Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats | Another Canadian JNT player signs with HarbourCats

Published

3 years ago

March 11, 2021

Duncan’s Gavin Pringle (above, pitching for the Victoria Eagles) headlines four new HarbourCat pitchers signed for 2021

For Immediate Release

March 11, 2021

Victoria, BC – If things keep going the way they are going, the Victoria HarbourCats may just have to permanently switch their uniforms to the alternate red and white, “Cats” Canada Day jerseys that they often wear, as with the signing of Duncan BC’s Gavin Pringle, the HarbourCats now boast seven players on their 2021 roster that, at some point in their young careers, donned the red and white for Canada’s Junior National Team (JNT).

Pringle joins Josh Walker, Steven Moretto, Declan Dutton, Russell Young, Noah Takacs and Giordano Mezzomo as former JNT members on the 2021 squad.

The 6′ 2″, 210lb. Pringle is a graduate of the Victoria Eagles of the BC Premier Baseball League (PBL) and made his NCAA college debut this past week, playing for Hawaii Pacific University. He has been one of the more dominant arms in the province over the past two years and in addition to his stints with the JNT, pitched in the Canada Cup and was impressive for the Eagles in the PBL, where in 2019, he had a 2-2 record, 2.06 ERA, striking out 28 batters in 20.1 innings of work.

The HarbourCats today also announced the signing of Braeden Gowdy, RHP (Chico State), teammate Micah Wallette, LHP (Chico State), and A.C. Plumb, RHP (Rice).

Gowdy, a resident of Pleasant Hill, California, is a Junior this season with Chico State, where he transferred after two seasons pitching for Cuesta College. The 6’2, 195lb. righty put together a 7-3 record in 2019 with one save and a 2.83 ERA, earning him Fist Team All-Western State Conference North recognition.

Braeden Gowdy pitching for Chico State (Photo: Ryan McCasland)

Micah Wallette

Wallette, a Long Beach, California resident took a similar path to his Chico State teammate, transferring there this season after pitching for two seasons with Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. In 2019, the now Junior student posted a 7-5 record, making 14 starts with 60 strikeouts in 67 innings. The multi-sport athlete also lettered in football and can stake claim to saying he has played a ball game at Dodger Stadium.

Plum, a Los Angeles, California resident and in his sophomore season as a Rice Owl, will have to get used to disliking Owls (of the Nanaimo variety) when he comes to Victoria. Plum could be a dominant force on the mound for the HarbourCats. In 2019, the 6’7″ 220lb. righty held opposing hitters to a composite .143 batting average and averaged 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, while in his senior year of high school in 2018, he struck out 56 batters in 54.2 innings and amassed a 4.23 ERA.

A.C. Plum pitching for the Rice Owls (Photo: Maria Lysaker)

“We continue to be impressed by the level of baseball talent available right here in British Columbia,” said Curtis Pelletier, the HarbourCats Hitting Coach and Director of Player Development, “and adding Gavin [Pringle] to the list of local players we have already signed is a huge bonus for us. We expect him to give us a number of quality innings this season.

“We are also impressed by Plum, who with his size, could be dominating,” added Pelletier, “and Wallette give us yet another left-handed option on the hill.”

The HarbourCats are scheduled to begin the 2021 season on the road on June 1, 2021 with a three-game series against the Edmonton Riverhawks, the first ever West Coast League games in Alberta and then will return home for their home opener against the Port Angeles Lefties on Friday, June 4th.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are now on sale, while individual game tickets will go on sale in limited fashion on Tuesday, March 16th at 9:00 am.

For details and more information on the season, please visit the HarbourCats website at www.harbourcats.com and follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/harbourcats

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HabourCats load up on pitching in preparation for 2024 season

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

Preston Kelly in CCAA action for the Cal State-San Marcos Cougars (Photo: Greg Siller, Cal State-San Marcos)

May 13, 2024

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Local pitcher Jacob Thompson joins the HarbourCats for the 2024 season, along with four other college arms.

The HarbourCats are excited to announce the addition of five pitchers to their 2024 pitching staff, all joining the club for the first time.

Announced today:

RHP Jacob Thompson, Minot State University, 6-0/180, North Saanich, BC
RHP Preston Kelly, Cal State-San Marcos, 5-10/190, Eastvale, CA
RHP Jason Krakoski, Cal State-Fullerton, 6-3/180, Livermore, CA
LHP Payton Hawkinson, Cal State-Fullerton, 6-7/230, Turlock, CA
LHP Brandon Bertsch, University of Texas, 6-0/170, Dallas, TX

Thompson, a graduate of Lambrick Park Secondary, is a freshman at Minot State University. He has appeared in nine games for the Beavers in 2024, primarily as a reliever, and has given up one or less earned runs in seven of those appearances.

