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Victoria HarbourCats – Three returnees highlight first HarbourCats players signed for 2023 season

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(Above): Returning middle-infielder Hudson Shupe highlights a list of four players signed for the HarbourCats 2023 season.

November 3, 2022

VICTORIA, B.C. — Loyalty matters — and loyal fans of the Victoria HarbourCats will be happy with the first signed players for the 2023 West Coast League season.

Versatile infielder Hudson Shupe, catcher Russell Young, local pitcher/infielder Ryder Green and stocky lefty Jake Finkelstein, the only new player of the bunch, will be part of Head Coach Todd Haney’s attack when WCL baseball returns to Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP in June — with the potential home opener on Friday, June 2.

“Hudson and Russell were warriors for us last year, and it’s great to have them back and establish the culture we value in Victoria,” said Haney, who will lead the coaching staff for a third season, a HarbourCats longevity record. “Ryder came on and helped us late this last season, and Jake is the kind of southpaw that eats valuable innings in a competitive league like the WCL.”

Russell Young hitting his first career WCL home run in 2022 (Photo: Christian J Stewart)

Shupe, a middle infielder from West Richland, Washington and Seattle University was solid for the HarbourCats from start to finish in 2022, appearing in 38 regular season games and both playoff games and hitting a respectable .270 on the regular season. He also showed his versatility on the mound, pitching 13.1 innings and amassing an ERA of 4.05.

Productive and durable, Young, from Surrey and a Langley Blaze product, and with the HarbourCats from start to finish in 2023, hit .290 with two home runs (including a dramatic, game-winning, bottom of the eighth inning grand slam against Yakima last July 17) and 20 runs driven in over 29 regular season games.  He then went 5-7 in the two playoff games. Young is a former national junior team catcher who started his college career at Gonzaga, moved to Johnson County CC, and is now playing for Chris Pritchett at UBC.

Finkelstein is a 6-0/190 left-handed pitching product of Richmond, BC who moved from Spokane Falls CC to Montana State this fall, and has two years of summer experience with the Sylvan Lake Gulls of the Western Canada Baseball League, where in 2022 he had a 2-0 record and struck out 21 batters in 17 innings of work.

Green, a former HarbourCats batboy now with the Victoria Golden Tide (CCBC), joined the ‘Cats after completing his high school season with the Victoria Eagles. He appeared in non-league games, but also saw four innings in league action and was eligible for playoffs. He picked up a save in a win at Port Angeles. Green can play infield, outfield, and even catch — adding to his value.

Ryder Green, playing here this past fall for the Victoria Golden Tide, will be a useful utility player for the ‘Cats in 2023 (Photo Christian J. Stewart)

2023 Season Tickets
Season ticket renewals and new season ticket sales are now underway for 2023, the HarbourCats 10th season!  Lock in the best seats in the house by the end of November prior to single-game tickets going on sale. 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

2023 Single Game Tickets
The 2023 West Coast League schedule is currently in draft mode and a final schedule is anticipated in the next week or two. As such, we anticipate that single-game ticket sales for 2023 will be available in person and on-line in early December.

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats announce second School Spirit Day for 2025

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SCHOOL DAY SOLD OUT!  Second Mayfair Optometric Clinic School Spirit day added to 2025 schedule

January 22, 2025

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Even with a chill still in the air, the Victoria HarbourCats have already sold out a summer baseball game.

How’s that for a warm feeling in January?

The super-popular Mayfair Optometric Clinic SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY, slated for June 12 at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park, has already sold out with area schools signed up with haste — the office already had a waiting list before the year changed to 2025.

So, the HarbourCats have decided to add a SECOND SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY — an 11am start on Thursday, June 19, with special $9.00 pricing for students and teachers to bathe in sunlight and cheer on the HarbourCats.

“The June 12 game filled up right away, and it led us to look at this second offering,” said Christian Stewart, GM of the HarbourCats. “More than 3,200 school kids are already coming to see us play that day against the Island rival Nanaimo NightOwls — and we can look to sell out a second game, also against the NightOwls, with the same energy the kids bring to the park.

“If you haven’t been to this game before, it’s magic with the excitement, and the lineups for Sub Zero Ice Cream and other concession items — it’s a day our food trucks and the city concession are very busy, that’s for sure!”

For any teachers or schools looking to join the fun, email chris@harbourcats.com or call the office at 778-265-0327, to get signed up.

Tickets for all games can be found online with our Showpass ticketing system, at harbourcats.com/tickets— single game tickets available including opening night, our famous fireworks nights, and all special promotions.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Partner with Showpass for new ticketing system

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Single game tickets for 2025 now on sale! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 7, 2025

Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Showpass, a leading event ticketing platform, to provide fans with a seamless and enhanced ticketing experience for the upcoming season.

Showpass’s innovative technology will make purchasing tickets for HarbourCats games faster and more user-friendly than ever. Fans can now buy single-game tickets, season passes, flex passes and group tickets through the Showpass platform, which offers an intuitive interface and convenient features such as mobile ticketing, easy transfers, and quick scanning at the gate.

