Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Fresno State bats and two returning pitchers part of next six signed by HarbourCats
2023 pitcher Flynn Ridley will return to the HarbourCats for 2024, along with 2023 teammate Brett Harvey and four other new players announced today (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
May 4, 2024
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. — On a strong pitching staff, Flynn Ridley and Brett Harvey were standouts for the 2023 Victoria HarbourCats.
The HarbourCats are excited to announce the return of the two right-handers, along with excitement at adding two quality hitters from a school that has long provided great players, Fresno State.
Ridley and Harvey, along with Sky Collins and Cam Schneider from Fresno State, highlight a new signing group that includes a huge right-hander from TCU in Carson Cormier, and a star catcher from Texas A&M in Kyle Micklus, a lefty hitter with power.
Announced today:
- RHP Flynn Ridley, Ottawa (AZ), 6-4/200, Burnaby, BC
- RHP Brett Harvey, Puget Sound, 6-2/190, Auburn, WA
- C Kyle Micklus, West Texas A&M, 5-9/190, Waller, TX
- OF Sky Collins, Fresno State, 6-1/180, Fresno, CA
- IF/OF Cam Schneider, Fresno State, 6-3/190, Fresno, CA
- RHP Carson Cormier, TCU, 6-5/225, Westford, MA
Harvey (pictured right) posted a combined 1.90 ERA over 15 regular season and playoff games for the ‘Cats in 2023, giving up 20 hits in 23.2 innings. Ridley started four games among his nine appearances and was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA, striking out 28 in 24 innings. Take away his last start, and he was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA, limiting opposing hitters to a .132 average.
Micklus, an energy guy behind the dish, is hitting .421 with six homers for West Texas A&M, after starring at Lassen College in California. He’s also stolen 11 bases, adding 15 doubles and two triples, and will give the catching staff an older presence.
Collins and Schneider are both from Fresno, and bring size to the lineup. Schneider is hitting .273 as a freshman this season, while Collins joined the Bulldogs off a strong two years at Fresno City College, winning a gold glove and being named second team all-conference.
Cormier is big, 6-5 and 225. From just outside of Boston, the freshman has won numerous academic and leadership awards and was on the Dodgers scout team before landing at TCU as a top prospect who will get valuable innings in the summer with the HarbourCats.
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.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
BUYER BEWARE!!
Don’t be fooled by third party tickets sites like Stub Hub and others that will sell you our tickets at inflated prices and often in US Dollars. If you are ordering on-line, be sure to ALWAYS use our one and only ticketing partner, Select Your Tickets, at www.harbourcats.com/tickets or visit us at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.
2024 SUMMER KIDS CAMPS
The Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to announce that their always popular summer baseball camps are now open for registration. Catering to kids in the 8-11 and 12-15 year-old age groups, a series of half-day camps will take place both outdoors at Royal Athletic Park – the home of the HarbourCats, and indoors at the Edwards Family Training Centre, the official off-field training facility of the HarbourCats and the Victoria Golden Tide. TO REGISTER, please head to The Cat Shop at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/collections/harbourcats-youth-camps
Nanaimo NightOwls fans have truly enjoyed watching great players from Hawaii on the Serauxmen Stadium diamond, and that will again be the case in 2026.
Head Coach Cody Andreychuk is pleased to add seven more players today — four from Hawaii Pacific (Honolulu), including one returning player, along with a Canadian pitcher, a returning catcher who is at a strong D1 school in Texas, and the brother of a 2025 NightOwls infielder.
“We all remember Hawaiian star Elijah Ickes and him being our first drafted player (by the Texas Rangers) — guys from the islands have thrived on our island,” said Managing Partner Jim Swanson. “We have had a strong record with players wanting to play multiple summers for our fans, for our coaching staff and becoming very close with our staff. We are proud of that.”
Announced today by Coach Andreychuk:
LHP Joshua Rego, Hawaii Pacific University, 6-4/175, L/L, Kapa’a, HI
RHP Jayden Gabrillo, Hawaii Pacific, L/R, 5-8/165, Ewa Beach, HI
IF Kyler Shojinaga, Hawaii Pacific, R/R, 5-6/160, Honolulu, HI
OF Ziah Chang, Hawaii Pacific, R/R, 5-10/170, Kahului, HI
RHP Zander Oudie-Senger, Okanagan College, R/R, 6-3/190, Regina, SK
C Clark Springs, University of Texas-Arlington, R/R, 5-11/190, Southlake, TX
OF Aidan Nykoluk, Ventura Community College, R/R, 6-0/195, Simi Valley, CA
Rego is a promising lefty who is making a strong transition to the college level, with upper 80s velocity and a feel for how to pitch — he will develop further under Gorman Heimueller, the fifth-year pitching coach of the NightOwls.
