For immediate release

June 20, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — For Chris Vlaj, it’s a promotion from a few years in an assistant coach role — to now being named the Head Coach of the Victoria Golden Tide of the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC).

Vlaj, 27, will lead a coaching staff that will include a new Pitching Coach Darius Opdam Bak, who pitched for the Golden Tide for three years, and returning Assistant Coach Colton O’Brien, who also serves as the lead for recruiting efforts.

Former Head Coach Ethan Fox has left the organization after being in that role for three seasons.

“We are pleased with the continuity in elevating Chris to this role, while bringing back Colton and seeing the transition of Darius to the coaching side,” said Jim Swanson, managing partner of the group that oversees the Golden Tide along with the West Coast League teams in both Victoria and Nanaimo.

“We thank Ethan for his time and service. We think this program is in position to take a next step and be a top program annually in the CCBC. These coaches are dedicated to putting in the work and being detailed to build the best season of Golden Tide baseball, and I’m excited to see them roll up their sleeves. Our organization goal is to never be outworked, and trust the process to become a force in the CCBC.”

The Golden Tide use the Edwards Family Training Centre and Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park as their primary facilities, for training, practices and games — excellent locations for a collegiate athlete.

Vlaj, a former catcher, brings experience from two strong programs — the Nanaimo Pirates and the Okanagan College Coyotes — where he proved to be a dependable presence behind the plate.

Opdam Bak (pictured above) a three-year starter with the Golden Tide and a former Little League World Series participant, has been building his coaching résumé at the high school level and is now set to make his collegiate coaching debut.

O’Brien, a former Victoria Eagles outfielder, continues to play a key role on staff as an assistant coach, with a primary focus on recruiting alongside the rest of the coaching team.

For more information on the Victoria Golden Tide, please visit their website at https://goldentide.ca/ and learn more about the coaches at https://goldentide.ca/coaching-staff/

Source

VICTORIA, B.C. — It was heartbreak for the Nanaimo NightOwls on Wednesday night at Royal Athletic Park. They led the entire game until the last batter in the ninth innings, which saw the Victoria HarbourCats take game two of the series in walk-off fashion, 4-3. The NightOwls looked to be in control all game until a late rally in the eighth inning saw Victoria tie it up before winning it in the bottom of the ninth.

Opposite of yesterday, it was the NightOwls that jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to singles by 3rd basemen Drew Gianinni and Catcher Nathan Davis. Talan Zenk was about to score a run on a fielder’s choice. Not to be outdone, Brady Morse stepped up with a single to knock in another run, and Nanaimo was up early. They would add another in the top of the third inning.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=620551

The HarbourCats would claw one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning, and things would stay 3-1 until the eighth inning. Some mistakes by the NightOwls were all Victoria needed to send 1959 fans home happy. Well, let’s call it 1800 because I saw those NightOwls jerseys out there!

Starting pitcher Lino Zepeda had a great night on the mound for the NightOwls. He went five innings, giving up just one run on four hits, walking two, and striking out one. Teague Van Dyke and Jaeyden Edwards both pitched scoreless innings with one strike-out each. Nanaimo also stranded 12 batters on base, which showed some of their ability to pitch through pressure.

https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

The Nanaimo NightOwls finished the night with three runs on five hits and an error. Victoria had four runs on seven hits with no errors, and no bigger hit being the last one of the game.

Brady Morse, the Daville, Kentucky Native, had a good day at the plate, going two for two with one RBI and one walk. Brady and Talan Zenk also had stolen bases for Nanaimo. One of the runs was on an error from the HarbourCats, but the other went to Jacob Hayes, who, despite being on base once and getting an RBI, saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end.

http://Nanaimonightowls.com/tickets

The Nanaimo NightOwls will look to salvage a game in the series with the Victoria HarbourCats on Thursday, June 19th. The team returns home on June 20th for a weekend series against the Port Angeles Lefties. That goes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 20th, 21st, and 22nd at Serauxemen Stadium. The team is on a 10-game homestand starting on the 20th of June. We have some great promotional days coming up, including Indigenous Peoples Day and Halloween in June.

The Nanaimo NightOwls At The Malahat Skywalk

Make sure to get your tickets and follow the team on our website and social media when they are on the road for the latest information and updates. On Wednesday, the team went to the Malahat Skywalk, and we got to find out who was scared of heights. There will be lots more fun stuff coming this season, and player profiles so you can get to know your Nanaimo NightOwls.

Source

The Kamloops NorthPaws dropped game three in Walla Walla, losing the series as the Sweets scored 15 runs on 13 hits. Walla Walla scored five in the first inning and would hold the lead for the entire game, scoring six runs between the third and fifth innings as well as four more in the eighth. The NorthPaws kept the game close with three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth, but the eighth inning proved to be too much.

The NorthPaws got the lead in the top of the first as two wild pitches brought center fielder Connor Clark home. Righty Joey Rico was on the mound making his first start. Rico was also in the lineup as the designated hitter. The Sweets jumped all over him, however. Three singles, a double and a home run put five on the board for the Sweets, all without Rico recording an out.

In the second, left-fielder Matthew MacDonald and second-baseman Tanner Hornback walked and singled. Both would advance on a wild pitch, setting up third baseman Drew Abercrombie, who doubled down the third base line, scoring both runners and making it a 5-3 game.

The Sweets wouldn’t take long to respond as they scored two runs in the third and fourth, making it 9-3 heading into the top of the fifth. The NorthPaws stayed tough with right fielder Jared Hall and Clark reaching base. The centerfielder would later score off a Rico single. Catcher Brendan Burke then sent a single of his own through the right side, scoring Hall. Finally, after a pitching change, MacDonald singled off the first pitch he saw, scoring Rico once again, putting the NorthPaws within three.

Walla Walla came back in the bottom half with their third straight inning with two runs on the board, erasing any NorthPaw momentum for the time being. With one out, the Sweets had the bases loaded and sent a grounder toward first base. The throw was about to be made home for the force out, but a throwing error saw the ball hit the backstop, scoring runs 10 and 11.

Kamloops refused to go away just yet as shortstop Elijah Clayton doubled. Clark followed that up a few pitches later with a double of his own, scoring Clayton. Clark would later score off a balk from the Sweets pitcher, putting Kamloops within striking distance. The Sweets went down scoreless in both the sixth and seventh innings, but the NorthPaw bats went silent.

Despite the 10 hits given up by Walla Walla pitcher, they only walked four batters the entire game and held the NorthPaws off the board in the final third of the ballgame. Everything unravelled in the eighth inning, with the Sweets scoring four runs and putting any hope of a NorthPaw come back to bed.

Kamloops drops to 10-8 on the season, but the good news for them is that 11 of the team’s last 12 games to close out the first half will be played at NorBrock Stadium. The gurgling road stretch is over, and the only road game they will play is next Wednesday in Kelowna. The Victoria HarbourCats come to town fresh off a sweep of their Island rivals, the Nanaimo Night Owls.

Victoria and Kamloops are tied for third in the division, making this weekend’s series that much more important. Friday and Saturday’s games will be at 6:35, and Sunday’s first pitch is at 12:05. Come out and support the NorthPaws in person or follow all the action on West Coast League TV.

Source