Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Announce 2024 West Coast League Schedule

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

HarbourCats to host 32 regular season home games at Wilsons Group Stadium in 2024

November 6, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA, B.C. — More meetings in the RE/MAX Island Cup with Nanaimo and a season-ending visit by the rival Corvallis Knights highlight the Victoria HarbourCats schedule for 2024, announced today by the HarbourCats and the West Coast League (WCL).

The 2024 season of HarbourCats baseball will start with a six-game road trip to the middle of BC, games in Kamloops and Kelowna starting May 31, before a rematch of last year’s first round of the playoffs with the Wenatchee AppleSox in Victoria for the home opener on Friday, June 7 at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP.

Head Coach Todd Haney and his roster will be intent on defending home turf — last summer, a league record 25-2 record at the best park in the WCL — and making the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season under the former MLB player’s leadership.

The HarbourCats will face the island rival Nanaimo NightOwls nine times this season in an expanded Island Cup series — and in a quirk of the schedule, all nine are in the first half of the season — with six of those games at historic-and-renewed Serauxmen Stadium in Nanaimo. The first-ever weekend meeting of the teams since the NightOwls joined the league in 2022 will take place leading into the Canada Day holiday, including the traditional Fireworks Night in Victoria on Sunday night, June 30th.

Overall the ‘Cats will play 32 home games at Wilson’s Group Stadium, including five non-league games against teams like the Redmond Dudes and for the first time ever, the Seattle based Dub Sea Fish Sticks, a two-game series July 9-10 that should have HarbourCats mascot Harvey the HarbourCat and hopefully fans, drooling with anticipation.

“We are working on arranging the specific dates of our promo schedule, special events like fireworks and Odlum Brown jersey-off-our-backs, and Bark in the Park — those will be released soon so people can buy single tickets or redeem 10pks well before Christmas,” said GM Christian Stewart. “Todd will have our players ready and looking to give our fans more exciting baseball from the home opener through the playoffs, the best entertainment value on the lower island.”

HarbourCats fans will see all the Canadian teams – Nanaimo NightOwls, Kelowna Falcons, Edmonton Riverhawks and the Kamloops NorthPaws – along with the Wenatchee AppleSox, Bellingham Bells, Port Angeles Lefties and Corvallis Knights. Victoria will also participate in the 2024 WCL All-Star game scheduled for July 17th (location to be announced), marking the first time this event returns since 2019.

The August 5-7 match-up with the Knights, a re-match of the 2023 Championship Final, marks the first time the Knights have travelled to Victoria since 2019 and given that the plan for that series includes BC Day Fireworks, the annual Jersey Off Our Backs night and Fan Appreciation night, it is anticipated that tickets for that closing series will be in high demand.

Speaking of tickets, Season Tickets and 10-game flex packs are now on sale for the 2024 season and can be purchased at the office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, or by calling the office at 778-265-0327.

SINGLE GAME TICKETS and flex pack voucher exchanges are not yet available. It is anticipated that these will be available on-line for the general public starting December 1, 2023 and through our one and only ticketing partner, Select Your Tickets. Stay tuned or more information on that.

The full HarbourCats 2024 schedule and a number of tentative promotional dates (subject to change) is presented below (Download Graphic of calendar schedule HERE):

Fri May 31 @KAMLOOPS
Sat June 1 @KAMLOOPS
Sun June 2 @KAMLOOPS
Mon June 3 @KELOWNA
Tue June 4 @KELOWNA
Wed June 5 @KELOWNA

Fri June 7 vs WENATCHEE 6:35 PM – Opening Night
Sat June 8 vs WENATCHEE 6:35 PM – FIREWORKS!
Sun June 9 vs WEN 1:05 PM – Sunday Matinee

Tue June 11 vs NANAIMO 6:35 PM
Wed June 12 @ NANAIMO
Thur June 13 vs NANAIMO 11:00 AM Matinee School Spirit Game

