Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats in Pro Ball
Led by Nick Pivetta (above), still going strong with the Boston Red Sox, there were 33 former HarbourCats active in affiliated professional baseball in 2024, including three new players who reached the MLB level. Here is a summary of all of them.
September 6, 2024
Victoria, BC – After a busy 2024 that saw three more former HarbourCats make their MLB debut and where seven former and current players were drafted or signed as part of the 2024 entry draft, we felt it would be a good time to update you on the status of all of our former players who were active in affiliated pro baseball in 2024.
In total, 33 former HarbourCats plied their trade at the professional level this summer, including our longest term MLB players Nick Pivetta (BOS) and Andrew Vaughn (CHW), while Nathan Lukes (TOR) made a long-awaited return to the Blue Jays big club late in 2024.
Three more players, Cade Smith (CLE), Jack Neely (CUBS) and Davis Wendzel (while with TEX), also made their MLB debuts in 2024.
In addition to those six players at the MLB level, five players were active on AAA rosters, including our only other MLB player to date Alex De Goti, nine at the AA level, five at the High A level, three at Low A, including 2024 draftees Sean Heppner and Hunter Omlid, and our other five 2024 draft picks still learning their way around development camps for their respective teams.
A full summary of all 33 players follows below (all stats and teams as of September 5, 2024)
Active Major Leaguers
Nick Pivetta – Boston Red Sox
Our very first pitcher (2013), our very first draft pick (Washington 2013) and our very first player to make his Major League debut (Philadelphia 2017), Pivetta is still going strong and completing his fifth year with the Boston Red Sox, where in 2024 to date, he has made 21 starts, has a record of 5-10 and an ERA of 4.53, striking out 141 batters and walking 28 in just over 117 innings of work.
Andrew Vaughn – Chicago White Sox
A 2017 HarbourCat, Vaughn is finishing his fourth season in the bigs, all with the Chicago White Sox, and while the 2024 version of the team has been woeful, Vaughn is holding his own with a .237 average, 16 home runs and 60 RBI.
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Smith, a 2019 HarbourCat, made his MLB debut with Cleveland this summer and has been nothing short of fantastic for the Guardians, appearing in 65 games, all out of the bullpen, amassing a 6-1 record and a 2.18 ERA. Over 66 innings of work, he has struck out 88 batters, while walking 17, holding opponents to a .196 average during that span. Potentially in the running for 2024 Rookie of the Year.
Nathan Lukes – Toronto Blue Jays
Our 2014 Player of the Year, Lukes has had an up and down go of it with the Blue Jays since cracking the opening day roster in 2023, but in 2024 was hitting .333 for AAA Buffalo before an thumb injury sidelined him for a bit. He was recalled to the Jays in September and has been on fire, hitting .455 with a double, triple and four walks in three games thus far in 2024.
Jack Neely – Chicago Cubs
2019 HarbourCat Jack Neely spent the better part of four seasons in the Yankees farm system after they drafted him in 2021, working his way up to AAA, but was traded to the Cubs AAA Iowa affiliate and then was called up to the big club and had his first MLB appearance on August 26th. He has now appeared in four games for the Cubs with mixed success in just four innings of work.
2019 HarbourCat Jack Neely made his MLB debut with the Cubs on August 26th, 2024.
Other Players who have played in MLB to date (and their current teams)
Davis Wendzel – Louisville Bats, AAA Affiliate, Cincinnati Reds
Drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2019, 2017 HarbourCat Wendzel worked his way up to AAA and then earned a call-up to the Rangers big club in 2024, where he appeared in 27 games and struggled at the plate hitting just .128 with a homer and two RBI. The Rangers traded him to the Cincinnati Reds at the 2024 trade deadline and Wendzel is now with the Reds AAA affiliate, the Louisville Bats. At the AAA level, Wendzel is hitting .260 for the season, with 6 home runs and 34 RBI.
Alex De Goti – Round Rock Express, AAA Affiliate, Texas Rangers
An original HarbourCat that played for us in 2013, 2014 and 2015, De Goti has had an interesting pro career since being drafted by Houston in 2016. After working his way up to AAA in the Astros system, De Goti was called up to the big club for a weekend in the 2021 Covid-19 season where in two games, he hit .333 with a pair of hits, a walk and an RBI. He then headed back to AAA and following the 2022 season opted for free agency and signed with Miami, who promptly traded him to the Minnesota Twins. He played in 2023 for the AAA St. Paul Saints, but was released in August of that year. In 2024 De Goti signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers and has worked his way back to the AAA level with the Round Rock Express. Ironically, Round Rock was the Astros AAA affiliate when De Goti played for them while in the Astros system.
Others in Affiliated Pro Ball
AAA
Joe Record – Durham Bulls, AAA Affiliate, Tampa Bay Rays
Another original HarbourCat, along with Nick Pivetta and Alex De Goti, Record has been toiling in the minors since being drafted by Minnesota in 2017. He moved to the Astros in 2020 and worked through stints on the injury list to a spot in AAA, eventually signing a free agent contract with Tampa for the 2024 season. With the Bulls, he has appeared in 42 games, amassing a 4.31 ERA, striking out 62 batters in just over 53 innings of work.
