Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats | HarbourCats 2021 Single-Game Tickets available for purchase Tuesday, March 16th
Premium Reserved, Right-Field Reserved and General Admission tickets to be available first
For Immediate Release
March 15th, 2021
Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats continue to optimistically prepare for the possibility of West Coast League baseball at Wilson’s Group Stadium this summer, today announcing that limited release of single-game tickets for any game in the scheduled 2021 season, will start Tuesday March 16th at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.
Tickets can be purchased on-line via Select Your Tickets at www.harbourcats.com/tickets, or fans may drop in to the HarbourCats offices at 101-1814 Vancouver Street (Masking and COVID protocols in place). Fans can also call the HarbourCats office to order over the phone at 778-265-0327. The Select Your Tickets box office is not yet available for ticket purchases.
Fans should note that not all seats will be available for purchase at this time, with Premium Reserved, Right-Field Reserved and General Admission being available initially.
Single-Game seats in the Grandstand and Campbell Club sections behind home plate are NOT on sale at this time. Seating in these areas is limited, relative to other sections, and in the event that the HarbourCats have to allow for social distancing, these are being held in reserve to allow for re-distribution of current season ticket holders, addition of any new season tickets and the allocation of 2021 tickets to any existing 2020 game ticket holders, or 2020/2021 voucher renewals.
Tickets in the Premium Reserved and Right Field Reserved Sections are also being restricted at this point to allow for social distancing. Sections 8 and 9 behind the HarbourCats dugout are also not for sale at this time, again to allow for possible re-distribution of season ticket holders and others as per the same reasons as the Grandstand seats above.
Those seats that are available in Sections 7, 11 and 12 in Premium Reserved and in Section 6, Right Field Reserved, will be sold on-line in pods of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 tickets maximum. Anyone seeking single tickets should call, or drop in to the HarbourCats office to order.
As per HarbourCats normal ticket policy, any 2021 ticket purchase is non-refundable. In the event that the 2021 season, or any portion of it, has to be cancelled due to COVID restrictions, weather, or other reasons , all 2021 tickets will hold their value and be eligible to be exchanged for seats for games later in 2021 or all games in 2022.
“We continue to be optimistic about the 2021 season and are thrilled to be able to open ticket sales at this point to the general public,” said HarbourCats Assistant GM, Ticketing and Media, Christian J. Stewart. “We want to be ready to go when we are told we can go and we want our fans to be ready too! This has the potential to be a great celebratory return to the ballpark, HarbourCats baseball and normalcy, and when we play, we expect that all our games and seats will be in high demand.”
It is expected that Grandstand, Campbell Club and additional Premium Reserved and Right Field Reserved seats will go on sale once more is learned about any potential seating protocols, or crowd limitations that may have to be in place.
In addition to the restricted single game tickets on the 16th, fans can still purchase 2021 season tickets in ALL sections, with the HarbourCats 101 for 2021 promotion still in effect until April 15th. Each season ticket comes with free playoff tickets, a free whale watching pass from Prince of Whales, some HarbourCats merchandise and a 50.00 HarbourCats gift card (one per order). Call or drop into the office to order. As an added bonus, any season ticket purchased before April 15th, will also be entered into a draw for a getaway to the Moon Water Lodge and dinner for two at the Malahat Chalet, a $400.00 value.
10-Game flex packs are also available in all sections except Campbell Club, giving you 10 anytime vouchers that you can use in any combination you like. These can also be purchased at the office , but are also available at our on-line store at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/
Fans holding game tickets from the cancelled 2020 season, or 2020 or 2021 ticket vouchers are strongly urged to come into the HarbourCats offices as soon as possible to exchange those seats, subject to availability, for any 2021 game of their choice. Initial windows of opportunity have been provided for these exchanges already, but with single game seats going on sale, availability in some sections could be limited.
Dillon Lopez celebrates his walk-off base hit that gave Victoria a 10-9 win over the Kelowna Falcons last July 12 (Photo: Justin Morash)
April 7, 2026
Story by Norm LeBus
Photos by Justin Morash
At 11 years old, I was five foot seven and almost as wide, so catcher or right field was the best guess in Little League. A late growth spurt and affinity for Gram’s baking meant I didn’t move very quickly, but I did take up a lot of space.
Squatting with a cage on my head, I closed my eyes when I saw a club swing overhead. Then a ball hit me right in the chest protector.
“Maybe join the outfielders,” coach said.
That was 1970.
I’ve always had a respect for catchers. A crouched blend of courage and mule stubbornness, donning and shedding protective amour between innings. Kind of a point guard in the summer heat, bending to a kneel then standing dozens of times a game, guiding eight on-field players into place and counseling shaky pitchers.
So, it’s validating to hear catching feels exactly like it looks.
“When I started, I’d be sore for a couple days after catching games,” Dillon Lopez says.
“I guess over time you kind of get used to hurting all the time. You get used to your body feeling not one hundred percent and you kind of roll with it.”
Lopez, 21, is currently a junior at NCAA Div 1 program St Mary’s University in San Antonio, his hometown. Lopez joined the Cats late in 2025, arriving July 1 after the team’s starting catcher, Jacob Silva, injured his toe sliding into a base in Kelowna.
“If Dillon had arrived earlier, he no doubt would have been one of our all-star selections,” Harbourcats GM Christian Stewart contends. “He’s just a guy you can send up to the plate with confidence and put behind the dish with confidence to handle any of our pitchers.”
