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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats add seven to 2023 roster, including five pitchers and three locals

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A 2022 WCL Pitcher of the Week winner, returning HarbourCat Cooper Crompton (above) highlights the latest round of 2023 player announcements

February 28, 2023

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Top arms from TCU, a pro prospect catcher from George Mason and three local players highlight the latest round of signings for the 2023 season of Victoria HarbourCats baseball.

“We always value securing local and Canadian players where they fit with their stage of development and the quality competition in the West Coast League,” said General Manager Christian Stewart. “Our fans also like seeing players return, and that’s the case in these latest signings with Cooper Crompton, Noah Takacs and Dawson Hurford. I know the coaching staff is excited to see Connor Dykstra and Tyrus Hall, and the TCU guys coming north for the summer are premium arms.”

Announced today are:

  • Tyrus Hall, IF, school undecided, 6-2/190, Victoria, B.C.
  • Connor Dykstra, C, George Mason University, 6-1/230, Chilliwack, B.C.
  • Cooper Crompton, RHP, Iowa Western (committed to Oregon), 6-5/180, Langley, B.C.
  • Kole Klecker, RHP, Texas Christian University (TCU), 6-2/205, Chandler, AZ
  • Louis Rodriguez, RHP, Texas Christian University (TCU), 6-1/205, Long Beach, CA
  • Noah Takacs, RHP, Sacramento State, 6-3/200, Victoria, B.C.
  • Dawson Hurford, RHP, Southern Arkansas, 6-3/210, Victoria, B.C.

Hall is a Canadian national junior team product who played for the Victoria Eagles, and is known for his defence and strong arm. He is taking a gap year after high school and going to showcase events while working through his recruitment process, and will decide on a college program soon. Has primarily played as a shortstop.

Former Victoria Eagle and Canadian JNP product Ty Hall will give the ‘Cats some great talent in the middle infield

Dykstra, a big man at 6-1/230, found his name on the list of the top 50 NCAA Division 1 catchers due to his strong work behind the plate and his lethal right-hand bat. In 2022, he hit .444 with six home runs and 33 RBIs while also swiping four bases in the Atlantic10 Conference. Dykstra also got hit by pitch 21 times in 51 games played. He jumped to George Mason from Galveston College.

Dykstra will be a solid presence behind the plate this season

Crompton, currently in his second year at Iowa Western, where he is already 2-0 on the season, made five starts for the HarbourCats in 2022, amassing 24.2 innings and giving up just 20 hits while walking only seven and earned a WCL Pitcher of the Week award for his efforts.  He is committed to the Oregon Ducks in the fall.

Victorian Noah Takacs will return in 2023 to bolster the HarbourCats pitching staff (Photo: Christian J Stewart)

Rodriguez was a USA Baseball national team participant from the time he was 12, and was Orange County pitcher of the year as a senior in high school. He’s 1-0 with a 3.37 ERA as a TCU freshman. Kole Klecker — already makes the WCL’s all-name team — threw a complete game to help his high school win the Arizona state championship. Is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 11 strikeouts (and no walks) in 8.1 innings already as a freshman at TCU.

Louis Rodriguez has been a member of Team USA since the age of 12 and won in his debut this spring with TCU.

Takacs, a product of the Victoria Eagles, is a sophomore at Sacramento State, was 1-1 with a 5.01 ERA for the HarbourCats in six starts in 2022. He’s now thrown more than 80 innings for Sac State, and is 3-3 over 16 starts.

Hurford, a Victoria Mariners product, threw in six games as a HarbourCat in 2022, with a record of 0-1 and 6.46 ERA. He’s moved from Western Nebraska College to NCAA Division-2 University of Southern Arkansas, where he is used out of the bullpen.

Already 2-0 in his freshman year at TCU, Kole Klecker should be a key arm in the HarbourCats bullpen in 2023.

The HarbourCats celebrate their 10th Anniversary in 2023 and the season kicks off with the home opener against the Kamloops NorthPaws on Friday June 2, 2023.  Single game tickets for that game and all 31 HarbourCats home games in 2023 are now on sale and can be purchased on-line through our one-and-only ticketing partner, Select Your Tickets, at harbourcats.com/tickets.  They can also be purchased at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, or at the Select Your Tickets box office at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.  Fans can also call 778-265-0327 to order over the phone.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale.  For details on all ticketing options, including our special $10.00 Tuesdays, Forces Fridays and Save-on-Food Vouchers, please visit harbourcats.com/ticketinfo.

