Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Ink First Players for 2025

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Stifled by Northpaws in 4-2 Loss

Published

4 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kamloops, B.C. – The series opener didn’t go how the HarbourCats hoped, with the Kamloops Northpaws taking a 4-2 win over the visiting Cats.

The Northpaws got a jolt to their offence early on, rocking a solo homer in the second inning to take the upper hand. Kamloops continued their production in the next frame, capitalizing on two consecutive walks from HarbourCats starting pitcher Landon Marchetti (San Jose State). A couple of stolen bases and a double, and a wild pitch later, and the visiting Cats suddenly find themselves in a four-run deficit.

BOX SCORE

Victoria made up some ground in the second half of the ballgame when infielder Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) legged out a leadoff triple. A single from the reliable Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) brought home Kwak for the HarbourCats’ first run.

Rohne Klein (San Jose State) made a rare start at third base tonight and picked up an RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Merchetti’s night was done after the opening third of the game, over which he allowed four runs on three hits and struck out five Kamloops batters. Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) appeared from the bullpen and delivered the best outing you could really ask for from a reliever. His four innings featured just two hits, no walks, and a grand total of zero runs scored.

The HarbourCats mustered another run in the top of the eighth, a sacrifice fly by Rohne Klein (San Jose State). An important step, but still a ways to go if the visiting squad were to catch up. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) sliced through an efficient frame in the bottom of the eight inning, retiring the side on just eight pitches, but Victoria were held off by the Northpaws in a 4-2 loss.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will look to rebound and tie the series in Kamloops tomorrow night, before coming back to Victoria for the long-awaited Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club!

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Elks Salvage a Win in Extra-Innnings Grind

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats fought to the bitter end in a ten-inning showdown that ended in a 7-6 Bend Elks victory tonight.

The first run of the game belonged to the visitors this time. A couple of walks in the first inning came back to bite Quincey Brown (UCSD) when they were moved over and cashed in by a two-out single. 2-0 Elks in the early going, putting the Cats on their back foot. Victoria retaliated in their first turn at the plate, bringing home David Krahn (UBC) on a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) fly ball to cut the lead in half.

BOX SCORE

The HarbourCats surged back to reclaim the lead in the second inning, taking advantage of some heads-up baserunning, a single from Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD), and a handful of wild pitches. Two frames down, and it’s suddenly 3-2 for the home team.

Quincey Brown was relieved after two innings where he wasn’t at his sharpest. The Seattle-born righty tightened it up in the second inning, but his command wavered in the first, leading to two runs allowed. Davis Lee (Calgary) took his place in the third and quickly turned two strikeouts before his control began to slip and the free passes became an issue. All of a sudden, what looked like a quick one-two-three turned into a three-run inning to give Bend a 5-3 lead.

Tacoma reliever Carson Ackermann was summoned from the bullpen to close out a long top half of the third and did just that, securing a quick out to change sides and give Victoria another chance on offence. Ackermann wasn’t quite so efficient in his second inning of work, loading the bases and letting up another run for the Elks before getting out of it.

Matt Westley was one of two HarbourCats to register a hit on Thursday night, bashing a homer in the fourth inning. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Bryan Bradshaw has displayed some great aggressive baserunning since arriving in Victoria, and this game was no different. The UCSD outfielder got on base with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, and proceeded to steal two bases before coming home on a wild pitch. WCL All-Star Matt Westley (George Mason) further cut into the lead later in the inning, pulverizing his fourth homer of the summer to pull the Cats back within one.

The HarbourCats clawed their way back to a tie ballgame in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly from returning catcher Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) bringing the score to an even 6-6. Victoria threatened with more runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth but were unable to take advantage, leaving them stranded on second and third.

Taylor Franklin (George Fox) entered the game in Ackermann’s wake in the top of the seventh and had no trouble at all, striking out the side on 12 pitches to preserve that tie.

The deadlock lasted all the way into extra innings, when a wild pitch by Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) allowed an Elk to cross the plate and take the lead in the top of the tenth. Despite a bases loaded opportunity, the Cats were unable to climb back, and fell in the third game of the series by a score of 7-6.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats are back on the road this weekend in Kamloops, and will return next week for the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club!

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Four HarbourCats Representing Victoria at WCL All-Star Game

Published

2 days ago

July 9, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – We’re less than a week out from the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club, and four ballplayers have been selected to represent the HarbourCats among the league’s best. David Krahn, Matt Westley, Erik Rico, and Jeremiah Arnett have all been crucial parts of the HarbourCats roster this year, and the four of them will suit up for the North Division in the 2026 WCL All-Star Game.

David Krahn is in the midst of an impressive debut season with the HarbourCats, and his stats show exactly why he’s been named an All-Star. The UBC second-baseman has showed consistent contact and crackling power at the plate this season, ranking third league-wide in hits (43) and second in home runs (7). Krahn brings more than just a reliable bat to the Cats, though – he’s a spark plug for the team as well.

“Energy and talent,” is head coach Todd Haney’s simple reply when asked about what Krahn brings to the table. “You need a guy with that kind of energy, and he brings that every night.”

Matt Westley, hailing from Manassas, Virginia, has been the other half of a lethal one-two punch at the top of the lineup, alongside David Krahn. Westley’s contact ability is undeniable – he has the second-most hits in the entire WCL this year with 46, and has been a mainstay at the number two spot in the lineup in recent weeks. The third-baseman also shows off flashes of brilliance in the hot corner, making those long throws across the infield look easy and making some spectacular diving plays that leave Cats fans stunned.

Jeremiah Arnett is arguably the toughest pitcher to face in the entire WCL this summer. The calm, cool, and collected Texan has allowed just seven runs in 29 innings, and leads the league in strikeouts with 41. Clearly some excellent stuff on display, but Arnett is entirely focused on improving further.

“He’s an All-Star for a reason,” says Haney on the Rice University starter, “He’s here to get better and work on his craft. Obviously he has talent, there’s no doubt about it, but he’s here for all the right reasons.

Erik Rico has been the stuff of hitters’ nightmares this season. The Fresno State right-hander is just one strikeout behind his teammate Arnett for the league lead, but he’s amassed 40 K’s in just 22 innings. That strikeout prowess combined with a staggering 1.23 makes for little mystery why Rico was an easy choice for the All-Star roster.

Don’t miss these four superstars and the rest of the WCL’s brightest when the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival comes to town next week!

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