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Victoria HarbourCats | Golden Tide collegiate baseball team announces first signees

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4 years ago

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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 – You’re Invited! Christmas Open House, November 28-29

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2 days ago

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November 19, 2024

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Please join us as we usher in the Holiday Season with our annual Christmas Open House!

When:  Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29
Time: 12 Noon to 7 PM each day
Where: HarbourCats office 101-1814 Vancouver Street. 

Come by to say hello and enjoy some hot cider and other beverages and snacks and talk about our upcoming 2025 season!

Plenty of merchandise on hand for the HarbourCats fan on your Christmas list – all at 20% off for the month of November!  Plus plenty of HarbourCats and Victoria Golden Tide items available on our special $10.00 clearance rack!

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs will also be available for sale and as a special BLACK FRIDAY bonus, we will throw in a free-gift with the purchase of any 10-pack or season ticket package.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

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Summer Collegiate

A top-end catcher and four arms to throw strikes to him make up the latest signings for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

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3 days ago

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November 19, 2024

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Wirthgen has MLB bloodlines as the nephew of former MLB slugger and manager Phil Nevin, the first overall pick in the 1992 draft who played for six teams and hit 41 home runs for the Padres in 2001 as part of a 1,200-game career. A strong defensive catcher with power potential, Wirthgen played in the Alaska summer league in 2024.

 

Teper, also from D1 powerhouse Cal Baptist, is an aviation major who plans to fly planes once his days in pro baseball are over. The lefty will be counted on in key situations this summer, and made 11 appearances, including three starts, in the Alaska league in 2024.

 

Three players will arrive from the University of Pikeville, where they play for new NightOwls coach Cody Andreychuk — including returning lefty Richtter Castillo, a Venezuelan fan favorite who pitches with a lot of emotion and did strong work out of the bullpen for pitching coach Gorm Heimueller in 2024. Castillo was 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 innings.

 

Shaye McTavish, a Canadian addition from Lethbridge, has been a starter at UPike and in the Western Canada summer league. Schultz, another power arm from Lethbridge, has summer experience in the WCBL in Swift Current and is developing into a high leverage righty for Andreychuk.

 

Season tickets and 10packs are available for 2025 and information can be found by emailing GM Tina Cornett — tina@nanaimonightowls.com

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The Cody Andreychuk era of the Nanaimo NightOwls now has a schedule to work with

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7 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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The West Coast League’s 2025 regular season schedule has been announced, and the new Head Coach, a product of the Nanaimo system, can start to plan all the details needed to make the playoffs and a run at the WCL championship.

The NightOwls will open at home in 2025, on Friday, May 30, vs. the Bellingham Bells, the start of a three-game series at historic Serauxmen Stadium that continues with games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

 

The team again plans a Canada Day fireworks show on the evening of July 1, with the arch rival Victoria HarbourCats as the opposition.

 

General Manager Tina Cornett and staff are already working on promotional dates that will span the entire season, giving extra reasons for fans to enjoy the sunshine, the down-home concessions and the outstanding baseball played in the WCL.

 

The NightOwls will play 27 road games, 27 regular season home games, and no fewer than five additional home games against non-league opponents, including the Caged Athletics Selects — a home city series that has been popular since the start of the NightOwls, with games on either side of the WCL all-star game.

 

Nanaimo’s fabled park will see visits from Bellingham, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Port Angeles, Wenatchee, and the first-ever visit by the South Division powerhouse Corvallis Knights.

 

The regionalized WCL schedule NightOwls will make road trips to division rivals Victoria, Bellingham, Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton, Wenatchee and Port Angeles.

May 30th: Bellingham Bells – HOME
May 31st: Bellingham Bells – HOME
June 1st: Bellingham Bells – HOME
June 3rd: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY
June 4th: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY
June 5th: Port Angeles Lefties – AWAY
June 6th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
June 7th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
June 8th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
June 10th: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME
June 11th: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME
June 12th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 13th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY
June 14th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY
June 15th: Kelowna Falcons – AWAY
June 17th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 18th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 19th: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
June 20th: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME
June 21st: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME
June 22nd: Port Angeles Lefties – HOME
June 27th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME
June 28th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME
June 29th: Edmonton Riverhawks – HOME
July 1st: Victoria HarbourCats – HOME
July 2nd: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
July 3rd: Victoria HarbourCats – AWAY
July 4th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 5th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 6th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 8th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME
July 9th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME
July 10th: Kelowna Falcons – HOME
July 11th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
July 12th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
July 13th: Wenatchee AppleSox – HOME
July 18th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY
July 19th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY
July 20th: Wenatchee AppleSox – AWAY
July 22nd: Corvallis Knights – HOME
July 23rd: Corvallis Knights – HOME
July 24th: Corvallis Knights – HOME
July 25th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY
July 26th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY
July 27th: Kamloops NorthPaws – AWAY
July 29th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 30th: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
July 31st: Edmonton Riverhawks – AWAY
Aug 1st: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME
Aug 2nd: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME
Aug 3rd: Kamloops NorthPaws – HOME
Aug 4th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY
Aug 5th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY
Aug 6th: Bellingham Bells – AWAY

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