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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Ink First Players for 2025

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Four returnees (above L to R: Wyatt MacDonald Jake Finkelstein, Jacob Thompson Kyle Hepburn) and two Fresno State infielders first to become 2025 HarbourCats

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 24, 2024

VICTORIA, BC — With the 2025 West Coast League (WCL) schedule close to being announced, Victoria HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney has been busy behind the scenes, assembling a 2025 roster that will look to bring home it’s first ever WCL championship.

Looking to build on the playoff success of 2024 and previous seasons, four familiar faces will make their return to the HarbourCats, including pitchers Jake Finkelstein (Georgia Gwinnett), Jacob Thompson (Minot State) and Wyatt MacDonald (Lower Columbia) — the last two are Victoria natives — and catcher Kyle Hepburn (Southern Illinois), who hails from the Lower Mainland.

Also joining the 2025 roster are first baseman Cayden Munster and middle infielder Jett Ruby, both at Fresno State, continuing a run of solid players from that school that last year brought us WCL All Star Sky Collins and Cam Schneider, in 2023, Team MVP Tyler Davis and Marco Pirruccello and in 2022, WCL All Star Grady Morgan.

Finkelstein was with the HarbourCats in 2022 and 2023 and brings veteran leadership to the pitching corps. In his two years to date, Finkelstein has appeared in 26 games, starting two, and earning a 4-3 record with a 3.16 ERA over 48.1 innings of work. He struck out 50 batters, while walking 18.

Thompson was solid for the HarbourCats out of the bullpen in 2024, appearing in 12 games (20.2 innings pitched) and amassing a 4-1 record and an ERA of 3.48. He struck out 13 batters and walked only four holding opponents to a .211 batting average.

MacDonald was with the HarbourCats late in 2023 as a call up from the Victoria Eagles and saw limited action on the mound appearing in just one game. He is just beginning his freshman season at Lower Columbia under in part the tutelage of Assistant Coach Mike Callia, a former HarbourCat.

Hepburn was an early season call-up for the HarbourCats in 2022, appearing in just five games and then returned for the 2023 season where he appeared in 12 games, hitting .286 with one home run and 11 RBI. He is transferring to Southern Illinois from Johnson Community College where in his freshman year in 2023 he batted .308 (28-for-91) with nine doubles, a triple, a home run, 20 runs scored and 26 RBI.

Munster (6-3/235) and Ruby (6-0/185) will look to provide some pop at the plate from the left side and see key playing time in the infield. Munster was the winner of the Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award in 2024, one of the highest academic honors bestowed by the conference. Ruby played summer baseball in the PEL for the Humboldt Crabs hitting .345 in 27 games while being named the Team MVP.

“We have a great relationship with Ryan Overland, Head Coach at Fresno State, who consistently sends us quality players and quality individuals,” said HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney. “I am confident that Munster and Ruby will be key offensive players for us in 2025, the same way Schneider and Collins were last year, and the players before them” added Haney. “Finkelstein, Thompson, Hepburn and MacDonald, as returning players, know the championship expectations of playing in Victoria and will be able to pass that along to new players on the 2025 team.”

The HarbourCats, who joined the WCL in 2013, will enter into their 11th season of play at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in 2025 (with the 2020 and 2021 seasons cancelled due to COVID) and have made the playoffs in six of those 10 previous seasons including the last four in a row (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024) with trips to the WCL Championship game(s) in 2017, 2019 and 2023.

The 2025 schedule, which will feature 27 home league games and (where possible) 2-5 non-league games, should be released in the next week. Season Tickets and 10-game Flex Packs are now on sale, with Season Tickets on at Early Bird Pricing until October 31st. Stop in to the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street to order, or call 778-265-0327. Flex packs may also be ordered on-line in the Cat Shop HERE.

For more updates, be sure to follow the Harbourcats here on our web and on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Dominate NorthPaws 14-4

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David Krahn made some noise in his first start since returning from injury, hitting 2/3 with 3 RBI and a home run. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats bounced back after Friday night’s loss and thumped the visiting Kamloops NorthPaws 14-4 on Saturday night.

It’s impossible to predict the future in baseball, but tonight’s first inning was a pretty good sign of how this ballgame would go. Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) drove a liner over the shortstop to lead it off for the Cats, getting a runner on base for one of the most dangerous bats in the WCL, the unstoppable David Krahn. The UBC infielder watched a couple of pitches out of the zone before teeing off on a no-doubter to Pembroke Street for his second bomb in his last two at-bats. Krahn’s ninth homer of the year not only gave an early lead to the HarbourCats, but also tied the franchise record for home runs in a season! Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) drove in another on a sacrifice fly, and suddenly the home team had a three-run advantage after the first inning.

BOX SCORE

The NorthPaws barked back in the top of the second with back-to-back doubles to drive in their first run of the game. Determined to maintain the upper hand, starting pitcher Erik Rico (Fresno State) sliced through his next challengers to earn a pair of strikeouts and end the inning. There would be no such nonsense in the third, as Rico recovered from a couple of walks to set down three NorthPaws in a row.

It was only a matter of time before the Cats were back on the prowl. Krahn came up in a big spot with the bases loaded and lined a ball hard into left-centre field to widen the lead for the HarbourCats. Logan Shepherd (Mercer) followed up with a bases-clearing double to really break the game open and make it 7-1.