HOST FAMILIES!  The HarbourCats are in need of host families for 2023!  If you are interested, you can find more details HERE, or contact Cindy Kent, our Host Family Coordinator by e-mail at hostfamily@harbourcats.com.

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The Losing Streak Continues For The Nanaimo NightOwls

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NANAIMO, B.C. — The losing streak continues for the Nanaimo NightOwls as they were on the wrong side of a 5-0 score line against the Port Angeles Lefties. That brings the losing streak up to five games and drops the NightOwls to 8-12 on the season. The good thing is they are back at it tomorrow at 1:00 pm for the final game of the series, with a chance to salvage a game of the series and get back to their winning ways.

 

They couldn’t capitalize on runners in scoring position and finished the game with nine left on base. Nanaimo finished with zero runs on seven hits and one error. The Lefties had five runs on seven hits and no errors.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=621644

Starting pitcher Aidan Boice took the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. He had a rough start to the game, giving up four runs in the first inning before settling in nicely and only giving up three hits in the next five innings of work.

Nanaimo NightOwls Pitcher Aidan Boice

 

 

Relievers Dillon Thompson and Asher De Leo pitched solid in relief combined for three innings of one hit one run ball. Thompson also struck out two while De Leo struck out four of the eight batters he faced to end the game.

Once again it was Spencer Sullivan with a multi-hit game. After going two for two in the first game of the series against the Port Angeles Lefties, he followed it up with a three for four night with 3 singles. He currently has five of the 12 hits for the Nanaimo NightOwls in the series and is hitting a crazy .833, lets hope it continues for the final game of the series.

Drew Giannini continues to hit well contributing with a single and stolen base and going one for four on the evening. Eli Watson, centerfielder Owen Wessel, and Nanaimo product Easton Mould all added singles for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

In the field the NightOwls were able to turn 3 double plays. Shortshop Andrew Nykoluk, from Simi Valley, California, was a man one wrecking crew in the middle of the infield. At one point in the fourth and fifth innings he made five straight outs including a highlight reel diving catch to rob the Lefties of a base hit. Should probably have that highlight!

One more game in the series against the Port Angeles Lefties on Sunday June 22nd where the NightOwls will look to end their 5 game losing streak. Then the Redmond Dudes come into Serauxemen Stadium for a two game series on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24th and 25th.

Sunday after noon we will be wearing our Nanaimo Bar jerseys and it’s a Family Fun Day where kids get to run the bases after the game. It’s also Halloween in June! So show up to the stadium in a costume and cheer on the team. Make sure to follow all of our social media accounts for the latest news and updates about the Nanaimo NightOwls and all the team. Stay tuned this week for a special player profile on one of your Nanaimo NightOwls!

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Great pitching, solid defense and almost no offense. A wacky double header gets split on Saturday

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The Kamloops NorthPaws split Saturday’s doubleheader with the Victoria HarbourCats winning the first game 1-0 and losing the second game by the same score. After Friday’s contest was rained out, the two teams were back at it for a pair of seven-inning games that saw just two runs and nine hits combined between the two teams in 15 innings of baseball.

“That’s a first for me,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson. “The pitchers threw well today, and both teams hitters just couldn’t hit; it happens in baseball sometimes.”

Game one saw righty Keith Manby get the start and throw four scoreless innings, walking and striking out two batters, all while not allowing a hit. Lefty Mac Gatzke came on in relief and pitched three scoreless innings. In the fifth, he gave up back-to-back singles but got a nifty 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam. Righty Julio Garcia was called upon in the eighth and hit the first batter he faced but got out of the inning unscathed.

At the plate, it was a struggle for Kamloops as HarbourCats starter Thomas Bridges gave them five scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out seven batters. Unlike the HarbourCats, the NorthPaws never really had a dangerous opportunity to score, only leaving one runner on base. That stranded runner came in the bottom of the seventh with Right Fielder Connor Clark at second base and first baseman Jared Hall failing to drive him in with two outs.

The NorthPaws eventually would put together good at-bats in the eighth. Catcher Kalen Applefield led off with a walk. Tanner Hornback pinch hit and reached base via an error and would later steal second base. The next two NorthPaw hitters failed to convert with Applefield 90 feet away, bringing up a two-out situation. Center fielder Ethan Kodama walked, loading the bases and setting up Elijah Clayton to be the hero. Clayton found himself in a two-strike count but worked a walk, scoring the lone run of the game and giving Kamloops the win in a bizarre fashion.

