Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats | HarbourCats Optimistically Preparing for 2021 Season

Published

5 years ago

February 11, 2021

Dugout Wire Service

An open letter to our wonderful fans

from Jim Swanson, GM/Managing Partner

February 3, 2021

Dear Loyal Fans:

We will come out of this, folks. And when we do, the Victoria HarbourCats will be stronger than ever.

Bet your bippy every single person with the HarbourCats organization believes that, and is ready for it.

Covid (hate the c-word) has taken a strip off so many. It’s done it to us. It’s brought entire industries to their knees. Covid hates baseball, hates sports, apparently. But baseball, and your HarbourCats, are stronger than that.

Bank on this — when we’re told we can play, we’ll be READY. Our sister franchise in Nanaimo will be ready, too. Doesn’t matter if we find out on May 15, or May 30, we’ll be good to go. The work is being done, and we’re ready to lose these chains and get back to community, to entertainment, to baseball.

To that end, as you may have seen, we’ve hired another MLB-veteran for our coaching staff, we are starting to re-ticket customers who held 2020 tickets (stay tuned for more important news on this), we are ramping up contact with our sponsors and we are touching base with players and host families, all in the anticipation and hope of playing in June of 2021.

Time is on our side, like it sadly isn’t for other sports. Hard not to see a scenario where our other great local sports partners (hello, Royals and Grizzlies), who do so much in the community, have their winter wiped out — like our summer was in a dreadful 2020. We hope they come back, but it looks bleak.

We think the HarbourCats (and Shamrocks, too!) have a chance to lead the community’s cheering of a return to normal. Of enough people getting jabbed in the arm at (hopefully) round-the-clock drive-through vaccination sites that we can safely enjoy an outdoor sporting event. A concert. A gathering in the inner harbour.

Imagine how good that first hotdog will taste. That first HarbourCats Ballpark Blonde ale, that first sip.

What we promise is this — to all our partners, to all our fans, who have supported us through this, all your patience will never be forgotten. It’ll be revered, and will take up a chapter in the book someday. Tickets purchased, or sponsorships paid for and rolled ahead — we WILL ensure that value is still there — and then some. NO RISK and ALL REWARD to you, our faithful fans and sponsors.

Thank you — keep wearing those HarbourCats t-shirts and hoodies and caps as proudly as ever, so we can get back to the life we love on Vancouver Island.

The HarbourCats will be back. The Nanaimo NightOwls will get started. Baseball will return, and it’ll light up the city’s Stadium District again, with home runs, and kids smiling, and the familiar Coho horn sounding clearly from the harbour, like we just scored another run. The fireworks will be even that much better.

See you at the park soon!

Jim Swanson

+++++++++

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR HARBOURCATS

Season Tickets and 10-Game Flex Packs Now Available! (NOTE: Single game tickets will go on-sale in early 2021)

If you are able, or if you know friends and colleagues who are able, please consider any of the following:

2021 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. SEASON TICKET PROMOTION NOW ON! Get a free Prince of Whales whale watching pass (145.00 value) with every season ticket purchase! Plus other great perks! Details HERE!

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 our 100,000 fans every 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 2021, 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 2021 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!

OFFICE HOURS

For January and February, we are officially open Tuesday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm. We are often in and out of office during off-season, so best to call 778-265-0327 before venturing over to make sure. Closed Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

For up to date details on the HarbourCats and the 2021 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

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Dominate NorthPaws 14-4

Published

4 hours ago

July 26, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

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.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Drop Series Opener to NorthPaws

Published

1 day ago

July 25, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

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.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Stomp Owls to Sweep Series

Published

2 days ago

July 24, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

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.

Source