Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Iconic Victoria location to lead off West Coast League All-Star Game Festival

Published

4 months ago

February 24, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

All-Star Game Committee members Dave Cockle, Adrian Somers (back row) and Brenda MacFarlane (front right) pose with (Front row L to R) MLA and Assistant Deputy Speaker Lorne Doerkson, MLA Mandeep Dhaliwal, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Anne Kang and Speaker Raj Chouhan on the front steps of the BC Legislature (Photo: Christian J. Stewart).

February 24, 2026

For immediate release

VICTORIA, BC — There is no single spot in Victoria more impressive and representative of the provincial capital city than the B.C. Legislature buildings and grounds.

When the 2026 West Coast League Baseball All-Star Game Festival arrives in Victoria in July, hosted by the Victoria HarbourCats, the leadoff event will take place on the lawns in front of the famous buildings.

Thanks to the support of Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, the Official Opposition critic for Sports, Mandeep Dhaliwal, and in particular the eager anticipation of Speaker Raj Chouhan and Assistant Deputy Speaker Lorne Doerkson, the All-Star Game will begin in a way that will be memorable for all.

The ASG Festival — slated for Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15 — will begin with two concurrent community focused events, on the Tuesday morning:

Tuesday, July 14

10am-1pm, BC Legislature Grounds

Youth Skills Camp,
And a Community Wiffle Ball Game

These will take place on the lovely lawn in front of the building along Belleville Street, on either side of the walkway that includes the famous water fountain.

“I am always on the lookout for opportunities to bring MLAs together,” said Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Hon. Raj Chouhan. “When the HarbourCats approached me with the idea of a kids’ baseball camp and wiffle ball on our front lawn, I knew we’d be unanimous. Every Member here understands the impact of community spirit and team sports.”

The two components at the Legislature to start things on Tuesday, July 14:

YOUTH CAMP — Working with Baseball BC, KidSport Greater Victoria and the Doug Hudlin Charitable Society, 20 worthy young players (ages 7-9) will be selected for a free youth skills camp led by HarbourCats pitching coach Zach Swanson, assistant coach Carson Myers, and Victoria Collegiate Cats coaches Chris Vlaj and Darius Opdam Bak.

COMMUNITY WIFFLE BALL GAME — Remember playing scrub ball at recess or lunch time at school? Any and all are welcome to join in a friendly game of Wiffle Ball, using a plastic bat and traditional plastic Wiffle Ball — take a swing, throw a pitch, take a position on the field and have fun running the bases in this iconic location.

The Tuesday events will be supported by volunteerism from local Rotary groups, staff support from the Royal BC Museum/IMAX Victoria leadership, and the HarbourCats’ official youth camps partner, A+W. T-Shirts will be provided to all youth camp participants by local author and philanthropist Helen Edwards, a member of the HarbourCats ownership group, and Baseball BC.

Plans are also in place so the Team North and Team South team photos will be taken on the historic steps of the Legislature Buildings early Wednesday afternoon.

“We are thankful for being able to do these events as the festival lead-off, grateful to these provincial leaders for seeing the vision,” said ASG Committee co-chairs Dave Cockle and Brenda MacFarlane. “Imagine the smiles of the kids and adults alike that day, that we can capture in videos and photos for memories and history.”

There will be further event and detail announcements— many, in fact — about the West Coast League All-Star Game Festival, including exciting news about the home run derby, musical performances and additional events as part of a comprehensive and engaging community plan.

Tickets are available already for the two major events set for Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park:

Home Run Derby (details to come)
6:35pm, Tuesday, July 14

West Coast League All-Star Game
7pm, Wednesday, July 15 (doors will open as early as 4:30pm, TBD)

Secure your seats for these events at https://tinyurl.com/AllStar2026

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Clinch Bellingham Series with 6-2 Win

Published

11 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Cats hitters have racked up a total of 28 hits over two games in this series so far, 12 of them coming from tonight. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats clinched a series win over the Bellingham Bells on Saturday night, outworking the Bells on the way to a 6-2 victory.

Seattle native Quincey Brown (UCSD) was not messing around in his first start as a HarbourCat. Brown sat down three Bells on strikes on the first inning and stacked up two more punchouts before stepping aside for Davis Lee (Calgary) in the third inning.

BOX SCORE

The Cats finally broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth inning. Shortstop Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) got on base with a leadoff single and stole second, later wheeling around third on a Rohne Klein (San Jose State) base hit to score the first run of the game. Lukas Le Gras (Westmont) doubled the lead with a double off the wall, bringing Klein in to score before stealing home on a wild pitch to widen the lead to 3-0. David Krahn (UBC) clubbed his second homer in two games over the left field fence, and a double from Jacob Silva (UTSA) capped off the inning with an RBI double to widen the lead to 5-0.

