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Victoria HarbourCats – Hello, Collegiate Cats! Name change planned for Victoria’s fall-spring college baseball team

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Members of the Victoria Golden Tide, soon to be called the “Victoria Collegiate Cats” pose in their Collegiate Cats gear at the HarbourCats offices.

For immediate release

February 17, 2026

VICTORIA, BC — In name only, the ‘Golden Tide’ tenure is coming to an end — so a stronger age of Victoria collegiate baseball can take root.

Welcome, the Victoria Collegiate Cats, fully embracing the HarbourCats logo and branding as of the fall season — caps, uniforms, workout gear, and mission statement to develop great baseball players and young men in a winning environment. Same program, even stronger connection to the parent club.

The city’s entry in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) will play as the Golden Tide for this spring campaign, which starts in just over a month. The team, which provides an outstanding collegiate baseball and academic experience for UVic and Camosun students, where they can stay at home, play in a great stadium (Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park) in a tremendous city, with the best weather in Canada, and get a world-class degree over five years of athletic eligibility, began as the Victoria Golden Tide in the fall of 2021.

Five years as the Golden Tide included some strong results, including a second place finish in May of 2023, a Cinderella run to the final of the CCBC World Series in Lethbridge.

“It just makes sense for many reasons, as the program has improved and grown beyond early challenges, to be fully adopted under the respected HarbourCats name,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the group that owns the HarbourCats of the West Coast League, the Collegiate Cats, and the Nanaimo NightOwls (also WCL). “Among other bonuses, so many Golden Tide players have earned summer WCL opportunities through this program, and that can only continue to increase with the foundation being firmly entrenched in this name shift as well.

“In hindsight, this should have been the naming from the beginning. Moving forward, the players and coaches and new recruits are excited for the transition.”

The HarbourCats front office, led by Swanson, GM Christian Stewart and VP-Operations Adrian Somers, supports the now-Collegiate Cats coaching staff of head coach Chris Vlaj, and assistants Darius Opdam Bak and Colton O’Brien — in fact, Opdam Bak and O’Brien have themselves taken to the field as HarbourCats.

The Collegiate Cats coaches will continue to have the support and mentorship as well of all coaches with both the WCL HarbourCats and NightOwls.

Over the four completed seasons, more than 20 players in good standing with the Golden Tide have earned opportunities to play with either of the Island’s WCL clubs, some in regular season and playoffs (such as team leader and catcher Jai Berezowski, and slugger Ryan Deagle), or in exhibition games. That number will grow this summer.

The list:

OF Jaxson Cordle
RHP Brett Paterson
RHP Nate Major
C Jai Berezowski
OF Dominic Biello
IF Jordan Bond
RHP Darius Opdam Bak
OF Colton O’Brien
RHP Peter Cunningham
C Damian Cataldo
IF Thomas Plant
IF Ryan Deagle
LHP Ethan Dean
RHP Jakin Rohne
OF/RHP Travis Harfield
IF Nick Lee
IF Brandon Green
RHP Haldon Craig
OF Daniel Sawchyn
OF Tyler Burton
RHP Owen Luchies
RHP Cam Dunn
LHP Jacob Popadynec

The Golden Tide start their 2026 schedule on the road at Thompson Rivers University with a four-game set March 21-22 and then return for their home opener on Saturday March 28th at 1:00pm at Wilsons Group Stadium against the Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks.  A second game follows at 4:00pm, with another doubleheader scheduled for Sunday the 29th at 11:00am and 2:00pm.

The full 2026 Golden Tide schedule is found below (Home games in BOLD and at Wilson’s Group Stadium unless otherwise noted):

Sat. March 21 – @Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Sun. March 22 – @Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, 11:00am and 2:00pm

Sat. March 28 – vs. Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Sun. March 29 – vs. Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks, 11:00am and 2:00pm

Thu. April 2 – vs. Okanagan College Coyotes, 2:00pm and 5:00pm
Fri. April 3 – vs Okanagan College Coyotes, 10:00am and 1:00pm

Tue. April 7 – @Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, 4:00pm and 7:00pm

Fri. April 10 – @Prairie Baseball Academy, Lethbridge, AB, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Sat. April 11 – @Prairie Baseball Academy, Lethbridge, AB, 2:00pm and 5:00pm

Wed. April 15 – @Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, 4:00pm and 7:00pm

Mon. April 27 – vs. University of British Columbia @LAMBRICK PARK, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Tue. April 28 – vs. University of British Columbia @LAMBRICK PARK, 10:00am and 1;00pm

Sat. May 2 – @University of the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Sun. May 3 – @University of the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, Noon and 3:00pm

Sat. May 9 – vs. University of Calgary, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Sun. May 10 – vs. University of Calgary, 11:00am and 2:00pm

Sat. May 16 – vs. University of British Columbia, 1:00pm and 4:00pm

Sun. May 17 – @Vancouver Island University, Nanamio, 4:00pm and 7:00pm

Wed. May 20-Mon. May 25 – CCBC World Series, Lethbridge, AB – Top six teams in regular season play advance.

