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Victoria HarbourCats – HabourCats load up on pitching in preparation for 2024 season

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Preston Kelly in CCAA action for the Cal State-San Marcos Cougars (Photo: Greg Siller, Cal State-San Marcos)

May 13, 2024

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Local pitcher Jacob Thompson joins the HarbourCats for the 2024 season, along with four other college arms.

The HarbourCats are excited to announce the addition of five pitchers to their 2024 pitching staff, all joining the club for the first time.

Announced today:

  • RHP Jacob Thompson, Minot State University, 6-0/180, North Saanich, BC
  • RHP Preston Kelly, Cal State-San Marcos, 5-10/190, Eastvale, CA
  • RHP Jason Krakoski, Cal State-Fullerton, 6-3/180, Livermore, CA
  • LHP Payton Hawkinson, Cal State-Fullerton, 6-7/230, Turlock, CA
  • LHP Brandon Bertsch, University of Texas, 6-0/170, Dallas, TX

Thompson, a graduate of Lambrick Park Secondary, is a freshman at Minot State University. He has appeared in nine games for the Beavers in 2024, primarily as a reliever, and has given up one or less earned runs in seven of those appearances.

Kelly has posted a 3.96 ERA over 38.2 innings for Cal State-San Marcos during the 2024 season. The California native started the season on a tear as he did not allow an earned run until his 10th appearance. He has struck out 33 batters while limiting the walks to just eight over the course of the season so far. In 2023, Kelly finished with nine saves which was the second most in school history.

Krakoski is the first of two pitchers joining Victoria from Cal State-Fullerton. He has struck out 20 batters over 21.2 innings in 2024 and has limited the long ball by only giving up one home run all season. In high school, he captained his team to the NCS playoff semi-finals in back-to-back years. The freshman comes from a family of athletes as both his grandfather and uncle played professional football – his grandfather played for the Oakland Raiders from 1963-1966 and his uncle was a linebacker in the NFL for Washington in 1986.

Hawkinson (pictured right), another California native, is a big lefty standing at 6-7/230. The freshman has pitched in seven games this year for the Titans and has given up one or less earned runs in six of those appearances. In his junior year of high school he earned first-team all-conference and conference pitcher-of-the-year awards as he led his team to conference championship.

Bertsch is a freshman right-hander from Dallas. He starred in high school becoming just the second player in school history with more than 100 strikeouts in a season. He will add a lot of swing and miss potential to an already formidable HarbourCats pitching staff.

The HarbourCats are looking forward to seeing these young arms in action against West Coast League batters.

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.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Middle infield combo, power corner infielders added by HarbourCats

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Above:  Infielder Jake Butler from George Mason University should be a key cog in the middle infield for the HarbourCats in 2025. 

March 24, 2025

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA — It’s always a bonus to find a double-play combo from the same school, especially one as strong as George Mason University (GMU).

The Victoria HarbourCats are excited to add middle infielders Owen Clyne, who starts at short, and Jake Butler, his usual counterpart at second but also able to play third, from GMU — the school that provided star catcher Connor Dykstra, who signed in July with the Seattle Mariners.

“This group we are announcing today, we will be counting on them to lead key parts of our team this summer,” said HarbourCats GM Christian Stewart.

“Butler and Clyne are impressing everyone this spring, and JC Allen from UC San Diego is off to a strong start as well. Our offense just got even stronger with these four signings, and you know (head coach) Todd Haney will get the most out of them.”

Announced as signed today, by Coach Haney:

IF Owen Clyne, George Mason, L/R, 6-2/185, Wichita, KS
IF Jake Butler, George Mason, R/R, 5-11/185. Towson, MD
IF JC Allen, UC San Diego, R/R, 6-4/210, Irvine, CA
IF/OF Curtis McKay, Niagara, R/R, 6-3/205, Dorchester, ON

Clyne, batting .363, has 28 RBIs in 24 games so far this season, with three home runs, nine extra-base hits and more walks than strikeouts. Butler has 35 runs driven in and is batting .326 with a .457 on-base clip in 20 games.

UC SanDiego’s JC Allen is another player who should see plenty of playing time in the HarbourCats infield in 2025.

Allen is off to a huge start at the D1 level, after two years at Saddleback College, with six home runs and 24 RBIs in his first 22 games for UC SAN Diego. He hit 13 bombs in his second season at Saddleback. He can play either corner infield spot, or get his bat active in the DH role.

