Summer Collegiate

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

Published

4 years ago

November 3, 2022

Dugout Wire Service

(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 Smother NightOwls for 5-2 Win

Published

22 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Solid offence in the early stages of the game led to an important game one win. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats kicked off the Nanaimo series the right way with a 5-2 win over their hosts, the Nanaimo NightOwls.

BOX SCORE

It didn’t take long for the HarbourCats to put themselves in front, battling with two outs to take the lead in the top of the first. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with two away, and a couple of passed balls opened the door for both Logan Shepherd (Mercer) and Rohne Klein (San Jose State) to score. The Cats came back and tacked on another in the second inning with a Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) sac fly and would then load the bases up again in the third, scoring another run by way of a walk from Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois).

While the bats were heating up, starting pitcher Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) held up his end of the bargain and then some. In the four innings he oversaw, Lake notched seven strikeouts and denied Nanaimo any hits at all, putting up a zero in the run column. Houston Tomlinson of Arkansas State covered for Lake in the fifth and continued his legacy, striking out two in a clean inning on the mound.

Dillon Lopez was active on the scoresheet in this one, going 2/4 with a walk. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Jacob Silva (UTSA) began the top of the sixth frame with a display of power, slinging a ball over the right field wall to extend the lead. The NightOwls had no answer in the home half of the inning, as Tomlinson continued to shut them down.

Nanaimo finally found their first hit of the ballgame in the top of the seventh inning, a double socked over the centre fielder Chee-Aloy to leadoff the bottom of the frame. Tomlinson got himself into a bit of a pickle with the bases loaded, which Nanaimo capitalized on to score their first two runs. Shea Lake’s West Texas A&M teammate Tristin Thomas was next out of the bullpen with the bases full. Unfazed by the pressure, Thomas struck out both batters he faced to preserve the lead.

Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) was summoned to finish the job in the ninth inning and did just that, locking in after a leadoff single and getting a double play and a strikeout to end the game.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats and NightOwls will gear up for a rematch on Wednesday night, with Victoria gunning for the series win.

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Defeated by AppleSox in Game Three

Published

3 days ago

July 19, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The HarbourCats have been kept quiet in two straight games after a powerful offensive showing in game one. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – In a winner-take-all matchup against the Wenatchee AppleSox, Victoria’s bats came up short, falling 3-1 to the visiting AppleSox and losing the series.

The AppleSox claimed the first advantage in game three of this head-to-head series, rocking a rare double off of Erik Rico (Fresno State) and cashing in the run for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

It wasn’t until the top of the fifth when Wenatchee would add on, smashing a two-run homer with two outs in the top of the fifth. That bomb ended the outing for Rico, who gave up three runs today on five hits and notched nine strikeouts. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) took his place and finished off the inning

The HarbourCats finally got themselves on the board in the bottom of the eighth, with a costly Wenatchee error allowing Lukas Le Gras (Westmont) to score from second. Michael Rodda (Palomar) got on base due to the error, but ended up being stranded by a popup to end the inning.

Davis Lee hit the ground running to retire the side in the top of the ninth. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Friedrich ended up going a solid 3.1 innings, allowing just two baserunners and striking out three. He was swapped out for Davis Lee (Calgary) prior to the top of the ninth, and Lee worked quickly and carefully to retire the side and get two strikeouts of his own.

The HarbourCats offence struggled tonight, coming up with only one run. Logan Shepherd (Mercer) and Declan Brown (Ottawa University) both walked in the bottom of the ninth to get the tying run on base, but Victoria was unable to capitalize with runners on and eventually dropped the rubber match of the series 3-1.

WCL STANDINGS

After an off-day tomorrow, the Cats will head up island to Nanaimo for a three-game weekday series before returning home for the weekend.

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – AppleSox Surge Back Late to Tie Series

Published

4 days ago

July 19, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

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.

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