Fri June 14 @EDMONTON
Sat June 15 @EDMONTON
Sun June 16 @EDMONTON

Tue June 18 @NANAIMO
Wed June 19 @NANAIMO
Thur June 20 @NANAIMO

Fri June 21 vs BELLINGHAM 6:35 PM
Sat June 22 vs BELLINGHAM 6:35 PM
Sun June 23 vs BELLINGHAM 1:05 PM Sunday Matinee

Tue June 25 vs REDMOND 6:35 PM – Non-League

Wed June 26 vs PORT ANGELES 6:35 PM
Thur June 27 vs PORT ANGELES 6:35 PM
Fri June 28 vs PORT ANGELES 6:35 PM

Sat June 29 @NANAIMO
Sun June 30 vs NANAIMO, 6:35 PM CANADA DAY FIREWORKS
Mon July 1 @NANAIMO

Tue July 2 @WENATCHEE
Wed July 3 @WENATCHEE
Thur July 4 @WENATCHEE

Fri July 5 vs KELOWNA 6:35 PM
Sat July 6 vs KELOWNA 6:35 PM
Sun July 7 vs KELOWNA 1:05 PM Sunday Matinee – HARVEY’S BIRTHDAY

Tue July 9 vs DUB SEA FISHSTICKS 6:35 PM – Non-League
Wed July 10 vs DUB SEA FISHSTICKS 6:35 PM – Non-League

Fri July 12 vs EDMONTON 6:35 PM
Sat July 13 vs EDMONTON 6:35 PM FIREWORKS!
Sun July 14 vs EDMONTON 1:05 PM Sunday Matinee – BARK IN THE PARK

Tue July 16 vs SOUTH ISLAND ALL-STARS 6:35 PM – Non-League
Wed July 17 WCL ALL-STAR GAME (LOCATION TBD)
Thur July 18 vs VICTORIA MAVERICKS 6:35 PM – Non-League

Fri Jul 19 @ RIDGEFIELD
Sat July 20 @ RIDGEFIELD
Sun July 21 @ RIDGEFIELD
Mon July 22 @PORT ANGELES
Tue July 23@PORT ANGELES
Wed July 24 @PORT ANGELES

Fri July 26 vs KAMLOOPS 6:35PM
Sat July 27 vs KAMLOOPS 6:35 PM
Sun July 28 vs KAMLOOPS 1:05 PM Sunday Matinee

Tue July 30 vs EDMONTON 6:35 PM
Wed July 31 vs EDMONTON 6:35 PM
Thur Aug 1 vs EDMONTON 6:35 PM

Fri Aug 2 @BELLINGHAM
Sat Aug 3 @BELLINGHAM
Sun Aug 4@BELLINGHAM

Mon Aug 5 vs CORVALLIS 6:35PM – BC DAY FIREWORKS!
Tue Aug 6 vs CORVALLIS 6:35 PM – JERSEY OFF OUR BACKS!
Wed Aug 7 vs CORVALLIS 6:35 PM – FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT!

August 10-12 Divisional Playoffs
Wed August 14 Championship Semi-Finals
Fri August 16 Championship Final

$10 Tuesdays – June 11, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 30 (not Aug 6)
All General Admission and Premium Reserved seats just $10

Winning Wednesdays – June 26, July 10, July 31, Aug 7
All Red Arrow beer products on sale for just $6

Forces Fridays – June 7, June 21, June 28, July 5, July 12, July 26
Military and first responders can get half-price General Admission seating

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Chase makes eight! Meidroth recalled by Chicago

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

April 11, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — In 10 seasons of play, it’s now eight Major League Baseball players produced — not too shabby.

The Victoria HarbourCats are proud to announce that the Chicago White Sox have recalled infielder Chase Meidroth, and he will make his MLB debut at second base tonight against the team that drafted him, the Boston Red Sox.