Kelly has posted a 3.96 ERA over 38.2 innings for Cal State-San Marcos during the 2024 season. The California native started the season on a tear as he did not allow an earned run until his 10th appearance. He has struck out 33 batters while limiting the walks to just eight over the course of the season so far. In 2023, Kelly finished with nine saves which was the second most in school history.

Krakoski is the first of two pitchers joining Victoria from Cal State-Fullerton. He has struck out 20 batters over 21.2 innings in 2024 and has limited the long ball by only giving up one home run all season. In high school, he captained his team to the NCS playoff semi-finals in back-to-back years. The freshman comes from a family of athletes as both his grandfather and uncle played professional football – his grandfather played for the Oakland Raiders from 1963-1966 and his uncle was a linebacker in the NFL for Washington in 1986.

Hawkinson (pictured right), another California native, is a big lefty standing at 6-7/230. The freshman has pitched in seven games this year for the Titans and has given up one or less earned runs in six of those appearances. In his junior year of high school he earned first-team all-conference and conference pitcher-of-the-year awards as he led his team to conference championship.

Bertsch is a freshman right-hander from Dallas. He starred in high school becoming just the second player in school history with more than 100 strikeouts in a season. He will add a lot of swing and miss potential to an already formidable HarbourCats pitching staff.

The HarbourCats are looking forward to seeing these young arms in action against West Coast League batters.

The HarbourCats open on the road May 31 in Kamloops, the start of back-to-back series in Kamloops and Kelowna, before returning for the June 7 home opener against Wenatchee. The HarbourCats will be on the road this summer in Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton, Wenatchee, Ridgefield, Port Angeles, Bellingham, and six games in Nanaimo against the Island-rival NightOwls at Serauxmen Stadium. Teams visiting Victoria this year are Wenatchee, Nanaimo, Bellingham, Port Angeles, Kelowna, Edmonton (two series), Kamloops and Corvallis, along with non-league games against the Redmond Dudes, Dub Sea Fish Sticks, the SIBL All-Stars, and Victoria Mavericks All-Stars.

The regular season runs until August 7, with WCL playoffs running from August 10 to August 16.

Single game tickets are now available for the HarbourCats 2024 season including the home opener on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws. These can be purchased online through our one and only ticketing partner, Select Your Tickets, at www.harbourcats.com/tickets or at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale via the HarbourCats office or by calling 778-265-0327.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Fresno State bats and two returning pitchers part of next six signed by HarbourCats

Published

2 weeks ago

May 4, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

2023 pitcher Flynn Ridley will return to the HarbourCats for 2024, along with 2023 teammate Brett Harvey and four other new players announced today (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

May 4, 2024

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — On a strong pitching staff, Flynn Ridley and Brett Harvey were standouts for the 2023 Victoria HarbourCats.

The HarbourCats are excited to announce the return of the two right-handers, along with excitement at adding two quality hitters from a school that has long provided great players, Fresno State.

Ridley and Harvey, along with Sky Collins and Cam Schneider from Fresno State, highlight a new signing group that includes a huge right-hander from TCU in Carson Cormier, and a star catcher from Texas A&M in Kyle Micklus, a lefty hitter with power.

Announced today:

RHP Flynn Ridley, Ottawa (AZ), 6-4/200, Burnaby, BC
RHP Brett Harvey, Puget Sound, 6-2/190, Auburn, WA
C Kyle Micklus, West Texas A&M, 5-9/190, Waller, TX
OF Sky Collins, Fresno State, 6-1/180, Fresno, CA
IF/OF Cam Schneider, Fresno State, 6-3/190, Fresno, CA
RHP Carson Cormier, TCU, 6-5/225, Westford, MA

Harvey (pictured right) posted a combined 1.90 ERA over 15 regular season and playoff games for the ‘Cats in 2023, giving up 20 hits in 23.2 innings. Ridley started four games among his nine appearances and was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA, striking out 28 in 24 innings. Take away his last start, and he was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA, limiting opposing hitters to a .132 average.

Micklus, an energy guy behind the dish, is hitting .421 with six homers for West Texas A&M, after starring at Lassen College in California. He’s also stolen 11 bases, adding 15 doubles and two triples, and will give the catching staff an older presence.

Collins and Schneider are both from Fresno, and bring size to the lineup. Schneider is hitting .273 as a freshman this season, while Collins joined the Bulldogs off a strong two years at Fresno City College, winning a gold glove and being named second team all-conference.

Cormier is big, 6-5 and 225. From just outside of Boston, the freshman has won numerous academic and leadership awards and was on the Dodgers scout team before landing at TCU as a top prospect who will get valuable innings in the summer with the HarbourCats.

The regular season runs until August 7, with WCL playoffs running from August 10 to August 16.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale via the HarbourCats office or by calling 778-265-0327.