Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Major events coming in 2023 thanks to Peninsula Co-op

Published

2 years ago

March 28, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Slo-pitch returns to RAP, and kids free weekend!

For immediate release

Tuesday, March 28

VICTORIA, B.C. – Anyone who knows Peninsula Co-op knows they are all about community. Same goes for the Victoria HarbourCats – which is why a few events this summer should get everyone’s attention.

First, The Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park will welcome back top slo-pitch teams for two great events – to a facility that was a staple for local leagues until the early 2000s. A special evening with the Greater Victoria Mixed Slo-Pitch Association (GVMSA) on Wednesday, May 31 will feature two games, starting at 6:35pm, with the teams and players treated like HarbourCats for a night, with full game production, food options, and more. Tickets for this event are just $10.00 for all seating areas and can be purchased on-line HERE, or available at the gate. Tickets are included for all HarbouCats season ticket holders.

Then, on Monday, June 5, in the half-hour leading up to the HarbourCats game vs. the Walla Walla Sweets (tickets available here), the top bashers in the GVMSA will showcase their power in a home run derby – both these events sponsored by Peninsula Co-op and PenCo Liquor.

Then, a great weekend for the kids – all kids aged 12 and under are admitted FREE for the series July 21, 22 and 23, featuring the Coquitlam Angels, and all Peninsula Co-op members can gain entry for just $10, with further Co-op member (JOIN HERE!) discounts at the merchandise tent.

Peninsula Co-op also brings back the oh-so-fun annual Special Olympics game, set for Thursday, July 13, with the Special O players showing their talents on the field before the HarbourCats take on the Port Angeles Lefties. (tickets available here)

“We have a lot of fun working with our partners to come up with great ways to involve the community, and that’s definitely the case with Peninsula Co-op,” said HarbourCats GM Christian Stewart. “It’s great to be aligned with them on ways to engage people and bring the community together.”

The Kids Free Weekend is just one of many family affordable ways that fans and families can take in a HarbourCats game this season. Also back for 2023 are “$10 Tuesdays”, where all general admission and premium reserved seats are available for just ten dollars! Our $11 Save on Food General Admission vouchers are also back, as is our ever popular Forces Fridays, where Military and first responder families can get general admission tickets for just $7.50. Click HERE for details on all these promotions and more!

The HarbourCats celebrate their 10th Anniversary in 2023 and the season kicks off with the home opener against the Kamloops NorthPaws on Friday June 2, 2023. Single game tickets for that game, all four fireworks nights, and the remainder of our 31 HarbourCats home games in 2023 are now on sale and can be purchased on-line through our one-and-only ticketing partner, Select Your Tickets, at harbourcats.com/tickets. They can also be purchased at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street, or at the Select Your Tickets box office at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Fans can also call 778-265-0327 to order over the phone.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale. For details on all ticketing options, including our special $10.00 Tuesdays, Forces Fridays and Save-on-Food Vouchers, please visit harbourcats.com/ticketinfo.

HOST FAMILIES! The HarbourCats are in need of host families for 2023! If you are interested, you can find more details HERE, or contact Cindy Kent, our Host Family Coordinator by e-mail at hostfamily@harbourcats.com.

ATTENTION 2022 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS! If you have not yet renewed and paid in full for your seats for the 2023 season, they have now been released and are now available for sale to the general public. Chances are good that they are still available, so if you would like to renew, contact chris@harbourcats.com or call 778-265-0327 ASAP to have the best chance to grab the same seats as last year.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Middle infield combo, power corner infielders added by HarbourCats

Published

6 days ago

March 24, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Above: Infielder Jake Butler from George Mason University should be a key cog in the middle infield for the HarbourCats in 2025.

March 24, 2025

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA — It’s always a bonus to find a double-play combo from the same school, especially one as strong as George Mason University (GMU).

The Victoria HarbourCats are excited to add middle infielders Owen Clyne, who starts at short, and Jake Butler, his usual counterpart at second but also able to play third, from GMU — the school that provided star catcher Connor Dykstra, who signed in July with the Seattle Mariners.

“This group we are announcing today, we will be counting on them to lead key parts of our team this summer,” said HarbourCats GM Christian Stewart.

“Butler and Clyne are impressing everyone this spring, and JC Allen from UC San Diego is off to a strong start as well. Our offense just got even stronger with these four signings, and you know (head coach) Todd Haney will get the most out of them.”

