Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats | Golden Tide collegiate baseball team announces first signees

Published

5 years ago

May 17, 2021

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria’s Jacob Popadynec (above) is one of the first players to be announced for the new Victoria Golden Tide CCBC collegiate program that will debut this coming fall.

For Immediate Release

Monday, May 17, 2021

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Golden Tide, the most recent entry in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference (CCBC) is preparing for their debut in the 2021-2022 CCBC season and today is announcing the initial list of players that have committed to Head Coach Curtis Pelletier’s program and will begin working out in early September

Even in a time with a pandemic, and restrictions on activity and usual recruiting efforts, Coach Pelletier has been able to secure tremendous student-athletes to give the Golden Tide a strong start in the CCBC, a league that has been around for nearly 20 years.

These are the first five to be announced, with more players to be fully confirmed over the coming weeks.

Included in the first five to be made public is National Junior Team infielder Brody Alexandre of Swift Current, SK, along with Island products Tristan Bolger, Jacob Popadynec and Nick Lee, and Ethan Keates from Calgary.

“There has been a lot of interest in the program, from when we announced it last fall and made the commitment to join the other great programs in the CCBC,” said Pelletier, also an assistant coach with the Victoria HarbourCats, and the Director of Player Development for the HarbourCats Players Club youth programs.

“I’m very excited about every player who has shown interest, and those we’re announcing today will be key parts for us. We’ll focus on development in a strong team culture, these are athletes who are committed to taking this step and improving. Quality players will always find ways to bind together and challenge each other.”

Swift Current’s Brody Alexandre, a former Canadian Junior National team player will be a corner infielder for the Tide (Photo: SOUTHWEST BOOSTER FILE PHOTO)

Alexandre, a 6’2″ 175lb. infielder who plays the corner positions, has a lefty bat that has drawn the attention of scouts. He was a member of the Canadian Junior National Program in 2020 and also played for the Langley Blaze in the BC Premier Baseball League (BCPBL).

Keates at 5’9″ 180lb. brings CCBC experience to the Tide, a catcher/infielder who is transferring to school in Victoria from TRU in Kamloops.

Lee is a hard-throwing 6’2″ 175lb. right-hander from Victoria who played for Okanagan College in the CCBC. Prior to that he was a member of the Victoria Mariners in the BCPBL, where in 2017 he had a 1.23 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched, striking out 11 and walking just three.

The 5’11” 160lb. Popadynec, a projectable lefty from the Victoria Eagles PBL club, will provide a nice left-handed option on the hill for the Tide. With the Jr. Eagles in 2019, Popydynec amassed a 10-1 record, with a 1.76 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 67.2 innings of work.

Bolger, at 6’1″ 170lb., is a versatile fielder out of the Victoria Mariners PBL program and is an example of the strong initial local talent that will be on the field for the Golden Tide in their first season.

The Canadian college baseball conference, is an eight-team domestic league for university students that in addition to Victoria, has teams in Nanaimo (Vancouver Island University), Kelowna (Okanagan College), Kamloops (Thompson Rivers University), Chilliwack/Abbotsford (University of the Fraser Valley), Calgary (University of Calgary), Lethbridge (Prairie Baseball Academy) and Edmonton (Edmonton Collegiate Baseball Club).

The league has suspended play for the 2020-2021 campaign due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but is anticipated to be back to a full season of play for 2021-2022 and the Golden Tide will be ready to compete for the CCBC title.

“We have worked tirelessly signing players from all over Canada,” added Golden Tide manager Curtis Pelletier. “Our first year will be primarily comprised of first year players (Freshmen) and although we are a young team, we are confident that this group of athletes will come in and compete right away.”

“We can’t wait to get into the park and begin this journey for a CCBC championship with our local supporters here in Victoria.”

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Sunny Matinee Ends in 9-1 HarbourCats Win

Published

3 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The sun was hot, and the bats were hotter, driving in nine runs this afternoon. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – A beautiful Sunday afternoon saw the HarbourCats take home a series win, claiming a 9-1 victory over the Springfield Drifters.

Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) took the bump to kick this ballgame off, extending a warm welcome to the visiting lineup in the form of two straight strikeouts in the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

Springfield’s defence would not be so fortunate. David Krahn (UBC) stepped up to the plate for the HarbourCats and smashed a line drive over the fence for a leadoff home run, his second of the season. One inning down, and a 1-0 lead for the HarbourCats.

David Krahn (UBC) wasted no time getting on the board this afternoon with a leadoff round-tripper. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The Drifters tried time and again in the following innings in an attempt to retaliate, but Hudson Lance and the HarbourCats ticked the “strongly disagree” box. Lance was nigh impenetrable throughout his majority stake in the ballgame, only allowing a single hit in five innings and tying the HarbourCats season record with eight strikeouts.

David Krahn returned to his old tricks in the bottom of the fifth, driving in a run and scoring on a perfectly placed double from outfielder Tristan Buehring (Whitman). At the halfway point of the ballgame, the Cats now lead 4-0.

Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) got the nod for the top of the sixth and conceded a run, but was otherwise able to maintain a HarbourCats lead. That run wouldn’t go unanswered, as catcher Jacob Silva (UTSA) bid sweet farewell to a hanging pitch, clearing the right field wall by a healthy margin and widening the Cats lead to 5-1. A wild pitch and a few walks didn’t do Springfield any favours, and two additional runs crossed the plate by the end of the inning to make it 7-1.

Jacob Silva (UTSA) crushed a looooooong homer in his return to Victoria. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The Cats turned the offence back up in the bottom of the eighth, scoring two more runs courtesy of Jacob Silva and Matt Westley (George Mason) to glide their way to a 9-1 win, and a series win to boot.

WCL STANDINGSC

HarbourCats action returns this week, as the Cats host the Redmond Dudes for a three-game midweek series from Tuesday to Thursday.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby 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.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Matt Westley is the Extra Innings Hero in Walk-Off Victory

Published

1 day ago

June 14, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats battled all night to claim a walk-off win in extra innings!

Victoria pitcher Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) made his mark immediately in his Saturday night start. The big Texan struck out three batters in the top of the first inning, an early warning to the Drifters that they would need their A-game to take him down.

BOX SCORE

Springfield was not deterred, however, scoring on an error in the bottom of the second for the first run of the ballgame. Arnett kept the visiting bats quiet otherwise in the second inning, adding two more K’s to his total.

The Cats created a juicy RBI opportunity by way of a couple singles and stolen bags in the bottom of the third. The heart of the lineup took advantage, cashing in two runs to take a narrow lead by the end of the inning.

Jeremiah Arnett (Rice University) put together a solid start with eight strikeouts. (Photo by Raphael Oliveira)

The offensive production continued as Rohne Klein (San Jose State) battled with two outs and drove a base hit to right field to keep the fourth inning alive for the Cats. Inspired by his comrade’s effort, local catcher Jai Berezowski (Victoria Collegiate) blasted a triple to widen the home team’s lead to 3-1.

Springfield answered back with two runs in the top of the fifth to end Jeremiah Arnett’s night. Arnett went 4.2 innings with eight strikeouts, walking three batters and allowing two earned runs. Davis Lee (Calgary) came in to cover for the starter, securing a huge strikeout in a messy situation to preserve a tie game.

Lee kept a clean slate across his two innings of work, giving way to Hunter Daniels (Phoenix) in the top of the eighth. Daniels surrendered a solo homer to give the Drifters the lead.

The HarbourCats came up big in a crucial eighth inning, loading the bases and getting the game-tying run across. This paved the way for extra innings, in which reliever Pierce Stone (Regis) came up huge with two strikeouts in the top of the tenth to keep the score tied. In the bottom of the tenth inning, with the bases loaded, Matt Westley (George Mason) stepped up to the plate and mashed a line drive to centre field for a HarbourCats walk-off win!

WCL STANDINGS

Catch the Cats back on the field tomorrow at 1:05 pm for the rubber match of the series.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Suffer Gruelling 18-9 Loss

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Cats pitching struggled to keep runners off the bases on the way to a 18-9 loss. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats hosted the Springfield Drifters on Friday night, failing to keep the visiting team in check and dropping the first game of the series 18-9.

The Drifters’ lineup spelled trouble from the beginning for Schuyler Fairchild (Wenatchee Valley). The visitors filled up the bases and drove in two runs in the top of the first before the starter locked down a couple of K’s to vacate the mound.

BOX SCORE

Determined not to fall behind, the Cats fought back during their turn at the plate. A 94 mph screamer off the lumber of Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) brought home a run and set up another to score on a sacrifice fly in the next at bat. Even Steven after the initial frame.

Springfield ran up the opener’s pitch count in the first inning, making room for a relief appearance from Austin Lindsey (Hill College) to begin the second. The Drifters gave Lindsey some difficulty as well, ending the inning with three more runs across to make it 5-2.

Schuyler Fairchild saw a shortened outing, battling through a long first inning. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Outfielder Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) was sharp in the bottom of the third inning, drawing a walk, stealing a base, and coming around to score on a Kade Davis (UTSA) single.

The next arrival from the bullpen was Landon Marchetti (San Jose State), who threw two clean innings in the fourth and fifth to earn a much-needed respite for the Cats defence.

Things drew even once again in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Rohne Klein (San Jose State). The first baseman muscled a ball out to centre field to drive in a pair and tie the game at five runs each.

Rohne Klein (San Jose State) snapped his slump tonight with a clutch base hit. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) inherited the mound from Marchetti for the top of the seventh inning. Marchetti was lights out over three innings, allowing only a single hit and shredding through the Drifters’ lineup for five strikeouts. Warren found himself in a jam, loading the bases and letting four runs slip by to give the lead back to Springfield.

A grand slam for the Drifters in the top of the eighth broke the game wide open, bestowing a 14-5 lead upon the visitors. The Cats showed some life in the back half of inning the eighth, highlighted by a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) RBI triple, but the deficit proved insurmountable as Victoria eventually fell 18-9 in the series opener.

WCL STANDINGS

The Springfield series continues at 6:35 pm on Saturday night and concludes with a 1:05 pm Sunday matinee.

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