Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Five guys returning as Haney announces six more for 2025 season

Published

2 years ago

December 17, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

Five return and Cal Baptist pipeline provides another key player for 2025 (Above L to R: Josh Cunnigan, Connor Ross, Spencer Hatch, Cade Rusch, Garrett Villa, Connor Sims)

Dec. 17, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA, B.C. — One thing is sure, collegiate baseball players love playing in Victoria.

The highly-competitive, pro-style environment fostered by the organization, and coaching staff led by veteran Todd Haney, has helped the Victoria HarbourCats bring back returning players year after year, creating a foundation for success. With today’s announcement of six players, the 2025 roster will have four more returning pitchers and a catcher who was with Victoria for much of the 2024 season.

“It helps with building the culture we have in Victoria, that starts at the top, and gives this team the best chance at being a contender every year,” said GM Christian Stewart. “Players want to play for Todd, and our coaching staff. Having guys who have been through the travel and pace of a West Coast League season helps in building the right atmosphere from the start of the season — and our seasons go by fast, it seems, so there’s no time to waste.”

Announced today by Head Coach Haney:

RHP Garrett Villa, Angelo State, 5-10/150, Laporte, Texas (returning pitcher)
RHP Cade Rusch, Indiana University Southeast, 6-4, 185, Prospect, Kentucky (returning pitcher)
LHP Spencer Hatch, Tarleton State, 6-0/198, Las Vegas (returning pitcher)
RHP Connor Sims, Indiana University Southeast, 6-2/190, Greenfield, Indiana (returning pitcher)
C Josh Cunnigan, Seattle U, 6-0/195, Corona, California (returning player)
3B Connor Ross, Cal Baptist, 6-0/190, Fairfield, California

Villa was a workhorse who took on the end of game role for pitching coach Scott Anderson, pitching in 13 games and giving up just one run in his last 10 appearances, ending with four saves in 19.1 innings of work.

Hatch, a lefty from Vegas, made eight appearances and started four games, finishing 2-2 with 15 strikeouts. He went four innings twice in strong road starts in the middle of the season.

Rusch, the son of former Major League star pitcher Glendon Rusch, will be a workhorse at IUS this spring after working in five games for the HarbourCats last summer. Sims had a short but dominant stint in Victoria, striking out nine hitters and recording one save in 5.2 innings of work, giving up just two hits.

Before getting hurt, Cunnigan played in 12 games at hit .273 and struck out just twice while doing a good job behind the plate.

Ross is the lone non-returning player being announced today. He is a transfer to D-1 Cal Baptist from Solano JC, where he was conference player of the year as a sophomore, and freshman of the year the season prior to that. He can play third or short, and his spring numbers in 2024 are eye-popping — a .433 average, eight home runs, 58 driven in, in 40 games.

Season tickets and 10-Game Flex Packs are now on sale for the 2025 season at the HarbourCats office. Christmas sales are on as well with a wide range of merchandise available! And don’t miss our last minute sale special THIS SATURDAY, December 21st, from 10 am to 5 pm, with 50% off all regular priced merchandise at the store only.

Single game tickets and 10-Game Flex Pack exchanges are NOT YET AVAILABLE for the 2025 season as we are transitioning to a new ticketing system. Both will be available in January of 2025.

Holiday Hours at The Cat Shop

This week Monday to Friday 10am t0 5pm
Saturday December 21, 10am to 5 pm (special 50% off sale!)
Sunday December 22, 12 noon to 4pm
Monday December 23, 10am to 5pm
Tuesday December 24, 10am to 2pm
CLOSED December 25 and 26th
Friday December 27, 10 am to 4pm (Boxing Day 20% off sale!)
CLOSED December 28 and 29th
Monday December 30 10 am to 4pm (Boxing Day 20% off sale!)
CLOSED December 31 to January 6
Office reopens January 7th 10am to 5pm

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Team Effort Leads to Series Win in Kamloops

Published

36 mins ago

July 12, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kamloops B.C. – The HarbourCats brought the house down in a 12-run victory over the Kamloops Northpaws, putting up a dozen runs for the second time in a row and taking the series for themselves.

WCL All-Star Erik Rico (Fresno State) was back on the bump for another successful start on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The California native powered through a three-inning stalemate in which both sides were held scoreless, allowing just two hits and picking up six strikeouts.

BOX SCORE

Though held hitless in the first third of the ballgame, the HarbourCats found their stride in the top of the fourth inning. San Jose State slugger Rohne Klein delivered the first blow in the form of an RBI double, before he and teammate Logan Shepherd (Mercer) bounded home on a triple by the speedy Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s).

Victoria took advantage of the Northpaws’ lack of a counterattack with another swift strike in the fifth. Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) hit his second single of the game to drive in Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois), followed by RBI knocks from both Logan Shepherd and Jacob Silva (UTSA).