Rico backed up the bats with five innings of shut-down pitching. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Erik Rico’s night came to an end after five excellent innings of one-run ball, over which he allowed just two hits and racked up a tidy nine strikeouts – just a regular Saturday night for this all-star arm.

The HarbourCats kept their foot on the gas in the fifth inning with another three-run frame. Bryan Bradshaw smacked a single to drive in two, and a Logan Shepherd singe brought David Krahn home. Entering the back half of the ballgame, Victoria now held a commanding 10-1 lead.

Davis Lee (Calgary) assumed control of the mound in the sixth inning and worked quickly, torching through the Kamloops lineup with a three-strikeout frame. The next inning was handed off to the capable hands of Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State), who tossed a clean inning to keep the HarbourCats well out in front.

The Cats found themselves in a bases loaded jam in the top of the ninth, but the lead held strong and Victoria walked away with a 14-4 blowout victory in game two.

WCL STANDINGS

Kamloops and Victoria will face off one more time at 1:05 pm on Sunday with the series up for grabs!

There are only five home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this weekend and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Drop Series Opener to NorthPaws

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Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats ran out of time to complete their comeback in a Friday night matchup against the Kamloops NorthPaws, falling 9-5 to the visitors.

BOX SCORE

Contrary to how things have been going lately for the HarbourCats, it took until the fifth inning for either team to make their mark on the scoreboard. In what was otherwise an airtight start through the first four frames by Quincey Brown (UCSD), a single and two walks loaded the bases for Kamloops in the fifth. Brown plunked a batter to bring in the first run, and a single after that cleared the bases to put the NorthPaws out in front with a four-run lead.

The Cats struck back in the home half of the inning, sparked by a leadoff walk from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish). A couple of groundouts moved Kwak over to third and Logan Shepherd (Mercer) came up with a two-out base hit to score Victoria’s first run of the game and cut into the Kamloops lead.

Cats starter Quincey Brown saw five innings of work in which he gave up four runs on three hits with four strikeouts. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Taylor Franklin (George Fox) stepped in as Brown’s replacement on the rubber, coming in for the top of the sixth and allowing an RBI double to restore a four-run lead for the NorthPaws. Franklin was back for the seventh and got to two outs before an error at first base allowed two more runs for Kamloops. The NorthPaws followed that up with the first homer of the night, a two-run bomb to left-centre that widened the lead to 9-1.

Victoria mounted the beginnings of a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out for Home Run Derby champion Logan Shepherd. Shepherd popped a ball up that miraculously dropped just fair in a sea of NorthPaws to drive in a run, and Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) notched a sacrifice fly soon after.

Hawaii Pacific reliever Flynn Warren took the mound in the top of the eighth and worked quickly en route to a clean inning. The bottom of the eighth brought the return of David Krahn (UBC), who wasted no time rattling off a solo moonshot to deep left to chip away at the deficit.

Victoria loaded the bases again in the bottom of the ninth, but ran out of chances before any real damage could be done. In the end, the comeback fell short and the NorthPaws come out on top in game one by a score of 9-5.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats and NorthPaws will continue to duke it out throughout the weekend, hitting the field again for game two on Saturday night.

There are only six home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this weekend and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Stomp Owls to Sweep Series

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Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats faced the Nanaimo NightOwls for the third game of the series and erupted for 18 runs, finishing off the sweep.

In a fascinating case of déjà vu, the HarbourCats dealt some serious damage to their up-island hosts in the very first inning. After two singles by Jacob Silva (UTSA) and Rohne Klein (San Jose State) helped to load the bases, a wild pitch, a walk, and a plunked batter brought home the first three Victoria runners on base. Michael Rodda (Palomar) laced a base hit up the middle to bring home two more, and a Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) single capped off the inning. Three outs, eleven batters, and six runs by the end of the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

Things went from bad to worse for the NightOwls and from good to better for the HarbourCats in the second inning! Once again, the bases found themselves full and, once again, Victoria put six runs on the board. Walks drawn by Aidan Rice (Portland) and Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) pushed the first two to the plate. Then, with the pond full of ducks, Riley Kwak stepped up and hammered a baseball into the stratosphere for a grand slam, bringing the score to a nice even dozen.

The offence relented until the fifth, when a Rohne Klein solo homer added on further. Shortly after in the top of the sixth, the Cats loaded the bases and cashed in two runs by way of a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) double. A sacrifice fly provided the final word on inning number six, leaving Victoria holding a respectable 17-1 lead with three more innings to go.

With 18 runs in this ballgame, the Cats tied their 2026 season-high. (Photo by JPM Photography)

As he so often does, WCL All-Star Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) put together an excellent start. The Waco, Texas-born righty gave up a lone run in his six-inning outing, allowing four hits and earning three strikeouts. Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) was his successor, and he whipped his way through a clean seventh inning with two strikeouts and a popup.

The NightOwls made an effort in the bottom of the eighth, putting up four runs on Ackermann, and the right-hander continued to slip in the ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, local catcher Jai Berezowski (Collegiate Cats) took the mound to finish it off, securing a flyout on three pitches to close out the series sweep on an 18-7 win.

WCL STANDINGS

There are only seven home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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