Shojinaga is a slick-fielding freshman who draws comparisons to great Hawaii-groomed shortstops of the past, including Ickes. He will grind out at-bats and get on base for the power bats in the lineup. As both a shortstop and pitcher, he was league MVP in his senior year of high school.
Gabrillo, who can also play infield, returns after a strong summer in Nanaimo in 2025 which put him in a lead pitching role for HPU this spring. He was 1-2 with 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings for the NightOwls last summer.
Chang is a young outfielder known for his defensive game and speed that puts pressure on the basepaths. He stole eight bases in 23 games in a lower level summer league in 2025.
Oudie-Senger has been a top starter for Okanagan College and played four years for his hometown summer team in the WCBL, looking for a more professional experience at the end of his career. An innings-eater, he was a combined 10-3 for Regina,
Springs was part of the strong catching crew for the NightOwls in 2024 and loved the experience — famously driving all the way from his home in Texas to proudly play in Nanaimo. A strong defensive catcher who swings the bat well, he was at top-rated Weatherford College (junior college) before earning a scholarship at UTA. He had a home run and just five strikeouts in 23 games for the NightOwls.
Nykoluk is the brother of Andrew, a senior pitcher who moved to the mound after years as an infielder at HPU. Aidan is off to a great start at Ventura, batting .350, a strong defender with a potent bat.
Respected island businessman John Wilson has been named President of the company that oversees the successful collegiate baseball teams based in Victoria and Nanaimo.
Wilson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and whose family owns and operates the Wilson’s Group of Companies, has been part of the core ownership group of the Victoria HarbourCats since 2015, and the Nanaimo NightOwls since inception in 2020 (started play in 2022). The NightOwls, a rival to the HarbourCats on the field, play at historic Serauxmen Stadium.
Wilson takes the position from Ken Swanson, who remains on the board after a solid 10-year run as team president. The group also operates the Victoria Collegiate (CCBC) baseball program and the busy indoor facility on Cook St., the Edwards Family Training Centre.
“Ken has led the corporate structure well, and he’s deserving of a break,” said Wilson. “We have a strong and committed group of owners and staff and a refresh is good for us all, keeping these teams playing great baseball and positively impacting these amazing communities in a stable, creative manner. Ken literally leaves big shoes to fill.”
The HarbourCats, which started play in 2013, will host the WCL All-Star Game in 2026 and 2027, showcasing the island’s immense love of baseball and the team that helped produce eight current MLB players including Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays), Nick Pivetta (Padres), Cade Smith (Guardians), Andrew Vaughn (Brewers) and Chase Meidroth (White Sox). The 2026 all-star festival will take place July 14-15 using Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and sites around the South Island, with exciting details to come.
Wilson and Swanson lead a nine-member ownership group that includes Rich Harder, Helen Edwards, Mike Macdonell, Sean Finn, Vic Vendetti, John Schnaderbeck and Jim Swanson.
“No one knows the community like John, so we are all looking forward to what will be a flawless transition that will bring some new life to the organization,” said Ken Swanson.
The management structure remains the same — former GM Jim Swanson in the Managing Partner role, overseeing day-to-day operations, assisted by Adrian Somers (Business Operations and Marketing). In Victoria, Christian Stewart (General Manager) and John Pollard (Marketing Director) remain in place, while Tina Cornett continues her strong leadership in Nanaimo as General Manager, with Kent Malpass overseeing the concession.
The teams maintain wholly separate coaching staffs and recruiting processes — veteran Todd Haney, a five-year MLB player, as the sixth-year Head Coach in Victoria, and local product Cody Andreychuk, a collegiate program head coach at University of Pikeville, enters his second season in Nanaimo, assisted by pitching coach Gorman Heimueller, who has three World Series rings from his 50 years in the game.
Tickets are selling fast…get yours today. www.NanaimoNightOwls.com/ticketinfo
Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – John Wilson named president of island WCL teams, HarbourCats and NightOwls
Hawaiian Pipeline Continues For NightOwls. Seven Players Added To 2026 Roster
John Wilson Named As New Team President
Victoria HarbourCats – John Wilson named president of island WCL teams, HarbourCats and NightOwls
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