Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Golden Tide head into home stretch of fall baseball season
Golden Tide announce schedule changes, other events for final two weeks of fall season
The Victoria Golden Tide College baseball team is now into the final two weeks of a successful inaugural fall season in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) and they have added a game and some other events that fans and players alike will enjoy!
THIS WEEKEND, October 23rd and 24th
Saturday
The VI College Prep Mariners head to town for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm at Wilson’s Group Stadium. The Mariners are based in Nanaimo and play in the U18 College Prep Division of BC Minor Baseball and are the 2021 Provincial Champions at that level. Tickets are just $5.00 and $10.00 and available at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.
Sunday
The Parksville Royals visit for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm at Wilson’s Group Stadium. The Royals play in the BC Premier Baseball League, the top high-school league in Canada. In 2021, the Royals made it to the semi-finals of the 2021 Provincials before bowing out to the Victoria Eagles. Tickets are just $5.00 and $10.00 and available at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.
WINTER COAT DRIVE
Fans coming to any of the games on Saturday or Sunday, or to the game on October 30th (see below) can bring any used fall or winter jacket to the game and receive a free ticket for entry. All jackets will be donated to Our Place Society for them to distribute to those in need. Fans may also drop jackets off at the HarbourCats / Golden Tide office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.
INTERSQUAD WORLD SERIES DATES SET! Wed-Fri October 27 – 29
The Golden Tide play their best two out of three BLACK vs GOLD Intersquad World Series on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (if needed), October 27th, 28th and 29th. All games will begin at 4:00 PM and the games are FREE and open to the public! The winning squad will be treated to a night in a Suite at a Victoria Royals hockey game! These games will NOT be streamed on-line.
GAME ADDITION: ONTARIO GIANTS COME TO TOWN
The Ontario Giants Baseball Program is coming to town and they will play the Victoria Golden Tide on Saturday, October 30th at ~3:00 PM in a single nine-inning game, the last formal game of the 2021 fall season. Admission as per normal, $5.00 and $10.00. The start time is approximate as the game will be preceded by a game between the Giants U16 team and the HarbourCats Players Development Club that begins at 12 Noon. Fans are encouraged to come and watch that game prior to the Golden Tide game. Your ticket is good for both games.
The U16 game will NOT be streamed, but the Golden Tide vs. Giants game will be available. It will be provided FREE to existing streaming subscribers and a pay-per-game link will be set up for single-game viewing.
HALLOWEEN HIJINKS
The Golden Tide will wrap up their 2021 Fall season with a fun Intersquad game on Sunday, October 31st, starting at 12 Noon. Players will be encouraged to wear costumes, with prizes for the best costume and other fun contests and escapades will be planned. Fans are welcome to attend and admission to this is FREE! This will NOT be streamed on-line.
REMAINING FALL SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
SAT. OCT. 23, 1PM – VAN. ISLE PREP*
SUN. OCT. 24, 1PM -PARKSVILLE ROYALS*
WED. OCT. 27, 4PM – WORLD SERIES G1
THU. OCT. 28, 4PM – WORLD SERIS G2
FRI. OCT. 29, 4PM – WORLD SERIES G3**
SAT. OCT. 30, 3:00 PM – ONTARIO GIANTS
SUN. OCT. 31, 12 NOON – INTERSQUAD
* Double Header
**If Needed
BECOME A TIDE BOOSTER!
It is not too late to become a Tide Booster! Fans who wish to enjoy priority seating in the Diamond Club or Campbell Club seating areas for all remaining fall games, as well as all games in the spring, may now join the Golden Tide Booster Club, where a $200 fee secures a spot, gets one a Golden Tide hat and t-shirt and access to other Booster Club perks and benefits. E-mail chris@harbourcats.com or call the office at 778-265-0327 for details.
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
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Victoria HarbourCats – John Wilson named president of island WCL teams, HarbourCats and NightOwls
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