Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Big-name schools sending key players to HarbourCats this summer

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday Feb 8, 2023

VICTORIA, B.C. — Texas. Washington. Oregon. Big-name schools, that lure the best recruits.

With LHP Reece Usselman of the Oregon Ducks, LHP David Shaw of the Texas Longhorns, and corner infielder Max Clark of the Washington Huskies, there will be no shortage of star college baseball players for HarbourCats fans in the summer of 2023 at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP.

Add in a catcher from the local collegiate Victoria Golden Tide, Lee Grey, and Victoria head coach Todd Haney is excited to see the roster grow with the season less than four months away.

David Shaw, here pitching for Rice, should be a dominant force from the left side for the HarbourCats in 2023.

“You always love finding and signing top pitching like Shaw and Usselman, and Clark is an exciting prospect,” said Haney, who will be at the helm for his third season, interrupted by two pandemic non-play summers. “Grey is also showing promise and developing under the Golden Tide coaches, important depth for what is a real grind at times in the West Coast League.”

The current, announced roster of the HarbourCats can be found HERE.

Another lefty, Langley’s Reece Ussleman gave the Canadian Junior National Team a number of quality innings in 2022.

Shaw is a monster at 6-7/205, a transfer from Rice where he made 18 appearances last spring. Usselman brings Team Canada Junior experience and isn’t exactly small at 6-3/185, a product of the Langley Blaze. He also played with White Rock (Team Canada) at the 2017 Little League World Series in Williamsport. Clark is one of the top-rated high school players in the state of Washington, and Grey came west at the suggestion of former MLB catcher Gregg Zaun and is expected to be a key contributor for the Golden Tide in the CCBC.

Details on the players announced today:

LHP Reece Usselman, Oregon, incoming freshman, Langley, B.C., 6-3/185
LHP David Shaw, Texas, sophomore, Houston, TX, 6-7/205
3B Max Clark, Washington, incoming freshman, Mercer Island, WA, 6-0/200
C Lee Grey, Victoria Golden Tide, freshman, Toronto, ON, 6-0/180

Oakville, Ontario’s Lee Grey will give the HarbourCats some depth at the catcher position.

The HarbourCats celebrate their 10th Anniversary in 2023 and the season kicks off with the home opener against the Kamloops NorthPaws on Friday June 2, 2023. Single game tickets for that game and all 31 HarbourCats home games in 2023 are now on sale and can be purchased on-line through our one-and-only ticketing partner, Select Your Tickets, at harbourcats.com/tickets. They can also be purchased at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, or at the Select Your Tickets box office at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Fans can also call 778-265-0327 to order over the phone.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale. For details on all ticketing options, including our special $10.00 Tuesdays, Forces Fridays and Save-on-Food Vouchers, please visit harbourcats.com/ticketinfo.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Yamaguchi leads group of top hitters coming to Victoria

Published

4 hours ago

April 26, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

April 26, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — The Victoria HarbourCats, under veteran Head Coach Todd Haney, have been known for their exciting speed game, setting WCL stolen base and run records.

This summer, there looks to be more bash to complement that speed.

Haney, in his fifth season leading the HarbourCats, and sixth season with the organization overall, is proud to announce the signing of six more players for the summer of 2025 — five quality hitters and a key pitcher, the latter a Canadian in right-hander Logan Rumberg from George Mason who hails from Okotoks, Alberta.

Third baseman Sean Yamaguchi of Nevada-Reno is the biggest of the big bats added — this spring, the Hawaiian has been named Mountain West player of the week, and twice the Mountain West freshman of the week.

IF Sean Yamaguchi, Nevada-Reno, R/R, 5-9/205, Aiea, Hawaii
C Dillon Lopez, St. Mary’s, R/R, 5-11/200, San Antonio, TX
OF Garrett Brooks, St. Mary’s, L/L, 6-0/200, Spring Branch, TX
OF Bobby Filler, Niagara, R/R, 6-0/187, Philadelphia
OF Jacob Doyle, Nevada-Reno, R/R, 6-7/225, Sparks, NV
RHP Logan Rumberg, George Mason, R/R, 5-11/175, Okotoks, AB

The stocky, powerful Yamaguchi has 10 home runs and 33runs driven in, in his first 34 games played, a key part of the Wolf Pack offence. He’s batting .333.

Teammate Doyle is a rather large outfielder at 6-7, in his sophomore season — and has nine home runs as well, hitting .269 and fast for his size, stealing five bases. He had a 10-game hitting streak which included 10 RBIs and a .378 average.

Rumberg is a junior who has made 50 career appearances including 11 starts for George Mason in his career. He threw to former HarbourCats catcher Connor Dykstra at George Mason the previous two spring’s — Dykstra is now in single-A with the Seattle Mariners, playing for the Modesto Nuts.

Lopez is a catcher at St. Mary’s in Texas, hitting .330 with four home runs and 13 extra-base hits with 15 runs driven in. Teammate Brooks is an outfielder who is smashing the ball this spring, .351 with 10 bombs and 44 RBIs in 46 starts.

Filler is a freshman outfielder from Niagara whose hometown is Philadelphia. He’s a former Perfect Game player from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy before landing 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 four “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.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Chase makes eight! Meidroth recalled by Chicago

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

April 11, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — In 10 seasons of play, it’s now eight Major League Baseball players produced — not too shabby.

