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Victoria HarbourCats – In 2023, HarbourCats celebrating 10th Anniversary

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Above: Nick Pivetta throws the first pitch in HarbourCats history on June 5, 2013 (Photo David Nicholls)

For immediate release

November 22, 2023

VICTORIA, B.C. — It’s the first truly major milestone for your Victoria HarbourCats, and it’s well worth celebrating.

The West Coast League team will be marking 10 years since inception, that first season in 2013, when the team takes the field in June of 2023. And the HarbourCats will do it while both harkening back to the roots of the baseball club and officially recognizing part of what has become the fabric of the ‘Cats, along with welcoming a new twist.

“No one can say these 10 years have been boring, that’s for sure,” said HarbourCats Managing Partner/GM Jim Swanson. “From that eventful first season including hosting the All-Star Game, to setting attendance and win-streak records, to an ownership shift and welcoming new partners, to making regular trips deep into the playoffs — the list of accomplishments is very long.

“The league is now in an official partnership with Major League Baseball as well. Cap that with three of our players making the MLB level (Nick Pivetta, Andrew Vaughn and Alex DeGoti), and the HarbourCats continue to be a success in Victoria in every way.

“We look forward to the next 10 years at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP, and beyond.”

The team is proud to unveil a 10-year anniversary patch, that will be used on uniforms and merchandise this year — one that takes the team’s traditional HC cap logo and adds an intertwining twist with the letters. The traditional HC will remain the primary cap logo, the historic foundation, with the new twist a look to the future and another sharp option.

The HarbourCats are also officially adding the colour red to the team’s palette, something that grew out of ongoing work with Rawlings Canada in 2016 and the unveiling of the wildly-popular red CATS jerseys, originally planned to do little more than recognize Canada Day — but became such a smash with players and fans alike, they kept making their way to the field. The adoption of red replaces a spot colour of yellow that was supposed to be part of the original uniform options, but outside of one small run of caps, was never used.

The team will continue to proudly wear the Canada-tinged RED CATS jerseys both home and away, as that popular eye-popping alternate. White home jerseys, the highly-acclaimed all-baby blue set, the road navy HC jerseys, and the VicPD Forces Friday version will help celebrate the 10-year mark on the field in 2023. The white home jerseys are planned for the annual Odlum Brown Jersey Off Your Backs giveaway set, so a new white version will be revealed in 2024. (Early plans are for the red Cats set to be given away to fans late in the 2024 season, with a new replacement set in place for 2025.)

The HarbourCats red jerseys are being officially incorporated into the team’s colour scheme in 2023.

The bright addition of red — shown so prominently by co-owner Helen Edwards everywhere she goes, in her red/white HC cap — is also joined by the official recognition of the V-Cat hat logo as a secondary logo. The on-field cap for 2023 will be the Expos-inspired tri-colour fitted New Era cap with the V-Cat emblem (see below), a nod to HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney, who made his MLB debut with the Expos in 1992. Haney is the longest-serving manager in team history, in charge of the lineup since 2019 and signed through the summer of 2026.

“This is an important time to plan and get ahead of the curve, and we are excited about some of the new things that will thrill fans in 2023 — the two years away due to the pandemic have rekindled our energies, both at the field and with our online platforms,” said Swanson.

The HarbourCats have a number of special promotional days lined up to help celebrate the 10th Anniversary season in 2023.  Some of those special events, the Top 10 of the HarbourCats 2023 promotions if you will, include:

1. 10th ANNIVERSARY OPENING NIGHT, Friday June 2, 2023, 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws

2. FIREWORKS, with The Wilson’s Group of Companies, Saturday June 3, 2023, 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws

3. SCHOOL SPIRIT GAME, with Mayfair Optometric Clinic, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, 11:05am against the Walla Walla Sweets

4. FATHER’s DAY GAME, Sunday, June 18, 2023, 1:05pm against the Yakima Valley Pippins

5. CANADA DAY FIREWORKS, Friday, June 30, 2023, 6:35pm against the Bellingham Bells

6. CANADA DAY MATINEE, Saturday, July 1, 2023, 1:05pm against the Bellingham Bells

7. HARVEY’s 10th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, Saturday, July 15, 2023, 6:35pm against the Wenatchee AppleSox

8. BARK IN THE PARK, with Bosley’s on Yates, Sunday, July 16, 2023, 1:05pm, against the Wenatchee AppleSox

9. 10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FIREWORKS, Saturday, July 29, 6:35pm against the Kelowna Falcons

10. 10th ANNIVERSARY JERSEY OFF OUR BACKS NIGHT, with Odlum Brown, Wednesday, August 2, 6:35pm against the Nanaimo NightOwls

2023 Season Tickets
Season ticket renewals and new season ticket sales are now underway for 2023, the HarbourCats 10th Anniversary season!  Lock in the best seats in the house by the end of November prior to single-game tickets going on sale. Existing Season Ticket holders should also renew their seats by the end of the month!  Contact chris@harbourcats.com or call the office at 778-265-0327 for details or to renew your existing seats!

