Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Four former HarbourCats highlight World Baseball Classic rosters

Published

1 year ago

February 10, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

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

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Summer Collegiate

Arm injuries in pro and college baseball — NightOwls make organizational statement

Published

4 days ago

May 17, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

Heimueller has served as a minor league pitching coach and coordinator for many MLB organizations, most recently with the Padres. He has World Series rings for his work with the Twins and Phillies.

With the NightOwls, Gorm has enjoyed working with them all — but especially strong-command pitchers such as Nathan Buchan, Garrett Goodall, Jake Fleury and Josh Laukkanen.

“Gorm loves to say he’s never seen a ground ball leave the park,” said Swanson.

“We see athletes on our team and others using max effort rather than prioritizing strikes — that makes for longer games, too, another focus in baseball. If someone can throw 97, with healthy actions and commanding the baseball, that’s great — but few can and let’s stop turning our backs on pitchers who can get people out with pitch location as the priority.

“There is too much focus on radar gun ratings, on spin rate readouts, and Gorm and our coaching staff will be developing and rewarding pitchers who locate pitches and get batters out.”

The NightOwls are excited about the player roster for the coming season, and the mix of pitchers on the roster — different styles, to create different looks and get the 27 outs required to win games.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – 2024 Season Ticket Pick-up Event

Published

4 days ago

May 17, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

WE ARE BACK! 2024 Season Tickets Available for Pick-Up

May 17, 2024

We are inviting all season ticket holders, host families, and fans to join us for our annual “MAX MIXER” Season Ticket Holder Pick Up Event on Tuesday, May 28th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at MAX FURNITURE at 3460 Quadra St. in Victoria.

WHAT: Season Ticket Pick-Up and Pre-Season Mixer
WHERE: MAX FURNITURE – 3460 Quadra St.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 28th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Come meet your fellow fans, grab your season tickets, and mingle with HarbourCats staff and Harvey the HarbourCat as we kickoff the 2024 season.

There will be ticket and merchandise deals offered exclusively at the event.

NO RSVP required but if you have any questions, please contact the HarbourCats office at 778-265-0327.

If you can’t make the event, you can pick up your tickets at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street. Open M-F 9AM to 5PM, and Saturdays 10AM to 4PM.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats unveil new home uniform for the 2024 season

Published

5 days ago

May 16, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

Jai Berezowski and Jalen Sami show off new Expos-inspired uniform for the 2024 season

May 16, 2024

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Familiar colours for a familiar Coach, as the HarbourCats unveil new uniforms

Our tribute to Head Coach Todd Haney, the 2023 WCL Coach of the Year, and his dedication to our organization and the City of Victoria, will be on full display — the former Montreal Expos infielder, and our Pitching Coach Scott Anderson, who was in the Expos organization as a minor league pitcher, are the inspiration behind our new HOME WHITE uniforms, which we think our fans will love, made possible by our incredible partners at Save-On-Foods!

Save-On-Foods

“We’re not sure that even Head Coach Haney realizes how much of the very fabric of our team he has come to represent, and we hope this small gesture comes close to giving back what he’s given to our fans, players and staff over the years” – Managing Partner Jim Swanson

Fans will have their first chance to view the new uniforms at the HarbourCats home opener this season, as we play the Wenatchee Applesox on June 7th.

Tickets are already going fast, so get yours today at HarbourCats.com/Tickets

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.

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