Lopez, 5-10 and about 200 pounds, is kind of built for the job.
Dillon Lopez salutes the crowd after his walk-off base hit gave the Cats a dramatic 10-9 win over the Kelowna Falcons last July 12th (Photo: Justin Morash).
In the WCL, you’re crouched behind home plate in about seven pounds of armour, in what amounts to the engine room. Two opposing forces are trying to collide: a hickory or birch bat whirls past your ear at almost 100 miles an hour as a ball’s incoming at close to the same velocity. When the two intersect, it’s game action: foul ball or in-play on the diamond.
But most of the game, the ball lands in the catcher’s mitt for balls and strikes.
“It doesn’t come too close to my head,” Lopez says of the bat. “But it does come pretty close to my glove. All I try to do is focus on catching the ball.”
Every inch of the catcher is protected, including their throat. It’s kind of a dangerous place. And catchers need to keep it calm in the eye of the storm.
“We’re more of a coach on the field,” Lopez says. “We see everything and we keep everybody in check and remind everybody what they have to do.”
My right field recollections were a lot of daydreaming punctuated by one or maybe two fly balls a game and less grounders.
Not so if you play catcher.
“I love catching because I’m always in the game and helps me stay locked in on what ‘s going on,” Lopez says. “If definitely takes a lot of focus and some homework, understanding batters’ swings and their tendencies.
Lopez is also an outstanding hitter. Arriving July 1 last season, he played 24 games and hit .350 with four doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI.
Currently back in San Antonio for his junior year at St Mary’s University, Lopez is hitting .362 with eight dingers and 43 RBI in 35 games this spring.
Lopez is also outstanding in the classroom as a three-time conference honour roll student in his field of sport science.
And he’s a student of the game, studying both his swing and his catching form on video most nights during the season, ensuring his fundamentals don’t stray.
“Your swing can change slightly during the season,” he explains. “There’s mental fatigue and body fatigue and you have to push through the fog, stay true to fundamentals and not chase little fixes that up end altering the foundation.”
The last year has been a huge challenge for Lopez outside the lines. Three months before he joined the Cats in 2025, Lopez lost a family member after a lengthy illness.
Dillon Lopez should be a steady influence behind the plate for the HarbourCats again in 2026 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
His St Mary’s teammate, Garret Brooks, who also arrived in Victoria at the beginning of July, was instrumental at the start.
“He definitely helped me out with getting in there and getting situated,” Lopez recalls. “We hung out with a lot of the guys and kind of got to fit in a little bit, especially when it’s the middle of summer and everybody’s already used to each other.”
It didn’t hurt that both players made immediate impacts: Brooks hit .343 with six doubles and 13 RBI in 20 games; Lopez homered three times with 18 RBI, four doubles and hit .350 in 21 games.
Through 30 games in the current NCAA season that began in February, both players are rolling at St Mary’s: both are hitting well above .300 with a combined 12 homers and 63 RBI.
And when the calendar hits June, Lopez plans to be behind home plate for the first pitch.
“I feel like it should be much better transition wise,” Lopez says. “I get to experience opening day and get the fans to kind of know me a bit more than a new face.
“It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to winning a lot of games.”
Lopez and the HarbourCats begin their 2026 season on May 29th with a visit to Portland and then return to Victoria for the Home Opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 pm.
Season tickets, single-game tickets, 12 and 32-game flex packs and 2026 All-Star Game ticket packages are now on sale at harbourcats.com/tickets or at the HarbourCats office at 1814 Vancouver Street.
NightOwls go California Dreaming — more arms for Coach Gorm
– Pitching coach Gorm Heimueller, going into his 50th year in the game, will have a lot to work with for mound duties this season.
The Nanaimo NightOwls are pleased to announce the signing of some top-end pitching for the 2026 WCL campaign, and all of those locked in on paperwork today hail from the State of California — which happens to be where Gorm is originally from.
To help Heimueller have a memorable 50th year in baseball, the NightOwls are proud to add these pitchers to his 2026 meeting room:
RHP Jacob Badillo, Cal State-LA, 6-0/180, Lancaster CA
RHP Anthony Cosme, Cal Poly-Pomona, 6-0/208, Inglewood CA
RHP Jacob Alvarez, Orange Coast College, 61-/215, Bellflower CA
RHP Chase Cummins, Cerra Coso CC, 6-0/168, Santa Maria CA
Badillo comes from the same school that provided 2025 starter Lino Zepeda, an effective starter for Heimueller’s staff. As a freshman, Badillo has made five appearances including three starts for Cal State LA so far this spring, posting his first collegiate win.
Cosme has spent time as the Friday Night Starter for Cal Poly, a physical pitcher who runs his fastball up to 93. He was the opening game starter for Cal Poly as a freshman, and went on to make 11 starts and was named the school’s freshman male athlete of the year, walking only 17 batters in nearly 60 innings pitched.
Alvarez is at junior college powerhouse program Orange Coast College, on the same team as recent signee Alan Choo (1B/DH, son of former MLB all-star Shin-Soo Choo). Alvarez already has six appearances this spring, including a start, an innings-eater for Orange Coast with nearly a strikeout per inning.
Cummins is a submariner, a whippy arm and a useful bullpen tool to mix things up — a sophomore who has given up just one hit in his last two outings and is striking out a batter per inning. He had 24 innings of work last summer for Swift Current in the WCBL, so this will be his second summer spent north of the border.
Summer Collegiate
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