Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats | HarbourCats commit to Head Coach Haney for the long-term
Five-Year MLB veteran signs on to coach HarbourCats through 2026 season.
June 18, 2021
VICTORIA, B.C. — It’s always good when a great thing can be made to last.
The Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to announce that Todd Haney, the team’s Head Coach and a five-year MLB player (Expos, Cubs, Mets), has agreed to a five-year contract extension, that will see him slated to lead the team from the 2022 season through the summer of 2026.
Better yet for the organization, it was Haney himself who sought the extension.
“We love Victoria. And we really miss Victoria, with what’s gone on with the pandemic and losing two seasons,” said Haney, from his home in Waco, Texas. “Kira and I consider it our second home. We love the city, the people, and the opportunity to lead the HarbourCats program.”
Haney, who took over as Head Coach for the 2019 season, led the team to the third-best all-time regular season record of 39-15, and to within a game of the West Coast League title. He was an assistant coach in Victoria for the 2018 season.
“Todd has been a perfect fit for us, in how he recruits and develops players, how he works with every single person in the organization, and how he interacts with our fans and partners,” said GM Jim Swanson. “We’re humbled to have Todd and Kira wanting to be part of this, and we think it says a lot about Victoria and what an amazing city this is.”
Haney will look to retain the coaching staff that was planned for the 2021 season, including Mark Petkovsek, Greg Swindell, Curtis Pelletier and Troy Birtwistle. Petkovsek, the Pitching Coach, played nine years in the Majors, while Swindell, the Bench Coach, spent 17 years in a MLB uniform — which gives the HarbourCats a staff with a combined 31 years of MLB playing experience. Haney, Petkovsek and Swindell were college teammates with the Texas Longhorns.
All Texas Longhorn alumni, Mark Petkovsek (left), Todd Haney (centre) and Greg Swindell (right), will bring 31 years of MLB experience to the HarbourCats coaching staff in 2022.
Pelletier, the Hitting/Catching Coach, and Birtwistle, First Base Coach, are Victoria products.
“A lot of work is going on to be ready for the 2022 season, including recruiting, and locking in the coaching staff is perhaps the most important part of those efforts,” added Swanson. “This is a five-year extension for Todd, but really I have in mind he will be our coach as long as he wants to be.”
HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR HARBOURCATS
It has been a tough two summers without HarbourCats baseball, but rest assured we will be back with a vengeance in 2022 and we expect our games will be the hottest ticket in town! Lock your spots in NOW with season tickets, or 10-game flex packs! Gift cards and merchandise are also available!
Season Tickets and 10-Game Flex Packs Now Available! (NOTE: Single game tickets for 2022 will go on-sale in late 2021 once our schedule is available)
If you are able, or if you know friends and colleagues who are able, please consider any of the following:
2022 Season tickets — the best way to help, one that guarantees you seats to all our games (usually 35 per year or so) plus other season ticket holder perks. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.
10-Game Flex Packs / Vouchers — Don’t want to commit, or can’t commit to season tickets? Consider 10-game flex packs – anytime vouchers that can be used in any combination…10 tickets at one game, 1 ticket at 10 games or anything in between. Season ticket voucher equivalents (35 vouchers) are also available. Flex Packs can be purchased at the office and are also available on-line at: https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/products/10-game-flex-pack-general-admission
Corporate Partnerships – Want to put your company name or brand in front of the 80,000 to 100,000 fans we anticipate next season? Or know someone who does? Consider joining us as a partner. From a simple program ad, to the most complex of game day sponsorship, complete with signage and tickets, we will customize any campaign to suit your needs and budget. And with our new HCATS.TV platform and our ownership group’s expansion of a new team in Nanaimo in 2022, the opportunities are now Island wide! Contact john@harbourcats.com for details.