 

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – AppleSox Surge Back Late to Tie Series

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The Cats got off to a hot start but fell behind in the late stages of the game. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Victoria, B.C – The second game of this head-to-head series swung the other way, with Wenatchee taking a 7-2 victory over the HarbourCats.

BOX SCORE

It was home run derby champion Logan Shepherd that got things started tonight! The Mercer University infielder yanked a smooth line drive to the pull side to cash in Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) from second and claim a 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.

Both sides’ bats fell silent until the home half of the fourth, which Rohne Klein (San Jose State) led off. Klein only needed to see one pitch before absolutely detonating a fastball and sending it far, far over the opposite field wall at an unofficially measured distance of about a million feet.

Quincey Brown (UCSD) exited the game after an absolute gem of a start. The Seattle-born freshman went five innings without giving up a run, and refused to even allow a single baserunner over the last four. Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) took over for him in the sixth, and his first inning of work went off without a hitch as the AppleSox were felled in order.

Quincey Brown added another exquisite start to his 2026 resume. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Tovar’s next frame wasn’t so quick and easy. The AppleSox found the right pitch and blasted it over the fence for a solo shot, cutting the Cats’ lead in half in the top of the seventh. The predicament grew when a few consecutive singles loaded the bases and two more runs scored on an error and a balk. When the dust settled on a chaotic seventh inning, Wenatchee found themselves up by one.

Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) was chosen to toe the slab in the eighth inning, and he let up a sacrifice fly that put the AppleSox up by two with one inning left to go. The right-hander returned for the ninth and Wenatchee got to him once again, bashing a two-run triple for a 7-2 lead.

Rohne Klein flexed his power with an oppo homer in the fourth. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Try as they might, the HarbourCats could not recover from the AppleSox’ late-game onslaught, dropping the middle game of the three-game set by a score of 7-2.

WCL STANDINGS

The decider between Victoria and Wenatchee takes place tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 pm.

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.

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Beat AppleSox on Harvey’s Birthday

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Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats took on the division-leading Wenatchee AppleSox for the first time this season, walking away with a 9-7 win to open up the series.

If one thing was evident in the early stages of tonight’s ballgame, it’s that Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) had his best stuff. Fresh off of an All-Star Game appearance, Arnett racked up six strikeouts in his first two innings! The AppleSox would finally solve the Cats starter in the third inning, however, smashing a solo homer to take the lead. Wenatchee followed up with a double and a single before the end of the inning to extend their new lead to 2-0.

BOX SCORE

Victoria retaliated in a big way in the home half of the third. It all started with Dryden Fuoco (Hill College) reaching first base on a dropped third strike. After that, two singles loaded the bases with nobody out for the red-hot Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD), who pummelled a double down the left field line to bring in two runs and tie the game. Jacob Silva (UTSA) got his piece of the pie soon after, scorching a single through the infield and snatching a two-run lead.

It wasn’t long before the HarbourCats crossed the plate again. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the fourth, a pitch in the dirt got away from the Wenatchee catcher and ended up allowing two runs to come home when the throw to the plate went awry. A Kwakrifice play from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) provided a cherry on top, and Victoria left behind the fourth inning with a comfortable 7-2 lead.

Designated hitter Logan Shepherd (Mercer) singled to leadoff the bottom of the fifth, and the AppleSox did the rest of the work for him. Three wild pitches in the inning gave Shepherd room to advance to second, third, and finally home to push that lead even further.

Arnett took his leave after five innings in which he gave up two runs on six hits, striking out an impressive nine batters along the ride. In his place appeared Spencer Kratt of San Jose State. Kratt let a couple of runners on but made up for it when a strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play brought a swift end to the inning.

Kratt vacated the mound after allowing two runs on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, and Taylor Franklin (George Fox) was tagged in as his replacement. Franklin buckled down and fulfilled his duty, punching out a batter to finish off the inning. The Cats returned fire in the home half of the eighth inning on a Michael Rodda (Palomar) single to set up a bigger buffer for the top of the ninth, Wenatchee’s last shot.

Victoria found themselves in some trouble in the ninth, with Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) letting up three runs. His replacement, Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), was able to clutch up and put the finishing touches on a 9-7 victory over the AppleSox.

WCL STANDINGS

With the upper hand in the series, the Cats have a series win in their sights when they take in Wenatchee again on Saturday night at 6:35 pm.

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.

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Victoria HarbourCats – South Division All-Stars Hold On for All-Star Game Win

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Victoria, B.C. – In the biggest event of the 2026 season, Team North and Team South faced off in an epic duel of the WCL’s brightest stars. After taking an early lead in the first two innings, the South Division clung on for the win in a heart-pounding clash of talent.