2023 Flex-Packs
2023 10-Game and Season Ticket Equivalent Flex Pack vouchers are also now on sale! These can be purchased at the office in-person or by phone and can also be ordered on-line via The Cat Shop at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/products/10-game-flex-pack-general-admission.    All flex pack vouchers will be eligible to be exchanged for games in the 2023 season once single-game tickets are available (see below).

2023 Single Game Tickets
Single-game tickets for the HarbourCats 10th Anniversary season will be available both on-line and in person at the HarbourCats office starting at 10:00am December 1, 2022. At that time, 10-game flex pack vouchers will be eligible to be exchanged for games in the 2023 season.

Stay tuned to all of our social media for updates and details as they become available.

Web: www.harbourcats.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harbourcats
Facebook Fan Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/harbourcats
Twitter: https://twitter.com/harbourcats
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harbourcats

 

 

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NightOwls to celebrate PROJECT ARROW, with fireworks from Kwumut Lelum on Canada Day

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NANAIMO, B.C. — Fireworks on Canada Day — it’s a natural emerging tradition, thanks to the Kwumut Lelum Foundation.

And on Canada Day, the Nanaimo NightOwls will be full-on Canada Proud in celebrating PROJECT ARROW, a Canadian-made zero-emissions concept vehicle, a project of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association of Canada (APMA).

All of this, on July 1 at Serauxmen Stadium, as the NightOwls host the Victoria HarbourCats — 5pm gates for a 6:35pm first pitch, with the Kwumut Lelum Foundation Fireworks right after the game.

“This fireworks game is becoming a must-see tradition in Nanaimo, with more than 3,100 at last year’s game,” said GM Tina Cornett. “The Kwumut Lelum Foundation is all about community and doing great things in the Nanaimo region.”

The APMA launched PROJECT ARROW (CTV National News story link here) in 2023 — an all-Canadian effort that is designed, engineered and 97pct Canadian from the head lights to tail lights. The concept vehicle is original and includes the joint efforts of Canada’s world-class automotive supply sector and the post-secondary institutions that produce the engineers that keep Canada’s auto sector rolling.

On Tuesday, July 1, Nanaimo NightOwls fans will hear more about this great Canadian project from the APMA — and we can be even more proud to be a Canadian.

“To build the resilient Canadian economy of the future, we need to be nationally ambitious,” said Flavio Volpe, Toronto-based President of the APMA, who has been in the middle of the international trade battle started by the White House and impacting markets around the world. “Canada has what it takes to compete and win internationally — we need to swing our bats with intention.”

Volpe is a massive baseball fan who has been involved with the Toronto Blue Jays and the international level of the game, with the Italy program. He’s also an accomplished coach and one of the best players he worked with is son Alessandro, a second-year NightOwl. He coached pitchers Vinny Bruno and Darren Lowe, who have been with the NightOwls this season.

Tickets for the game are available here (Link) — and it will be a packed house at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

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NorthPaws comeback effort falls short in loss to Bellingham

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The Kamloops NorthPaws lost game one of their weekend series to the Bellingham Bells 10-5 on Friday night at Norbrock Stadium. The Bells jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the third inning, but the NorthPaws stayed pesky. Kamloops rallied to score five unanswered to pull within three, but a pair of runs in the top of the tenth sealed the deal for Bellingham.

Righty Lukas Dykstra was on the mound for Kamloops, and unlike his last start against Victoria, he would run into trouble early in the ball game. Dykstra would lose his command in the second inning, walking five batters and giving up four hits as the Bells exploded for five runs. Dykstra lasted just an inning and two-thirds.

Righty Landon Gutierrez was first out for Kamloops, but the Bells bats stayed hot in the third inning. Gutierrez threw less than 10 balls in his outing, but Bellingham jumped all over him in the third with three more runs on four hits. The command was there for the righty, and he eventually settled in, sending the Bells down scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings.

Righty Zaiden Kiefer entered the game and would pitch three no-hit innings, silencing the Bells and allowing the bats to get hot. The offence got going with second baseman Tanner Hornback launching a home run over the left field fence. The NorthPaws would start to put together good at-bats and draw walks from Bellingham pitchers.

In the fifth, third baseman Drew Schmidt sent a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring left fielder Cade Palkowski. Although Kamloops scored in back-to-back innings, they stranded two runners in each of those innings, unable to come up with that next big hit.
In the sixth, the NorthPaws would draw a pair of walks and a hit by pitch with two outs to load the bases but once again couldn’t come through as a great defensive play by the Bells left the NorthPaws empty-handed.

Kamloops would keep their foot on the gas in the seventh with back-to-back singles from Schmidt and Hornback. The two would advance to second and third on a past ball. Designated hitter Joey Rico sent a fly ball to center field that allowed Schmidt to score. Two batters later, first baseman Keegan Drinkle singled, scoring Hornback. Shortstop Anthony Setticassi reached base via an error, and center fielder Ethan Kodama walked to once again load the bases with two outs. Palkowski was at the plate but flew out to left field once again, leaving the bases loaded.