McKay, from Ontario, can play corner infield or outfield, is batting .303 with four home runs and an RBI per game (22 total) over 18 starts at Niagara.

The HarbourCats open their 2025 home schedule on Friday, June 6, with the Port Angeles Lefties visiting Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP. Season Tickets, 10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 33 home games and three “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

Tickets can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

ATTENTION 2024 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS – FINAL NOTICE! If you have not already done so, please renew your seats for 2025 so that they can be locked into the new ticketing system. Season Tickets will be sent to all members electronically this season on April 1, 2025, perhaps sooner. Any seats not renewed by MONDAY, March 31 will be released and placed back into the system. Contact Christian at the office at 778-265-0327 to renew.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – KidSport celebrating notable anniversary with HarbourCats in 2025

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March 18, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Count ’em, 25 years of helping youth enjoy sports.

KidSport Greater Victoria is teaming up with the Victoria HarbourCats to celebrate an amazing 25 years of assisting kids in the pursuit of both participation and excellence in local sports, with planned events this summer at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.

And, not the least of which is the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, a Thursday matchup starting at 11am featuring the HarbourCats and island rival Nanaimo NightOwls, with many schools all but emptying to take in the action and helping celebrate this tremendous achievement for KidSport Greater Victoria.

“We can’t think of a better community organization to have involved with this, the KidSport School Spirit game,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats.

“This will be a season-long theme of celebration, of reminding our fans of the great work they do and have done for so long in Victoria. Each and every game, people will have an opportunity to show their support for KidSport Greater Victoria, including a few special events outside this School Spirit Game.”

This will be the second Thursday game in a row in the HarbourCats home schedule in 2025 which will be dedicated to kids — on June 12, the Mayfair Optometric School Spirit Game will take place, also an 11am start featuring the HarbourCats and NightOwls. KidSport Greater Victoria and Mayfair Optometric Clinic are aligned with community values and supporting youth, making this an ideal match to welcome a combined total of more than 5,000 school kids to the park.

“We are so grateful for the past and ongoing support the HarbourCats have offered KidSport, and very excited about the various ways our organizations will work together this year,” said Jill Shaw, Executive Director of KidSport Greater Victoria. “Demand for our support is at an all-time high. We are seeing more families than ever coming to us in need of help so their children can access organized sport. The HarbourCats June 19th School Spirit Game is a great opportunity both to raise awareness about the work we do, and to offer local kids great access to another fun and rewarding local sport experience – we are very happy to be involved!”

KidSport Greater Victoria will also be front and centre on Harvey’s Birthday Game on July 11 at Wilson’s Group Stadium, and will be involved in other special games that are still to be announced.

Supporting KidSport will be a constant theme of the HarbourCats in this 2025 West Coast League season. The HarbourCats encourage all who can to contribute to this great cause, which you can action by clicking this link (https://www.kidsportvictoria25.ca/).

KidSport Greater Victoria has seen tremendous growth over the last 25 years, with demand for their support increasing very steeply starting in 2023 in particular. KidSport Greater Victoria exists to help ensure all kids have opportunity to play; annually they cover the registration fees for well over 1400 local kids living in financial need, enabling them to take part in seasons of sport of their choice – including baseball! As the largest KidSport chapter in the province, we know that on just about every sports team in the region, there are children playing who are able to take part thanks to KidSport and the supporters and donors who make their work possible.

To order tickets as a school group for the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, or the June 12 Mayfair Optometric Clinic School Spirit Game, contact GM Christian Stewart, chris@harbourcats.com — some seats are left, but not many!

For fans looking for tickets for these exciting games, and any other HarbourCats game in 2025, visit the HarbourCats ticketing site HERE.

 

 

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Star Vegas catcher, Hawaii Pacific players added to summer roster

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Unveiled today for Coach Andreychuk’s roster in 2025:

C Anthony Marnell IV, S/R, College of Southern Nevada (and Oregon State), 6-2/200, Las Vegas

RHP Zach Horwith, R/R, 6-1/200, Bellarmine University, Castle Rock, CO

RHP Brennan Kettle, R/R, 6-0/155, Hawaii Pacific, Houston, TX

SS Andrew Nykoluk, R/R, 5-10/165, Hawaii Pacific, Simi Valley, CA

RHP Jayden Gabrillo, L/R, Hawaii Pacific, 5-8/165, Ewa Beach, HI

OF Owen Wessel, R/R, 5-8/165, Hawaii Pacific, Huntington Beach, CA

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