Meidroth was placed with the HarbourCats in 2019 by Head Coach Rich Hill, then at the University of San Diego (now at Hawaii), and starred for the Cats at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP under HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney, himself a former MLB player.

Meidroth joins Nick Pivetta (Philadelphia/Boston/San Diego), Andrew Vaughn (Chicago White Sox), Alex DeGoti (Houston), Nathan Lukes (Toronto), Cade Smith (Cleveland), Davis Wendzel (Texas) and Jack Neely (Chicago Cubs) as MLB players who have come through the Victoria program.

That Pivetta was the first HarbourCat in the majors was pure poetry — he threw the first pitch in HarbourCats history in 2013, and is a Victoria product and former PBL Victoria Eagles pitcher.

With Vaughn and Meidroth together, this will be the first time two HarbourCats have been on the same team at the MLB level — and they may even bat next to each other in the lineup over the coming days.

With the HarbourCats, Meidroth was a star defensively at shortstop, and was near impossible to keep off the bases — he hit a whopping .424, a .494 on-base percentage, with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, 13 RBIs and eight stolen bases. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft after his junior season at USD.

Meidroth is just 23, with a whole career ahead of him. He’s considered an excellent contact hitter with MLB power potential, and had a big year at AAA in the Boston system last year before being a key part of a major trade between the two Sox teams. He’s hit 38 home runs across all levels, batting .304 with 54 stolen bases.

“Chase was tremendous for us — so strong at short, and an impact bat in helping that 2019 team reach the WCL final,” said Jim Swanson of the HarbourCats. “We are so proud of him — and all our players who go pro, and of course the eight now who have made it to the MLB level.”

Vaughn is the top bat with the White Sox after being the third-overall MLB draft pick in 2019, fast-tracked to the MLB level. Smith, Wendzel (now at AAA in the Reds organization) and Neely made their MLB debuts in 2024, and Lukes, the 2014 HarbourCats player of the year, is fast becoming a regular in the outfield with the Blue Jays. DeGoti saw time with the Astros during the covid season and is now at AAA in the Rangers organization.

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 four “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

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

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Finn returns, two Tide guys sign, and three Horned Frogs

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

For immediate release

April 10, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — There may not be a better team nickname in all of sports than that of TCU — The Horned Frogs. And three of those Horned Frogs will be with the Victoria HarbourCats this summer.

Catcher Jacob Silva and pitchers Andrew Carter and Thomas Bridges have been added to head coach Todd Haney’s roster for this summer, which the HarbourCats will start on the road in Kelowna on May 30 — less than two months away. TCU provided right-hander Carson Cormier, a WCL all-star and Pitcher of the Year, to the HarbourCats in 2024.

The home opener is June 6 with the Port Angeles Lefties at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP.

“It’s always good to add top young talent from a great program like TCU, which sees the value in the competition we get to face in the West Coast League on a daily basis,” said Haney, the 2023 WCL coach of the year, now in his fifth season as head coach of the HarbourCats.

Also added today are local pitcher Jack Finn, in his third season with the HarbourCats, and Victoria Golden Tide outfielder Dominic Biello, who is having a breakout season with the CCBC program in Victoria. Righty Jalen Sami, who was a valuable asset of
out the bullpen before starting a playoff game for Victoria in 2024, also returns.

“Having Jack Finn return with the strides he’s made at the D1 level, will be great for the staff as well,” said Haney. “He really enjoys working with our pitching coach, Scott Anderson.”