In the eighth, Rico singled, scoring Hornback, making it five under-answered runs. Going into the top of the ninth, there was a sense of optimism that was felt amongst the hometown crowd. Another scoreless inning, and the team has a real shot to pull this off. Unfortunately, those plans got quickly derailed as the Bells led off with a triple, and the rest is history. Two runs in the ninth put Bellingham up five, securing the game-one victory.

Without the three scoreless from Kiefer, the comeback effort wouldn’t have been possible, but Kiefer and the rest of the staff know what their hitters are capable of.

“For me, I was just trying to get quick outs and give our hitters a shot; we feel like if the staff can keep the game within reach, the offence can outscore anyone,” said Kiefer.

Although the five unanswered runs made the game interesting, the team was missing that one big hit. On Friday night, the NorthPaws left a staggering 13 runners on base, leaving them with a feeling of what could’ve been.

“It was frustrating tonight for us because we knew we were better than what we were showing,” said designated hitter Joey Rico. “We know we’re a good team and can beat anyone; we never feel like we’re out of games,” Rico added.

The two teams will face each other again on Saturday night at Norbrock Stadium; the first pitch is set for 6:35.

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NightOwls Walk It Off To Win A Wild Game Against The RiverHawks 10-9

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NANAIMO, B.C. – What a night from Serauxmen Stadium on Friday night, that saw a little bit of everything. Lead changes, a Grand Slam, Great pitching, some heat between the two teams, a manager getting ejected, and most importantly, a walk-off 10-9 win for the Nanaimo NightOwls against the Edmonton RiverHawks. If you like baseball, this was a game you would have wanted to be at.

Both starting pitchers did very well on the night, only allowing a combined three runs until the 7th inning when things got interesting. With Edmonton up 2-1, the NightOwls exploded for a big four-run inning in the bottom of the seventh to take a 5-2 lead. Not to be outdone, the RiverHawks came back with four of their own in the top of the eighth inning thanks to a Grand Slam. The two teams were not done, not even close.

Nanaimo wasn’t going to go away easily, though, and after a couple of walks, some wild pitches, and a single, the NightOwls would take a 9-6 lead going into the ninth inning, needing just three outs to close the game. If you’ve sensed the theme of the game, we’re not over yet. Edmonton walked the bases for a run before a two-RBI single would tie things up. Seraxuemen Stadium stayed hopeful as the team would walk it off thanks to a sacrifice fly and a close play at the plate for the 10-9 Win.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=621646

Despite the score, the pitching was very good at the beginning of the game, seeing both starting pitchers go through at least five innings. NightOwls starter from Cal State Los Angeles, Lino Zepeda went 5 strong innings, giving up two runs on three hits, walking two, and striking out four. He settled down after the first inning and had a couple of great innings, where he struck out the side and had a 3-up-three-down inning in 5 pitches. He didn’t make the decision.

Also pitching very well for the Nanaimo NightOwls was reliever Jeadeyn Edwards. He pitched two scoreless innings, giving up no runs or hits and striking out one batter. The home side finished with 10 runs on 13 hits and no errors. The Edmonton RiverHawks had nine runs on nine hits and one error. The defense for the Nanaimo NightOwls was on display as Spencer Sullivan climbed the wall and took away a sure home run in the sixth inning. Check out the highlight here!

Coach Cody Andreychuk went to the bench and it worked as 9 of the 11 players finished the night with hits. Eli Watson came in off the bench as designated hitter and went two for four with three RBI, two hits and two runs scored. Along with his great play in the field Spencer Sullivan, from West Linn Oregon, went one for three with two RBI, one hit, one run, and one walk. He definitely made an impact on the game for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

Tyler Arnold had an RBI and two hits on the evening while Caden Petrey also added a pair of hits for the NightOwls. Shortstop Andrew Nykuluk took advantage of any mistake the Edmonton Riverhawks made and scored three runs going two for four with two singles and a walk. He also scored the walk off sacrifice fly off the bat of Raoul Fabian Jr. Raoul want one for one for four with a walk but scored two runs and drove in two more RBI. None more important than the one in the ninth inning and was met with a Gatorade shower up the first base line.

http://Nanaimonightowls.com/tickets

The series continues for the Nanaimo NightOwls and Edmonton RiverHawks which could get a little testy as this already looks like a bit of a rivalry.  Game two goes Saturday June 28th at 6:35 pm, while we go Nanaimo Bars Family Fun Sunday at 1:00 pm on the 29th. Then it’s an exhibition game on Monday June 30th against the Nanaimo Selects. Canada day July 1st, we have our big extravaganza against Island Rival Victoria HarbourCats.

We have have fireworks after the game and a lot of other fun promotions and activities happening at the ballpark. Spend the day at the beach and come and watch some great baseball at 6:35 pm at Seraxuemen Stadium! Tonight we had our very talented Owen capture the walk-off celebration from above while making his ride wait. We really have the best in the business. Make sure to follow us on all social media platforms and tag us in your photos and videos from the game using the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark.

Just going to end it with this…

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