to slip by on Tomlinson’s watch. The NightOwls added a three-run homer as the exclamation point on the inning, taking a 7-0 lead before the Cats got out of it.

The NightOwls loaded them up once again in the seventh, but the inning was saved by third baseman Matt Westley (George Mason). Westley made a diving stop in the hot corner, stepped on third base, and fired a bullet to first base to keep the score from getting further out of hand.

Victoria finally found their way on the board in frame number seven. Rohne Klein’s screamer off the glove of the Nanaimo first baseman moved catcher Jacob Silva (UTSA) over to third base, and Silva came in to score on a wild pitch for the first Cats run of the game. A sacrifice fly from Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) brought home Klein and yet another wild pitch made room for Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) to score, whittling the deficit down to four with two innings to go.

Tomlinson’s struggles to find the strike zone in the eighth inning gave way to Jake Rafferty (Tacoma) from the bullpen. Rafferty let three more runs fly by before eventually retiring to the dugout.

The Cats put some serious pressure on the NightOwls in the bottom of the eighth, running the bases loaded and scoring four runs on a couple of walks, a sac fly, and an RBI single right back up the middle by Tristan Buehring (Whitman). The comeback effort came up short, however, as the bats returned to dormancy in the bottom of the ninth.

WCL STANDINGS

The series goes to Nanaimo on Wednesday night for a Canada Day showdown with the NightOwls, before the third game of the Remax Island Cup takes place in Victoria at 6:35 pm on Thursday.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats to Honour Local Legendary Scout Walt Burrows on July 2

Published

16 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Burrows’ decades-long career included scouting some of the best prospects in baseball. (Photo credit: MLB.com)

Victoria, B.C. – For our money, he’s the best scout in Canadian baseball history – and the Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to recognize his (sort of) retirement.

Victoria-raised Walt Burrows, now the pride of Brentwood Bay, has seen all the greats going back decades and will be saluted before the game on Thursday, July 2, at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park (a place he knows well back to his fast-pitch playing days).

The gates open that night at 5:30pm, and the pre-game ceremonies before the 6:35pm first pitch will be all about Walt, who left the Minnesota Twins last fall after a long employment there. He is still active, having helped Canada at the World Baseball Classic this past spring, and now helping the Toronto Blue Jays on a part-time basis.

“Walt is among the most respected baseball people ever in Canada, his name and reputation have done so much for baseball in this country,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats.

That the game features the HarbourCats and island rival Nanaimo NightOwls is ideal – Burrows knows the regional battles well, and once named Nanaimo’s Serauxmen Stadium as the best baseball park in all of Canada. It has since been remodeled with the NightOwls and City of Nanaimo combining on significant improvements that modernized some areas but kept the historic feel of the stadium that was opened in 1975 by Mickey Mantle.

Burrows is also slated to be part of the 2026 Showpass West Coast League All-Star Festival on July 14-15, taking part in the Hot Stove event the evening of Tuesday, July 14 at the Strathcona Hotel, talking baseball as part of a panel involving other legendary baseball people in Marti Wolver, Gorman Heimueller and Todd Haney.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Bells Overpower HarbourCats to Avoid Sweep

Published

3 days ago

June 28, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The Cats scraped together just three hits this afternoon after totalling 28 in the last two games. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats came up short in the third game of the series, falling 10-2 to the visiting Bellingham Bells.

As the tradition seems to go in this series, the game stayed scoreless until the fourth inning. Power-hitting outfielder Rohne Klein (San Jose State) got his pitch and didn’t miss, launching a two-run rocket between the derby wickets in right field to take the lead for the Cats.

BOX SCORE

Klein’s fellow San Jose State ballplayer Landon Marchetti made in impact in his second start of the season, going four innings with just one hit and four strikeouts to keep the Bells in check. Marchetti was tagged out for Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) who gave up a solo home run in the top of the fifth.

Despite loading the bases after that homer, Reimers was able to bear down and pick up a clutch strikeout to stride back to the dugout with the lead intact. Determined not to let another run by on his watch, Reimers returned to the mound for the top of the sixth and powered through a scoreless frame. Bellingham would not be denied, however, as they sent one deep in the top of the seventh to take a 5-2 lead.

Landon Marchetti kept things clean in his four-inning start, allowing one hit and no runs. (Photo by JPM Photography)

That go-ahead homer from the visitors introduced the need for a new pitcher, namely Tate Collins (Arkansas State) of Little Rock, Arkansas. Collins gave up a 2-RBI double to extend Bellingham’s lead to 7-2. Right-handed sidewinder Pierce Stone (Regis) appeared on the mound in the top of inning the eighth, walking one batter and allowing a single to set the stage for a three-run dinger from the Bells.

Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) tossed a scoreless top of the ninth out of the pen, but Victoria’s offence went down quietly in their last chance at the plate, giving up the chance at a series sweep with a 10-2 loss.

WCL STANDINGS

With their clash with the Bells complete, the Cats will regroup tomorrow before hosting the Nanaimo NightOwls on Tuesday night at 6:35 pm for the first of a three-game set.

Source