Fundraising / 50-50 – Have an organization that needs to raise funds now? A $1000 investment buys you 100 anytime 2022 game vouchers for our Premium Reserved seats that you can then turn around and sell for $20 each, earning you your investment back, plus another $1000 in return. We will then hold a 50-50 date for you in 2021 and you can bring your group to the park to sell that game, taking home 50% of the proceeds. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.
Merchandise – Consider a HarbourCats merchandise purchase from our store at 1814 Vancouver Street, or from our on-line store, The Cat Shop, at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/ New items, including 2020 game caps and player’s gear are arriving weekly and we need to clear them out!
Gift Cards
Can’t decide yet on tickets or merchandise? A HarbourCats Gift Card is the next best solution! Come in to the office to set one up for any denomination, or order fixed denominations on-line HERE. Exchangeable for tickets or merchandise at the office or at the park!
OFFICE HOURS
During this time we are officially open Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm. We are often in and out of office however, so best to call 778-265-0327 before venturing over to make sure. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.
For up to date details on the HarbourCats and the 2022 West Coast League season, stay tuned to the HarbourCats web site at https://www.harbourcats.com and join the HarbourCats Facebook Fan Community Group page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/harbourcats
2022 Christmas Special is here! You can buy a 10-Game Flex Plan for the 2023 season. Similar to a season ticket but more like a discounted Northpaws Value Card, a Flex Plan is a way to buy early and at a discount.
Purchasing Flex Plan tickets will give you the option to choose the games that you would like to attend, along with the seats that you would like to choose.
Flex Plan holders will be able to use our ticket portal to choose games for the season. Seat and game selection will be done on a first come, first served basis. Flex Plan holders will be able to choose their seats before Game Day tickets go on sale.
Spend $150.00 (plus tax) for a 10-game Flex Plan and receive credit to purchase 10 seats for the games you want.
A receipt is issued upon purchase and your account will have a balance you can use to buy future tickets.
Please contact info@northpawsbaseball.ca for any inquiries.
https://tickets.northpawsbaseball.ca/events/23828-christmas-10-game-flex-plan
Above: Nick Pivetta throws the first pitch in HarbourCats history on June 5, 2013 (Photo David Nicholls)
For immediate release
November 22, 2023
VICTORIA, B.C. — It’s the first truly major milestone for your Victoria HarbourCats, and it’s well worth celebrating.
The West Coast League team will be marking 10 years since inception, that first season in 2013, when the team takes the field in June of 2023. And the HarbourCats will do it while both harkening back to the roots of the baseball club and officially recognizing part of what has become the fabric of the ‘Cats, along with welcoming a new twist.
“No one can say these 10 years have been boring, that’s for sure,” said HarbourCats Managing Partner/GM Jim Swanson. “From that eventful first season including hosting the All-Star Game, to setting attendance and win-streak records, to an ownership shift and welcoming new partners, to making regular trips deep into the playoffs — the list of accomplishments is very long.
“The league is now in an official partnership with Major League Baseball as well. Cap that with three of our players making the MLB level (Nick Pivetta, Andrew Vaughn and Alex DeGoti), and the HarbourCats continue to be a success in Victoria in every way.
“We look forward to the next 10 years at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP, and beyond.”
The team is proud to unveil a 10-year anniversary patch, that will be used on uniforms and merchandise this year — one that takes the team’s traditional HC cap logo and adds an intertwining twist with the letters. The traditional HC will remain the primary cap logo, the historic foundation, with the new twist a look to the future and another sharp option.
The HarbourCats are also officially adding the colour red to the team’s palette, something that grew out of ongoing work with Rawlings Canada in 2016 and the unveiling of the wildly-popular red CATS jerseys, originally planned to do little more than recognize Canada Day — but became such a smash with players and fans alike, they kept making their way to the field. The adoption of red replaces a spot colour of yellow that was supposed to be part of the original uniform options, but outside of one small run of caps, was never used.