Announced as signed today, by Coach Haney:

IF Owen Clyne, George Mason, L/R, 6-2/185, Wichita, KS
IF Jake Butler, George Mason, R/R, 5-11/185. Towson, MD
IF JC Allen, UC San Diego, R/R, 6-4/210, Irvine, CA
IF/OF Curtis McKay, Niagara, R/R, 6-3/205, Dorchester, ON

Clyne, batting .363, has 28 RBIs in 24 games so far this season, with three home runs, nine extra-base hits and more walks than strikeouts. Butler has 35 runs driven in and is batting .326 with a .457 on-base clip in 20 games.

UC SanDiego’s JC Allen is another player who should see plenty of playing time in the HarbourCats infield in 2025.

Allen is off to a huge start at the D1 level, after two years at Saddleback College, with six home runs and 24 RBIs in his first 22 games for UC SAN Diego. He hit 13 bombs in his second season at Saddleback. He can play either corner infield spot, or get his bat active in the DH role.

McKay, from Ontario, can play corner infield or outfield, is batting .303 with four home runs and an RBI per game (22 total) over 18 starts at Niagara.

The HarbourCats open their 2025 home schedule on Friday, June 6, with the Port Angeles Lefties visiting Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP. Season Tickets, 10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 33 home games and three “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

Tickets can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

ATTENTION 2024 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS – FINAL NOTICE! If you have not already done so, please renew your seats for 2025 so that they can be locked into the new ticketing system. Season Tickets will be sent to all members electronically this season on April 1, 2025, perhaps sooner. Any seats not renewed by MONDAY, March 31 will be released and placed back into the system. Contact Christian at the office at 778-265-0327 to renew.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – KidSport celebrating notable anniversary with HarbourCats in 2025

Published

2 weeks ago

March 18, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

March 18, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Count ’em, 25 years of helping youth enjoy sports.

KidSport Greater Victoria is teaming up with the Victoria HarbourCats to celebrate an amazing 25 years of assisting kids in the pursuit of both participation and excellence in local sports, with planned events this summer at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.

And, not the least of which is the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, a Thursday matchup starting at 11am featuring the HarbourCats and island rival Nanaimo NightOwls, with many schools all but emptying to take in the action and helping celebrate this tremendous achievement for KidSport Greater Victoria.

“We can’t think of a better community organization to have involved with this, the KidSport School Spirit game,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats.

“This will be a season-long theme of celebration, of reminding our fans of the great work they do and have done for so long in Victoria. Each and every game, people will have an opportunity to show their support for KidSport Greater Victoria, including a few special events outside this School Spirit Game.”

This will be the second Thursday game in a row in the HarbourCats home schedule in 2025 which will be dedicated to kids — on June 12, the Mayfair Optometric School Spirit Game will take place, also an 11am start featuring the HarbourCats and NightOwls. KidSport Greater Victoria and Mayfair Optometric Clinic are aligned with community values and supporting youth, making this an ideal match to welcome a combined total of more than 5,000 school kids to the park.

“We are so grateful for the past and ongoing support the HarbourCats have offered KidSport, and very excited about the various ways our organizations will work together this year,” said Jill Shaw, Executive Director of KidSport Greater Victoria. “Demand for our support is at an all-time high. We are seeing more families than ever coming to us in need of help so their children can access organized sport. The HarbourCats June 19th School Spirit Game is a great opportunity both to raise awareness about the work we do, and to offer local kids great access to another fun and rewarding local sport experience – we are very happy to be involved!”

KidSport Greater Victoria will also be front and centre on Harvey’s Birthday Game on July 11 at Wilson’s Group Stadium, and will be involved in other special games that are still to be announced.

Supporting KidSport will be a constant theme of the HarbourCats in this 2025 West Coast League season. The HarbourCats encourage all who can to contribute to this great cause, which you can action by clicking this link (https://www.kidsportvictoria25.ca/).

KidSport Greater Victoria has seen tremendous growth over the last 25 years, with demand for their support increasing very steeply starting in 2023 in particular. KidSport Greater Victoria exists to help ensure all kids have opportunity to play; annually they cover the registration fees for well over 1400 local kids living in financial need, enabling them to take part in seasons of sport of their choice – including baseball! As the largest KidSport chapter in the province, we know that on just about every sports team in the region, there are children playing who are able to take part thanks to KidSport and the supporters and donors who make their work possible.

To order tickets as a school group for the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, or the June 12 Mayfair Optometric Clinic School Spirit Game, contact GM Christian Stewart, chris@harbourcats.com — some seats are left, but not many!

For fans looking for tickets for these exciting games, and any other HarbourCats game in 2025, visit the HarbourCats ticketing site HERE.

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