Davis Lee called it a night in the top of the sixth after holding the line for 2.2 innings and keeping Bellingham’s score at a nice round number. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) came in for his HarbourCats debut and kept it rolling, securing the outs needed to move on to the bottom of the inning.

Lukas Le Gras had a strong offensive showing, going 2/4 with a double. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The Cats added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth, a Tristan Buehring (Whitman) sacrifice fly for Victoria’s sixth run. Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) was the next arm out of the pen for the HarbourCats. The right-hander quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam and allowed the first two runs of the ballgame for the Bells before escaping the frame.

Ackermann stuck it out until the top of the ninth, when Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) took over, stranding a couple of runners and closing out a 6-2 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The Bellingham series comes to a close at 1:05 pm on Sunday afternoon, preceding a midweek series against the Nanaimo NightOwls beginning on Tuesday night.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby 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.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Pummel Bells in 17-6 Victory

Published

2 days ago

June 27, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria unleashed 11 runs in the sixth inning, paving the way to a resounding win over the top team in the West Coast League. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – A grand slam followed by an 11-run inning led to a robust win over the Bellingham Bells on Friday night, with the Cats claiming a 17-6 win.

BOX SCORE

The Cats looked a little trigger-happy in the first third of the game, only seeing 15 pitches from Bellingham’s starter. This enthusiasm didn’t earn much, with just two HarbourCats reaching base in a quick three innings.

On the other side of the coin, Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) made quick work of the Bells as well, refusing to allow them the luxury of a hit through four innings and earning five strikeouts on the side. Jake Rafferty (Tacoma) took up the torch for the fifth, getting himself into a sticky situation with a couple of wild pitches before finding his way out with a zero on the board.

Jeremiah Arnett allowed zero runs in a four-inning start. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The HarbourCats finally dug their claws in for the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases just in time for David Krahn (UBC). The British Columbia local stepped up to the plate and delivered, utterly pulverizing a ball to left field for an electrifying grand slam, breaking the seal and taking a 4-0 lead for the home side.

Bellingham responded passionately in the next inning, sneaking a run in on a base hit followed by a three-run blast off of Cats reliever Spencer Kratt (San Jose State). Victoria shrugged it off and pulled out all the stops in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of a Bellingham error and finding hits from Lukas Le Gras (Westmont), Bryan Bradshaw (UC San Diego), Rohne Klein (San Jose State) et al to jump out in front of the Bells. By the time the smoke cleared on a long sixth inning, the Cats were suddenly up 15-4. Not too shabby.

Surrey, B.C.’s Marcus Janovsky (UBC) entered the game in the seventh to face a battered and bruised group of Bells, who snuck home on a sloppy relay from the outfield to scratch away at the 11-run lead standing over them.

Unwilling to let up after taking a comfortable lead, the Cats kept their foot on the gas in the bottom of the seventh. Designated hitter Jacob Silva (UTSA) batted in a pair of runs with a one-out single, pushing the score to a humble 17-6 with two innings to go.

Hunter Daniels (Phoenix College) came in from the bullpen to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a booming victory for the HarbourCats in their first game against the top team in the West Coast League Standings.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats get another crack at the Bells on Saturday night at 6:35 pm, and the series comes to an end with an afternoon game on Sunday.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Silenced by NightOwls in 2-1 Loss

Published

3 days ago

June 26, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Despite out-hitting the NightOwls, two solo homers in the fourth inning was all Nanaimo needed to overpower the visiting Cats. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Nanaimo, B.C. – The Island Rivalry Series came to an end in Nanaimo on Thursday evening, with the Cats offence held quiet in a 2-1 loss to the NightOwls.

Erik Rico (Fresno State) was dominant in the opening third of the ballgame, keeping Nanaimo scoreless with six strikeouts. The Cats starter wavered in the bottom of the fourth, surrendering a solo homer for the first blemish on his previously spotless ERA this season. The NightOwls took the opportunity to pummel another ball over the wall, taking a 2-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning.

BOX SCORE

The Cats had their first real offensive opportunity in the top of the seventh, moving Rohne Klein (San Jose State) over to third after a leadoff single. Nanaimo’s defenses held strong, however, and Klein was stranded to end the inning.

Victoria finally broke through in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Kade Davis, but one run was all they could muster. Nanaimo closed it out in the top of the ninth to claim a series victory in the first Island Rivalry Series of the year.

Northern Kentucky reliever Daniel Tovar was introduced to the ballgame in the fifth inning, powering through two scoreless innings before handing the ball over to Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State). Tomlinson worked his way across the seventh and eighth, picking up a strikeout and allowing two hits in two innings.

WCL STANDINGS

With the Nanaimo series complete, the Cats will now host the Bellingham Bells in a weekend series at home, beginning Friday night at 6:35 pm.

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