Chase Meidroth – Worcester Red Sox, AAA Affiliate, Boston Red Sox
Drafted by the Red Sox in 2022, Meidroth, a 2019 HarbourCat, has worked his way up the minor ranks quickly to AAA Worcester, where he is having a solid year to date, hitting .300 with seven home runs and 49 RBI.
Wyatt Young – Syracuse Mets, AAA Affiliate, New York Mets
A flashy high-schooler when he played for the HarbourCats in 2016, Young went to Pepperdine and then was drafted by the Mets in 2021. He has spent most of his time at AA Binghamton (with former HarbourCat Rowdey Jordan, see below), but had call ups to AAA Syracuse in 2022, 2023 and once again at the end of the season here in 2024. Overall in his time in the minors, Young has appeared in 384 games and is hitting .262 with 16 home runs and 133 RBI.
Harrison Spohn – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, AAA Affiliate, Miami Marlins
2018/2019 HarbourCat Spohn was signed as a free agent by Miami in 2022 and has moved quickly up the minor league ranks, spending most of 2024 with the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos, where over 89 games he had seven home runs and 29 RBI. He also struggled at the plate, fanning 117 times. He was called up to AAA Jacksonville in September and has appeared in three games to date with two walks and six strikeouts in nine at bats.
Harrison Spohn while playing for the HarbourCats in 2019
AA
Travis Kuhn – Arkansas Travelers, AA Affiliate, Seattle Mariners
A 2017 HarbourCat, Kuhn was drafted by the Mariners in 2019 and quickly rose through the low minor ranks, where after a one game appearance at AAA Tacoma in 2021, earned a spot on the AA Travelers in 2022. He has been there since and in 2024, has appeared in 42 games with a 4-6 record and 3.4 ERA striking out 62 batters in 53 innings of work.
Kekai Rios – New Hampshire FisherCats, AA Affiliate, Toronto Blue Jays
Drafted by Milwaukee in 2018, Rios, who caught for the HarbourCats in 2017, has bounced around the minors since then, eventually landing in the Blue Jays system where he played in Vancouver and then found his way to the AA level with the FisherCats. He struggled with an injury and rehab assignment in 2024, only playing in 18 games and while he was technically promoted to AAA Buffalo in late July of 2024, he was then released on August 2nd.
AJ Block – Northwest Arkansas Naturals, AA Affiliate, Kansas City Royals
Signed as a free agent by the Royals in 2020, Block, who pitched for Victoria in 2017, worked in the low minors for two seasons and then missed most of 2023 on the injured list. He returned healthy for 2024, pitching for the high A Quad City River Bandits and earned a call-up to the AA Naturals in September of 2024.
Carter Loewen – San Antonio Missions, AA Affiliate, San Diego Padres
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in 2016. Loewen, a 2018 HarbourCat, opted to go to school (Hawaii) and then signed a free agent contract with San Diego in 2020. Since then he has battled injury and has now worked his way up to the AA Missions, where in 2024, he has appeared in 36 games and amassing a 5.16 ERA.
AJ Lewis – Hartford Yard Goats, AA Affiliate Colorado Rockies
A 2018 HarbourCat, Lewis was signed as a free agent by the Rockies in 2020 and has steadily worked his way up to the AA level with the Yard Goats, where in 2024 to date, he has seen limited action, appearing in just 24 games and hitting .197 with 10 RBI, four of which came in one game against Portland on May 22nd.
Shane McGuire – Midland RockHounds, AA Affiliate, Oakland As
The HarbourCats Player of the Year in 2017, McGuire was drafted by Oakland in 2019 and quickly moved up the ranks, landing in AA Midland for the 2023 season where he has been since. Over his four-year minor league career to date, he has appeared in 270 games, hitting .246 with nine home runs and 112 RBI.
2017 Player of the Year Shane McGuire is quickly working his way up the ranks in the Oakland A’s system.
Rowdey Jordan – Binghamton Rumble Ponies, AA Affiliate New York Mets
The Mississippi State speedster played in Victoria in 2018 and was then drafted by the Mets in 2021, ascending quickly to Binghamton in 2022 where he has been since. In his minor league career to date, Jordan, through 352 games, is hitting .234 with 27 home runs and 160 RBI. He has 67 doubles and 70 stolen bases as well.
Adam MacKillican – Hartford Yard Goats, AA Affiliate Colorado Rockies
The HarbourCats Pitcher of the Year in 2017, MacKillican was signed as a free agent by the Texas Rangers in 2021 and then moved to the Rockies organization with Spokane in 2022 and Hartford in 2023. The injury bug then hit and MacKillikan missed most of the 2024 season, appearing in just four games, three on a rehab assignment in Rookie ball and one more in Hartford on August 15th before going back on the injured list yet again.
Caleb Ricketts – Reading Fightin’ Phils, AA Affiliate, Philadelphia Phillies
Drafted by the Phillies in 2022, 2018 HarbourCat Ricketts moved quickly through Rookie and A ball, earning a spot on AA Reading for 2024. He has battled through some injuries this season to appear in 75 games (71 at catcher), hitting .219 with seven home runs and 91 RBI.