Bryan Bradshaw has been a strong all-around contributor for the Cats since arriving from UCSD, and notched three hits in today’s win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) took up the torch from Rico in the fourth, holding off Kamloops until the lower half of inning six when a solo homer provided the first run for the Northpaws. Unfazed by this minor blemish in the face of a strong Victoria advantage, Kratt secured three groundouts in a row to end the inning.

The Cats, in retaliation to the home crew’s sting in the sixth, roared back with the power of teamwork. A few patient walks set the stage for a pair of singles from Michael Rodda (Palomar) and Cameron Chee-Aloy, who swiftly turned a 6-1 lead into a 9-1 lead with three frames left to be played.

When the Northpaws conceded another scoreless attempt at the plate, Victoria returned hungry for more. A plethora of baserunners confounded the Kamloops pitching staff, and another three runs crossed the plate before inning’s end. After all, why not make it an even dozen?

Tate Collins (Arkansas State) ran into some trouble in the bottom of the eighth when a walk and a single amplified the ensuing home run into a three-bagger. Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) was summoned to finish off the inning, and ended up holding on through the ninth to bring the game to a triumphant close.

WCL STANDINGS

With this series win under their belts, the HarbourCats will return to Vancouver Island to enjoy the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club. You should too!

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games 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.

GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Shake Down Northpaws for 13 Runs to Tie Series

Published

1 day ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – Victoria bounced back hard to stomp the Kamloops Northpaws 13-3 tonight, knotting the series up at 1-1.

The HarbourCats were off to the races early in this one! Victoria hitters patiently drew three walks in the top of the second, and singles from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) and Jacob Silva (UTSA) drove in three runs for the Cats. A quick start, and a much-needed buffer for a visiting team looking to rebound from last night’s loss.

BOX SCORE

Kamloops swung back in the home half of the third with an RBI single, but the HarbourCats brought the hammer back down immediately. Riley Kwak made it to third on a double-steal, creating an opportunity to dash home on a groundout before Logan Shepherd (Mercer) bashed a homer to widen the lead.

Logan Shepherd’s homer in the fourth put the Cats well in front. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The visiting team’s onslaught would proceed throughout the middle innings. Riley Kwak and Logan Shepherd continued their dazzling individual performances with an RBI single each in the fifth frame, and Kwak came back for a monstrous three-run homer in the sixth. A trio of consecutive three-run innings gave the Cats a robust 11-run lead to work with after the first two thirds of the game.

The Northpaws strung some singles together to score twice in the bottom of the sixth, only to suffer through a long seventh frame where Logan Shepherd scored on a wild pitch. The scoring quieted down after that thirteenth run, and the HarbourCats sauntered off the diamond with a 13-3 win in game two of the series.

Riley Kwak (left) had a gem of a game tonight. The Abbotsford, B.C. product went 4/5 with five RBI and four runs scored. (Photo by JPM Photography)

As for the pitching side of things, returning arm Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) tossed a strong three-inning start in which he allowed one run on two hits. Trent Schlim (Concordia-Nebraska) toed the slab for two smooth scoreless innings and handed the ball off to Tate Collins (Arkansas State). Collins allowed two runs on four hits over the span of innings six, seven, and eight. Carter Germain (Allen CC) made his HarbourCats debut in the bottom of the ninth, nailing down a relatively easy inning to close out the win.

WCL STANDINGS

With the series now tied, the HarbourCats and Northpaws will battle for the win in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Stifled by Northpaws in 4-2 Loss

Published

2 days ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kamloops, B.C. – The series opener didn’t go how the HarbourCats hoped, with the Kamloops Northpaws taking a 4-2 win over the visiting Cats.

The Northpaws got a jolt to their offence early on, rocking a solo homer in the second inning to take the upper hand. Kamloops continued their production in the next frame, capitalizing on two consecutive walks from HarbourCats starting pitcher Landon Marchetti (San Jose State). A couple of stolen bases and a double, and a wild pitch later, and the visiting Cats suddenly find themselves in a four-run deficit.

BOX SCORE

Victoria made up some ground in the second half of the ballgame when infielder Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) legged out a leadoff triple. A single from the reliable Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) brought home Kwak for the HarbourCats’ first run.

Rohne Klein (San Jose State) made a rare start at third base tonight and picked up an RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Merchetti’s night was done after the opening third of the game, over which he allowed four runs on three hits and struck out five Kamloops batters. Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) appeared from the bullpen and delivered the best outing you could really ask for from a reliever. His four innings featured just two hits, no walks, and a grand total of zero runs scored.

The HarbourCats mustered another run in the top of the eighth, a sacrifice fly by Rohne Klein (San Jose State). An important step, but still a ways to go if the visiting squad were to catch up. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) sliced through an efficient frame in the bottom of the eight inning, retiring the side on just eight pitches, but Victoria were held off by the Northpaws in a 4-2 loss.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will look to rebound and tie the series in Kamloops tomorrow night, before coming back to Victoria for the long-awaited Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club!

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