Connect with us

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Four former HarbourCats highlight World Baseball Classic rosters

Published

on

Three former ‘Cats on Team Canada, one on Great Britain

For Immediate Release

February, 10, 2023

Victoria, BC – When the World Baseball Classic begins on March 8th, four former HarbourCats, all pitchers, will be wearing their respective country’s team colors and hoping to do their part to lead their teams to success in the tournament.

Nick Pivetta, Cade Smith and Indigo Diaz were three of the 17 pitchers named to the 30-Man Team Canada roster on Thursday, while Chavez Fernander joins the pitching staff of Great Britain.

Pivetta of course is known for being the HarbourCats first ever signee and the first HarbourCats starter in the team’s inaugural season in 2013. He is now with the Boston Red Sox where he has been a key member of their starting rotation.

Diaz was with the HarbourCats in 2017 where he was an WCL All-Star selection and is now with the Yankees Triple A Scranton, while Smith was with the HarbourCats in the summer of 2019 and is now in the Cleveland system and has recently been invited to 2023 big-league spring training with the Guardians.

Fernander, from the Bahamas, played for the HarbourCats in 2017, was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2018 and played last season with the Tigers High A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps.

Other notable pros on the Team Canada roster include Freddie Freeman (Dodgers), Bo Naylor (Guardians), and former Langley Blaze superstar Tyler O’Neil (Cardinals), as well as four others with HarbourCats connections – Blue Jays prospect Damiano Palmegiani who played for Port Angeles in 2019 and was slated to play for the HarbourCats in 2020, veteran minor-leaguer Evan Rutckyj, whose cousin Nick, played for the ‘Cats in 2013-2014 and pitchers Curtis Taylor – who was with the Kelowna Falcons in 2015 and pitched at RAP early in that year – and Trevor Brigden, who was with Kelowna in 2018. Great Britain’s Alex Webb is also another former Kelowna Falcon (2015).

The HarbourCats players noted above, as well as Palmegiani Taylor, Brigden and Webb, are part of 20 former West Coast League players who will be playing in this year’s Classic (full list follows below).

Team Canada and Great Britain are seated in Pool C of the tournament, which actually begins play on March 11th and they will face some tough competition, notably from Team USA, who feature the likes of Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Pete Alonso, Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright to name a few. Other teams in the pool include Columbia and Mexico.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic, being played for the first time since 2017, has been expanded from 16 to 20 teams, split into four pools of five teams each. Every team will play the other teams in its pool once, with the top two teams from each pool at the end of this round advancing to an eight-team, single-elimination stage. This will culminate with the championship game on March 21.

Full list of former West Coast League Players in the 2023 World Baseball Classic

Canada

  • Trevor Brigden, Kelowna Falcons (2018), RHP
  • Indigo Diaz, Victoria HarbourCats (2016-2017), RHP
  • Damiano Palmegiani, Port Angeles Lefties (2019), INF
  • Nick Pivetta, Victoria HarbourCats (2013), RHP
  • Cade Smith, Victoria HarbourCats (2016), RHP
  • Curtis Taylor, Kelowna Falcons (2015), RHP

Columbia

  • Rio Gomez, Bend Elks (2015), LHP

Czech Republic

  • Eric Sogard, Bend Elks (2006), INF

Great Britain

  • Chavez Fernander, Victoria HarbourCats (2017), RHP
  • Ryan Long, Wenatchee AppleSox (2019), RHP
  • Alex Webb, Kelowna Falcons (2015), RHP

Israel

  • Jake Bird, Yakima Valley Pippins (2015), RHP
  • Kyle Molnar, Walla Walla Sweets (2015), RHP
  • Joey Wagman, Walla Walla Sweets (2010), RHP
  • Zack Weiss, Wenatchee AppleSox (2010), RHP

Italy

  • Sam Gaviglio, Corvallis Knights (2009), RHP
  • Nicky Lopez, Bend Elks (2014), INF
  • Dominic Miroglio, Walla Walla Sweets (2013), C

Mexico

  • Jarren Duran, Walla Walla Sweets (2016), OF

Nicaragua

  • Isaac Benard, Cowlitz Black Bears (2015), OF

Source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Summer Collegiate

Big lefty arms from San Diego, two key Arizona players join NightOwls

Published

on

The five players announced to head coach Cody Andreychuk’s roster today:

LHP Thomas Young, San Diego State, 6-1/180, R/L Carson City, Nevada

LHP Connor Shaw, San Diego State, 6/185, L/L San Diego

LHP Trevor Fox, San Diego State, 6-7.200, L/L San Diego

RHP R’Mani Adams, Arizona Christian, 6-5/235, R/R, Federal Way, WA

OF Andrew Ivy, Arizona Christian, 5-9/165, L/L, Chicago

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

Published

on

Why have I been blocked?

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Victoria Fire Local 730 and HarbourCats, Golden Tide baseball teams team up for summer show of support

Published

on

February 3, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA, BC — Teamwork is needed in fighting fires, as it is on a baseball diamond.

It’s also needed in the community — and that’s why the Victoria Firefighters Association Local 730 of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and the West Coast League’s Victoria HarbourCats, along with the collegiate Victoria Golden Tide of the CCBC, are teaming up for a meaningful symbolic partnership that will run through the 2025 season.

“With the recent devastation we are seeing in Los Angeles, and the wildfires that have decimated areas on our side of the border — I think of Jasper this past summer, among others — it’s important for us all to show support for those who do the dangerous work of keeping us safe,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats. “We are open supporters of all first responders and military in our area, the people who take the risk to serve our communities.

“Victoria firefighters are true heroes in our community, and deserve our thanks, respect and recognition.”

The IAFF membership across North America includes more than 350,000 who put themselves in harm’s way to save lives and property — the very definition of teamwork.

This summer, HarbourCats players will wear Victoria Firefighter Union hats during batting practice and workouts, and will choose selected games to take them into action. The Golden Tide will do the same this spring with college home games in the CCBC.

The hats will be produced locally by HarbourCats merchandise and apparel partner Passion Sports, located in downtown Victoria on Government Street, working with General Manager Dylan Marsden and owner Greg Wallis.

“Our people truly appreciate the support we get from so many people in the community, and the HarbourCats have been strong partners for so many,” said Union president Jeremy Wilson. “We will be proud to see our logo on the field with both the HarbourCats and Golden Tide.”

The fires in LA have been a stark reminder to all how important it is to do all we can to be ready for anything — the devastation of such a populated area has stunned everyone.

The Golden Tide start their season in late March, while 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 three “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

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

ATTENTION 2024 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS:  If you have not already done so, please renew your seats for 2025 so that they can be locked into the new ticketing system.  Season Tickets will be sent to all members electronically this season on April 1, 2025, perhaps sooner.  Any seats not renewed by that time will be released and placed back into the system. Contact Christian at the office at 778-265-0327 to renew.

For more information, contact:

Christian Stewart, GM, Victoria HarbourCats
chris@harbourcats.com

Jeremy Wilson, President, Victoria Firefighters Union
presidentlocal730@gmail.com

Source

Continue Reading

Trending