High A
Indigo Diaz – Hudson Valley Renegades, High A Affiliate, New York Yankees
Diaz, a hard-throwing pitcher for the HarbourCats in 2017, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2019 and later traded to the Yankees in 2022. He has battled injuries over his minor league career to date including a rehab assignment in 2024, but is now back with the Renegades and has appeared in 10 games since his return on July 25th.
Jack Owen -Lansing Lugnuts, High A Affiliate, Oakland A’s
The HarbourCats and West Coast League Pitcher of the Year in 2017, Owen was originally drafted by St. Louis in 2019, but opted to attend Auburn and later signed as a free agent with the A’s in 2021. He rose quickly to the AA level where he has been since the 2022 season. Overall in the minors, he has a 17-8 record and 4.52 ERA, having appeared in 106 games and a total of 221 innings pitched.
Joe Redfield – Tri-City Dust Devils, High A Affiliate, Los Angeles Angels
The 2022 HarbourCats Player of the Year was drafted by the Angels in the fourth round in 2022 and since then, has spent just over half his minor league time (64 of 124 games total) with Tri-City. In those 124 games, Redfield is hitting .264 with six home runs and 59 RBI. He has 51 walks, 30 stolen bases and 84 runs scored in that same time span.
2022 HarbourCat Joseph Redfield is doing well so far in the Angels minor league system.
Dakota Hawkins – Brooklyn Cyclones, High A Affiliate, New York Mets
Pitcher of the Year for the HarbourCats in 2019, Hawkins was signed as a free agent by the Mets in 2023 where he saw minimal time at the Rookie and A level. In 2024 he was assigned to AA Brooklyn, where he has appeared in 26 games, amassing a 4-4 record with nine saves and 4.30 ERA. He has struck out 72 batters while walking 23 in just over 81 innings of work. In late July Hawkins earned a call up to AA Binghamton, appearing in two games for the Rumble Ponies.
Matthew Clayton – Cedar Rapids Kernals, High A Affiliate, Minnesota Twins
A catcher for the HarbourCats in 2018 and 2019, Clayton was signed as a free agent by the Twins in 2023 and has performed well thus far in 2024 in the minors. With Ft. Myers (A, 35 games) and now Cedar Rapids (AA, 7 games) Clayton is hitting .269 with three home runs and 19 RBI.
Low A
Noah Takacs – Bradenton Marauders, Low A Affiliate, Pittsburgh Pirates
A 2022 HarbourCat and local Victoria native, Takacs was signed by the Pirates as a free agent in 2023. He promptly went on the injured list to have Tommy John surgery and is now working his way back from that having appeared in 27 games thus far in 2024, all in relief, 20 of which with the Rookie League Pirates and seven with Bradenton. In those 27 games Takacs is 5-7 with three saves over 39 innings of work.
Sean Heppner – Lynchburg Hillcats, Low A Affiliate, Cleveland Guardians
A 2023 HarbourCat, Heppner was one of seven former HarbourCats drafted or signed in the 2024 draft and was immediately moved to Lynchburg, the Low A affiliate of the Guardians. To date, he has appeared in five games, amassing a 5.06 ERA while striking out 13 and walking eight batters in a total of 10.2 innings of work.
Drafted by Cleveland this past summer, 2023 HarbourCat Sean Heppner has already seen minor pro action with Single A Lynchburg.
Hunter Omlid – Fresno Grizzlies, Low A Affiliate, Colorado Rockies
A 2019 HarbourCat and another of the seven HarbourCats drafted or signed in the 2024 draft, Omlid was immediately put to work at Low A Fresno, appearing in two games, where in four innings of work, he struck out six and walked two, giving up one run on just one hit.
MiLB Development Camps
Other than Sean Heppner and Hunter Omlid (noted above), the remainder of the HarbourCats 2024 draft picks and free agent signees, were not officially assigned a team to close out 2024 and remained in the development camps of their respective clubs. This includes:
Ryan Magdic, 2023 HarbourCat (Oakland A’s)
Lucas Ramirez, 2024 HarbourCat (Los Angeles Angels)
Connor Dykstra, 2024 HarbourCat (Seattle Mariners)
Jesse Brown, 2022-2023 HarbourCat (Miami Marlins)
Jagger Beck, 2024 HarbourCat (Houston Astros)
2025 SEASON TICKETS: 2025 Season Tickets and 10-Game Flex Packs are now on sale through the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street. Drop in or call 778-265-0327 to renew your seat or to lock in news seats for 2025. Early-bird pricing on Season Tickets in effect until September 30, 2024!
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
Victoria HarbourCats – Vancouver Island Brewing Named Official Craft Beer Partner of the Victoria HarbourCats
Victoria HarbourCats – Fan-Favourite Lopez excited to return to Victoria
NightOwls California Dreamin’ for Pitching
Victoria HarbourCats – Vancouver Island Brewing Named Official Craft Beer Partner of the Victoria HarbourCats
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