Also being implemented in Nanaimo with the NightOwls, the Showpass platform supports real-time updates and event notifications, keeping fans informed about game-day changes, promotions, and special events.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the fan experience,” said HarbourCats General Manager Christian Stewart. “Showpass provides a modern, efficient solution that makes attending a HarbourCats game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.”

Here are a few of the highlights:

Season Ticket Holders

New Season Tickets are now available to be purchased online for the first time ever at https://www.showpass.com/m/victoria-harbourcats-season-tickets/  Visit the seat map, see what is available, select your preferred ticket type, and checkout securely.

Season Tickets will be delivered to all members by e-mail (planned for April 1, 2025) with an option for printing classic paper tickets. Members can transfer tickets as needed through their accounts, and print their tickets via PDF or simply save into their mobile wallet on their phone.

Renewals are simple, with reminder emails coming from Showpass late in the season, or early fall, with details for the following season and secure, online renewal.

NOTE:  Season Ticket holders who have not yet renewed their seats for 2025 should ensure they call or visit the office to do so as soon as possible so that all relevant details are updated in the new system and so their seats are locked in for 2025.  Any seats not paid / renewed by April 1, 2025 will be released for sale to the public at that time.

10-Game and Season Ticket Flex Packs
10-game flex packs and our Season Ticket equivalent flex-packs (32 vouchers) are also now available to purchase and manage on-line in the Showpass system.

https://www.showpass.com/10-game-flex-pack/

https://www.showpass.com/32-game-flex-pack/

Once purchased, fans can skip coming to the office or box office and can easily exchange their vouchers / credits on-line for the games that they wish to attend.  Once exchanged, fans can also e-mail those tickets to someone else, if they don’t plan to attend the game themselves.

Fans with existing 10-packs or season ticket packs purchased during the off-season can come into the office and get set up properly in the new system in order  begin to exchanging vouchers on their own.

Single-Game Tickets
Single game tickets are now available on-line and can be purchased at Harbourcats.com/tickets.

Scroll down the list to find the game of interest, including three “Showcase” games being held this season, click through to the seat map, select your seats and check-out with your tickets delivered to the e-mail used to set up your account.

Group Tickets
Group tickets (10 people or more) can also now be purchased on-line in most of our seating areas and larger groups can be set up and ticket sales managed through a convenient Group Sales platform within Showpass.

The Showpass system also comes with a very easy to use Help system to guide users through the ticketing sales or exchange process and of course, fans can always come to the office or the box office on game days to order their tickets in person.

The HarbourCats begin the 2025 season with a six-game road trip starting May 30th in Kelowna and finishing in Edmonton June 5th.  They return home for the Home Opener on Friday, June 6th at 6:35pm against the Port Angeles Lefties, with the first fireworks night of the season on Saturday June 7th at 6:35pm.

As noted, tickets for all home games are now on sale at HarbourCats.com/tickets.

About Showpass
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Showpass is a cutting-edge ticketing and event management platform trusted by organizations across North America. Known for its ease of use and robust features, Showpass empowers event organizers and attendees with a superior ticketing experience.  In addition to Victoria and Nanaimo, Showpass is being used by the Bend Elks in the West Coast League, the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, the Welland Jackfish Baseball Club in Ontario and has a large footprint in Victoria, being used by a number of smaller event venues such as Brewery and the Beast. Visit their website for more information at https://www.showpass.com/

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NightOwls Pitching Coach Fondly Recalls Time Playing with Rickey

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Every pitch Gorm Heimueller threw in the major leagues, Rickey Henderson had his back, positioned in the outfield behind him.

When news broke Saturday of the far-too-soon passing of the greatest base stealer the game has ever known — and likely will ever know — Heimueller was stunned, and saddened.

 

“I heard from a friend of Rickey’s, who had heard from (former MLB pitcher) Dave Stewart — this is a big blow for the baseball world, like Pete Rose a few months ago,” said Heimueller, who will be pitching coach again for the NightOwls again in 2025, the only pitching staff leader the West Coast League team has known since debuting at historic Serauxmen Stadium in 2022. This season will mark 49 years in the game for Heimueller, one of the most-respected people in all of baseball.

 

“I loved Rickey — but I loved everyone, I was in the big leagues. I got to play with Rickey and Joe Morgan, two Hall of Famers, it’s hard to believe they are both gone. Rickey looked like he was doing well and healthy. Very sad news.”

 

Henderson, who would’ve turned 66 on Christmas Day, passed away Friday, a surprise to everyone as he had appeared to be in good health. Initial reports indicated a bout of pneumonia claimed the Hall of Famer, who played with nine teams over 25 years and stole 1,406 bases. Canadian baseball fans will recall his short time with the Blue Jays in 1993, helping Toronto win its second consecutive World Series.

“The best part of playing with him was knowing I didn’t have to face him,” said Heimueller.

 

“My first game, he made a catch up against the wall — really good catch. People think of the stolen bases but look at all the home runs he hit. He was also unique as not many guys are right-handed hitters and then throw left-handed, very rare in the game. He was one of the more confident players I ever played with — and Rickey talked about Rickey, he had his ways about him that you never forget, that was the way he talked.

 

“That first game, in Baltimore, he’s leading off — I’m thinking this is pretty cool, and I’m the starting pitcher. I knew I was in the big leagues right there.”

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