Team South got it started early in this showdown of All-Stars! A leadoff base hit and a well-executed hit-and-run set up a RISP opportunity for Ridgefield Raptors slugger Zach Wadas, who found the outfield grass to drive in Payton Knowles (Walla Walla) for the first run of the ballgame. Nevertheless, North Division starter and HarbourCats ace Erik Rico picked up two strikeouts to get out of the inning. David Krahn (Victoria) sliced a ball to right field for a single in his first trip to the plate, but was cut down as part of a double play to end a quick bottom half of the first.

BOX SCORE

The other half of Victoria’s lethal starter duo took the mound for the second frame. Jeremiah Arnett got into a bit of trouble in his allotted inning, allowing another run for the South Division on an infield error. Ethan Porter added on to the lead when he dug in with a man on base and blasted a two-run shot out to the scoreboard.

Nathaniel Kurano (Yakima Valley) came in to pitch for Team South in the bottom of the second and continued to shut down the northern offence, striking out two batters in a quick one-two-three outing. Seth Sumner (Kelowna) took the field for the North Division for the top half of inning number three, holding Team South to their first scoreless inning on offence with an efficient frame of work.

Erik Rico got a chance to show off as an All-Star starter for Team North. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Team North finally strung a few hits together in the home half of the third inning. Kamloops Northpaws outfielder Kade Crawford belted a line drive to right field that sent Carter Enoch (Port Angeles) wheeling around third base to score the home team’s first run of the ballgame. David Krahn was next, and the Cats star pummelled a hard ground ball for an infield hit to bring home another run and make it 4-2 in favour of Team South. Jordan Haver (Ridgefield) was summoned to finish off the inning and did so with haste, striking out Nanaimo’s Ethan Reynolds.

From the bullpen came Joe Thornton (Wenatchee) to oversee the first half of the fourth, cruising through a three-up three-down performance with two strikeouts to keep Team South off the bases. The bottom of inning number four was Morgan Codron’s domain. The Corvallis right-hander struggled a little with command but ultimately got his way out of a scoreless inning after giving up a leadoff walk.

Team South threatened with a man in scoring position in the top of the fifth, but the speedy runner was gunned down trying to steal third by a laser beam from Port Angeles catcher Carter Enoch. The scoreless stretch continued for the back half of the fifth inning as well, with Parker Heintz (Ridgefield) deftly shutting down Team North.

David Krahn stood out in tonight’s game, producing hard contact and making the hot corner look easy to make Victoria proud. (Photo by JPM Photography)

It was Carter Fink’s time to shine come top six. The Edmonton hurler glided through a frame in which he had little trouble, continuing the pitching dominance throughout the middle innings. The South squad sent out Perry Stow (Walla Walla) in response for the bottom of the sixth, who kept the scoreless streak going and maintained a two-run lead. David Sheppard was the next name drawn from the hat to continue this parade of pitchers. Representing the Edmonton Riverhawks, Sheppard secured three quick groundouts and sent the South lineup down quietly.

It was Jake Lyall (Bellingham) who finally broke the stalemate in the bottom of the seventh. Kamloops Northpaws outfielder Evan Dugdale hit a single, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout just in time for Lyall to drive him in on a sacrifice fly. Two innings left to play, and we have ourselves a one-run ballgame with South ahead 4-3.

Clint Beck (Wenatchee) was the man on the mound for the top of the eighth, benefitting from some excellent outfield play by Jaden Jackson. The Bellingham centre fielder was pulled way to his left, and then had to range way to his right on consecutive high flyouts.

The tables turned in the bottom of inning eight. Michael Klein of the Springfield Drifters loaded the bases after his centre fielder lost a sky-high ball in the lights. With the pond full of ducks, Edmonton slugger Easton Andrews patiently drew a six-pitch walk to tie the game in a truly masterful at bat. Jake Lyall’s liner was spoiled by a great play at second base, but the North got that tying run they needed with one inning to go.

The South All-Stars put together a team effort for the win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

A crucial top of the ninth rolled around, and Team South was determined to put the North on their back foot. Walla Walla’s Sam Kane drew a leadoff walk and Yakima Valley’s Daichi Furuhata came up with a two-out single before Troy Sanders (Bend) got his hero moment. Sanders made contact with a Jaxon McDonald (Nanaimo) fastball and dropped a barely-fair RBI double into right field, sending Kane home and making it 5-4 in favour of Team South!

With a narrow one-run lead to work with, Portland Pickles pitcher Rafael Espinoza took over the mound looking to close things out. Disaster struck the South’s middle infield when David Krahn lifted a towering pop up. The shortstop and second baseman failed to reach an accord, letting the dirt catch the baseball instead and allowing Krahn to reach second base! In the end, however, nothing came of that bizarre opportunity. Team South held onto their lead and closed out a nail-biter of a 5-4 win in the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game presented by Canadian Club.

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