The team will continue to proudly wear the Canada-tinged RED CATS jerseys both home and away, as that popular eye-popping alternate. White home jerseys, the highly-acclaimed all-baby blue set, the road navy HC jerseys, and the VicPD Forces Friday version will help celebrate the 10-year mark on the field in 2023. The white home jerseys are planned for the annual Odlum Brown Jersey Off Your Backs giveaway set, so a new white version will be revealed in 2024. (Early plans are for the red Cats set to be given away to fans late in the 2024 season, with a new replacement set in place for 2025.)
The HarbourCats red jerseys are being officially incorporated into the team’s colour scheme in 2023.
The bright addition of red — shown so prominently by co-owner Helen Edwards everywhere she goes, in her red/white HC cap — is also joined by the official recognition of the V-Cat hat logo as a secondary logo. The on-field cap for 2023 will be the Expos-inspired tri-colour fitted New Era cap with the V-Cat emblem (see below), a nod to HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney, who made his MLB debut with the Expos in 1992. Haney is the longest-serving manager in team history, in charge of the lineup since 2019 and signed through the summer of 2026.
“This is an important time to plan and get ahead of the curve, and we are excited about some of the new things that will thrill fans in 2023 — the two years away due to the pandemic have rekindled our energies, both at the field and with our online platforms,” said Swanson.
The HarbourCats have a number of special promotional days lined up to help celebrate the 10th Anniversary season in 2023. Some of those special events, the Top 10 of the HarbourCats 2023 promotions if you will, include:
1. 10th ANNIVERSARY OPENING NIGHT, Friday June 2, 2023, 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws
2. FIREWORKS, with The Wilson’s Group of Companies, Saturday June 3, 2023, 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws
3. SCHOOL SPIRIT GAME, with Mayfair Optometric Clinic, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, 11:05am against the Walla Walla Sweets
4. FATHER’s DAY GAME, Sunday, June 18, 2023, 1:05pm against the Yakima Valley Pippins
5. CANADA DAY FIREWORKS, Friday, June 30, 2023, 6:35pm against the Bellingham Bells
6. CANADA DAY MATINEE, Saturday, July 1, 2023, 1:05pm against the Bellingham Bells
7. HARVEY’s 10th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, Saturday, July 15, 2023, 6:35pm against the Wenatchee AppleSox
8. BARK IN THE PARK, with Bosley’s on Yates, Sunday, July 16, 2023, 1:05pm, against the Wenatchee AppleSox
9. 10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FIREWORKS, Saturday, July 29, 6:35pm against the Kelowna Falcons
10. 10th ANNIVERSARY JERSEY OFF OUR BACKS NIGHT, with Odlum Brown, Wednesday, August 2, 6:35pm against the Nanaimo NightOwls
2023 Season Tickets
Season ticket renewals and new season ticket sales are now underway for 2023, the HarbourCats 10th Anniversary season! Lock in the best seats in the house by the end of November prior to single-game tickets going on sale. Existing Season Ticket holders should also renew their seats by the end of the month! Contact chris@harbourcats.com or call the office at 778-265-0327 for details or to renew your existing seats!
2023 Flex-Packs
2023 10-Game and Season Ticket Equivalent Flex Pack vouchers are also now on sale! These can be purchased at the office in-person or by phone and can also be ordered on-line via The Cat Shop at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/products/10-game-flex-pack-general-admission. All flex pack vouchers will be eligible to be exchanged for games in the 2023 season once single-game tickets are available (see below).
2023 Single Game Tickets
Single-game tickets for the HarbourCats 10th Anniversary season will be available both on-line and in person at the HarbourCats office starting at 10:00am December 1, 2022. At that time, 10-game flex pack vouchers will be eligible to be exchanged for games in the 2023 season.
Stay tuned to all of our social media for updates and details as they become available.
Web: www.harbourcats.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harbourcats
Facebook Fan Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/harbourcats
Twitter: https://twitter.com/harbourcats
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harbourcats
Victoria HarbourCats – You’re Invited!
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