Announced today:

LHP Jack Finn, Illinois State, 6-2/185, L/L, Victoria
OF Dominic Biello, Victoria Golden Tide, 6-0/200, R/R, Victoria
RHP Jalen Sami, Victoria Golden Tide, 5-10/170, R/R, Burnaby
RHP Andrew Carter, TCU, 6-2/192, R/R, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
RHP Tommy Bridges, TCU, 5-11/190, R/R, Los Angeles
C Jacob Silva, TCU, 5-10/203, S/R, San Antonio, TX

Finn, a product of the Victoria Eagles, had an impressive showing for the HarbourCats late in the 2023 season, before heading to Normal, Illinois and Illinois State. The sophomore is used as a lefty out of the pen by head coach Steve Holm, but started seven games among his nine appearances in summer of 2024 in Victoria, going 0-2 with a 3.96 ERA — 16 strikeouts and 23 hits allowed in 25 innings.

Biello, who attends UVic, is tied for the Tide team lead in home runs with two this spring, batting .318, with a team-high nine runs batted in, along with three doubles. An Eagles product, Biello is a leader for the Tide, usually batting second in the order — also a strong defender in the outfield.

Sami, from Burnaby, took the winter off to rest, rehab and strengthen his pitching arm but will be ready by late May. He made nine appearances for the HarbourCats in 2024, giving up just 10 hits in 16.1 innings, walking only two hitters.

Silva hit .375 in his high school career before joining his older brother Anthony at TCU. Jacob was a stellar student-athlete at Clark HS, recognized for his academics and named a unanimous all-district player. He won the Texas 6A Student Athlete Award in 2024.

Carter had three no-hitters in high school and was first-team all-conference in his last two years of prep baseball. He is a freshman at TCU, as is Bridges, who had a record 0.59 ERA in high school, earning an invite to the Perfect Game national showcase.

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

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Little League Classic coming to RAP, ahead of nationals at Layritz

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2025

VICTORIA, B.C. — It’s a first for the best baseball park in Victoria, and a way to celebrate a major event coming to Layritz Park in late July.

With Layritz due to host the Canadian Little League Championship starting on July 29 — the winner advances to Williamsport, PA, and represents team Canada for the Little League World Series — the Victoria HarbourCats, and the HarbourCats Foundation, are hosting the LITTLE LEAGUE CLASSIC at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.

On Sunday, July 20, all six Little League organizations in the Victoria area will be represented as a preview of the Canadian Little League Championship, which will start at Layritz on July 29 — an event supported by the HarbourCats Foundation through the Victoria Foundation.

“This is something we have never tried, and we can’t wait to see the faces of these young athletes when they are on that field, with their pictures up on the video scoreboard,” said Jim Swanson of the HarbourCats. “We think this is something that could grow in future years to see Wilson’s Group Stadium used for an entire youth baseball showcase weekend — the same as we are using the Emery Electric Fastpitch Showcase on May 31, featuring the Sooke Loggers and Lacey A’s, to bring attention to that area of diamond sports.

“We could not be more excited to see what Layritz is doing in hosting the Canadian Little League Championship. There is no more pure level of sport than events like that, the pure joy of the young stars, and all who support them.”

Little League Classic schedule of events:

Sunday, July 20 2025 Little League Classic
Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP

11am, Hampton vs. Central Saanich
1pm, National vs. Lakehill
3pm, Layritz vs. Beacon Hill

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the HarbourCats Foundation to bring the Little League Classic to Royal Athletic Park,” said Brittney Crump, Chair of the Canadian Little League Championships Planning Committee. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent of our little league athletes in Victoria and build excitement for the Canadian Little League Championship at Layritz. We are grateful for the support we have received to date from the local community – but we have not reached our fundraising goal yet. Community support is vital to the success of these events, and we’re proud to stand together with the HarbourCats Foundation in making this experience possible for these young athletes.”

Tickets are available on-line for the Little League Classic, and are by donation for adults, with a minimum donation of $5 required. Kids 12 and under are free! These great events need financial support to be able to pull them off, and the HarbourCats and HarbourCats Foundation are proud to be part of that effort.

Anyone wishing to learn more or to support the national tournament can visit the tournament website at https://layritz.ca/tournaments/2025-canadian-championship/ or e-mail Brittany Crump at media@layritz.ca.

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.

Source