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 – Team Effort Leads to Series Win in Kamloops

Published

29 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.

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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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