After a game no one expected, the two teams regrouped and returned to the field for game two. No one in the crowd thought another contest like that was possible again, but they would be proved wrong.

The NorthPaws saw their righty starter Lukas Dykstra make his longest outing of the season, going four and a third innings, giving up just one run on two hits. The Harbourcats got to him in the fifth inning after a walk, hit by pitch and a single. From there, the HarbourCats shut the door with their starter going five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and a six-out save by former NorthPaw Oliver Mabee.
The NorthPaws had a chance in the bottom of the seventh after a Connor Clark single, but Tanner Hornback hit into a game-ending double play, securing the split for the HarbourCats.

Five hits in 15 innings for a team that put up 18 runs in their previous three games in Walla Walla. Heading into the series finale, the Kamloops hitters are going to put more of an emphasis on their team approach at the plate.

“I think we were a bit antsy tonight; I know I was antsy in some at-bats swinging at stuff I shouldn’t be swinging at, but we just need to get back to our approach tomorrow,” said infielder Drew Schmidt.

The pitching on both sides was excellent all night, with just nine combined walks in the doubleheader. Notably, the HarbourCats staff did not walk a single batter in game two. Despite the split, there are plenty of positives to take away, including the performances from the NorthPaw bullpen.

“I think we commanded the inner half really well tonight, and that allowed us to work that outside corner more. Usually, when you throw a lot of strikes and don’t give guys free passes, you give yourself a good chance to win,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

The series finale will be a crucial one, as both teams are tied for fourth in the North Division at 11-9. The matinée will get underway at 12:05.

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Victoria HarbourCats – ‘Cats earn split in Saturday double header in Kamloops

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For Immediate Release

June 21, 2025

KAMLOOPS, BC – Mother Nature sure put a damper on the HarbourCats offence on Saturday.

After scoring 23 runs and notching 30 hits in their sweep of Nanaimo last week, the HarbourCats could only muster one run and four hits on Saturday in Kamloops, but, thanks to some stellar pitching, that was enough to earn a split with the NorthPaws, taking game two Saturday 1-0, after dropping the first game by that exact same score in extra innings.

After a rain out Friday night that created today’s 7-inning double header scenario, Tommy Bridges (Northwestern) got the start for the HarbourCats in game one and he was brilliant, facing the minimum number of batters and striking out seven in five innings of work.

His only blemish was a fourth inning single by Drew Schmidt, who was then thrown out trying to steal second by HarbourCats catcher Kyle Hepburn (S. Illinois Edwardsville), who came on in the first inning to replace Jacob Silva (TCU), who injured a foot sliding into second earlier in the game.

Unfortunately for Bridges and the HarbourCats, Kamloops starter Keith Manby was also strong, going four scoreless and hitless innings, giving way to Mac Gatzke who went another three scoreless innings to keep the Cats off the board.

BOX SCORE GAME 1

After such great pitching performances on both sides, forcing the game into an extra eighth inning, it would be somewhat ironic that Kamloops would win the game on a bases loaded walk surrendered by Garret Villa (Angelo State) to the NorthPaws Elijah Clayton.

In game two, Logan Rumberg (George Mason) got the start for Victoria and taking a cue from teammate Bridges, he also dominated, going five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and striking out six.

He got all the run support he needed in the fifth inning when JC Allen (UC San Diego), making his first start as a HarbourCat, walked and then later came in to score on an RBI single from Jack Johnson (Baylor).

BOX SCORE GAME 2

Victoria native Oliver Mabee (Nebraska Omaha) came on to pitch the final two innings and earned the save, giving up one hit and striking out two, and inducing a game-ending double-play to kill a NorthPaws threat in the bottom of the seventh.

The split Saturday moves the HarbourCats record to 11-9 on the season, tied with Kamloops for fourth place and 3.5 games back of Division leading Bellingham.

The HarbourCats and NorthPaws will complete their three-game set with a quick turn around for the rubber match of the series, a 12 noon start on Sunday. Scheduled to take the mound for the HarbourCats is Julian Orozco. That game can be seen on-line live at WCL amd Kamloops streaming site at https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/events/68413255ee5610062bf7f4d7/

The ‘Cats will then head home to begin a three-game set with the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, on $12 Tuesday, where select Premium Reserve seats are available for just $12. Tickets for that game are available at http://harbourcats.com/tickets or by calling the HarbourCats office at 778-265-0327.

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