The Victoria HarbourCats are proud to announce that the Chicago White Sox have recalled infielder Chase Meidroth, and he will make his MLB debut at second base tonight against the team that drafted him, the Boston Red Sox.

Meidroth was placed with the HarbourCats in 2019 by Head Coach Rich Hill, then at the University of San Diego (now at Hawaii), and starred for the Cats at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP under HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney, himself a former MLB player.

Meidroth joins Nick Pivetta (Philadelphia/Boston/San Diego), Andrew Vaughn (Chicago White Sox), Alex DeGoti (Houston), Nathan Lukes (Toronto), Cade Smith (Cleveland), Davis Wendzel (Texas) and Jack Neely (Chicago Cubs) as MLB players who have come through the Victoria program.

That Pivetta was the first HarbourCat in the majors was pure poetry — he threw the first pitch in HarbourCats history in 2013, and is a Victoria product and former PBL Victoria Eagles pitcher.

With Vaughn and Meidroth together, this will be the first time two HarbourCats have been on the same team at the MLB level — and they may even bat next to each other in the lineup over the coming days.

With the HarbourCats, Meidroth was a star defensively at shortstop, and was near impossible to keep off the bases — he hit a whopping .424, a .494 on-base percentage, with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, 13 RBIs and eight stolen bases. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft after his junior season at USD.

Meidroth is just 23, with a whole career ahead of him. He’s considered an excellent contact hitter with MLB power potential, and had a big year at AAA in the Boston system last year before being a key part of a major trade between the two Sox teams. He’s hit 38 home runs across all levels, batting .304 with 54 stolen bases.

“Chase was tremendous for us — so strong at short, and an impact bat in helping that 2019 team reach the WCL final,” said Jim Swanson of the HarbourCats. “We are so proud of him — and all our players who go pro, and of course the eight now who have made it to the MLB level.”

Vaughn is the top bat with the White Sox after being the third-overall MLB draft pick in 2019, fast-tracked to the MLB level. Smith, Wendzel (now at AAA in the Reds organization) and Neely made their MLB debuts in 2024, and Lukes, the 2014 HarbourCats player of the year, is fast becoming a regular in the outfield with the Blue Jays. DeGoti saw time with the Astros during the covid season and is now at AAA in the Rangers organization.

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

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Finn returns, two Tide guys sign, and three Horned Frogs

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

April 10, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — There may not be a better team nickname in all of sports than that of TCU — The Horned Frogs. And three of those Horned Frogs will be with the Victoria HarbourCats this summer.

Catcher Jacob Silva and pitchers Andrew Carter and Thomas Bridges have been added to head coach Todd Haney’s roster for this summer, which the HarbourCats will start on the road in Kelowna on May 30 — less than two months away. TCU provided right-hander Carson Cormier, a WCL all-star and Pitcher of the Year, to the HarbourCats in 2024.

The home opener is June 6 with the Port Angeles Lefties at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP.

“It’s always good to add top young talent from a great program like TCU, which sees the value in the competition we get to face in the West Coast League on a daily basis,” said Haney, the 2023 WCL coach of the year, now in his fifth season as head coach of the HarbourCats.

Also added today are local pitcher Jack Finn, in his third season with the HarbourCats, and Victoria Golden Tide outfielder Dominic Biello, who is having a breakout season with the CCBC program in Victoria. Righty Jalen Sami, who was a valuable asset of
out the bullpen before starting a playoff game for Victoria in 2024, also returns.

“Having Jack Finn return with the strides he’s made at the D1 level, will be great for the staff as well,” said Haney. “He really enjoys working with our pitching coach, Scott Anderson.”

Announced today:

LHP Jack Finn, Illinois State, 6-2/185, L/L, Victoria
OF Dominic Biello, Victoria Golden Tide, 6-0/200, R/R, Victoria
RHP Jalen Sami, Victoria Golden Tide, 5-10/170, R/R, Burnaby
RHP Andrew Carter, TCU, 6-2/192, R/R, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
RHP Tommy Bridges, TCU, 5-11/190, R/R, Los Angeles
C Jacob Silva, TCU, 5-10/203, S/R, San Antonio, TX

Finn, a product of the Victoria Eagles, had an impressive showing for the HarbourCats late in the 2023 season, before heading to Normal, Illinois and Illinois State. The sophomore is used as a lefty out of the pen by head coach Steve Holm, but started seven games among his nine appearances in summer of 2024 in Victoria, going 0-2 with a 3.96 ERA — 16 strikeouts and 23 hits allowed in 25 innings.

Biello, who attends UVic, is tied for the Tide team lead in home runs with two this spring, batting .318, with a team-high nine runs batted in, along with three doubles. An Eagles product, Biello is a leader for the Tide, usually batting second in the order — also a strong defender in the outfield.

Sami, from Burnaby, took the winter off to rest, rehab and strengthen his pitching arm but will be ready by late May. He made nine appearances for the HarbourCats in 2024, giving up just 10 hits in 16.1 innings, walking only two hitters.

Silva hit .375 in his high school career before joining his older brother Anthony at TCU. Jacob was a stellar student-athlete at Clark HS, recognized for his academics and named a unanimous all-district player. He won the Texas 6A Student Athlete Award in 2024.

Carter had three no-hitters in high school and was first-team all-conference in his last two years of prep baseball. He is a freshman at TCU, as is Bridges, who had a record 0.59 ERA in high school, earning an invite to the Perfect Game national showcase.

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

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