Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Tidal Wave Wipes Out Dinosaurs
Golden Tide victorious in first game at CCBC Fall Championships
Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart
October 8, 2021, Kelowna, BC – Brady Wilson pitched a complete-game three-hitter and four different player had multi-hit games, as the Victoria Golden Tide defeated the University of Calgary Dino’s 10-1 Friday evening in the first game for both teams at the Canadian College Baseball Conference Fall Championships at Elks Field in Kelowna.
Brady Wilson was stellar on the mound Friday, throwing a 7-innng complete game three-hitter against Calgary, striking out eight and walking just two.
Wilson was simply spectacular on the night, facing the minimum number of 12 batters through the first four innings. He did give up his first hit in the third inning, but then promptly picked the runner off first to keep that inning clean.
Brendan Morrison had three hits, including a three-RBI double to lead the Tide in their 10-1 win over Calgary on Friday.
The only other inning that Wilson allowed any base runners is when Calgary scored their only run in the fifth and again in the seventh when they loaded the bases, but could not score.
In the end, Wilson allowed the one Calgary run on just the three hits, while walking two and striking out eight.
The Tide’s Austin Gurney, who reached base four times Friday, is congratulated after scoring one of his two runs against Calgary.
Wilson got all the offensive support he would need when the Tide took advantage of a shaky Calgary starter Ethan Bromley, and exploded for five hits and five runs in the top of the second inning.
Bryce Carroll would get the Tide scoring started with an RBI on an infield single, and that would be followed by another run when Will Podmoroff reached on an error and then two more on an Alex MacLauchlan two-RBI single. Brady Alexandre would then cap the inning off with an infield single of his own.
Alex MacLauchlin would have a pair of hits, a walk and two RBI in the 10-1 win over Calgary on Friday.
The Tide would add four more runs in the top the fourth, the big blow being a bases loaded double by Brendan Morrison that would score three and put the game out of reach.
Tide shortstop Brandon Green makes a play against Calgary Friday.
Morrison would be the hitting star for the Tide on the night, finishing with three hits and three RBI to lead the 10-hit attack. MacLauchlan, Austin Gurney and Alexandre would also have two-hit evenings and score a pair of runs each, while Gurney also walked twice to reach base on all four of his plate appearances.
Brody Alexandre strokes one of his two hits against Calgary on Friday night. He would also finish with a pair of RBI and runs scored.
Next up for the Tide are the University of Fraser Valley Cascades, in a Saturday morning game at 9:00 am. The Tide and UFV played recently in Victoria in a lively series that saw the Cascades win game one and the second game end in a 5-5 tie.
The Tide’s Brandon Green slides safely into second ahead of the throw to Dino’s shortstop Marcus Coderre (26)
After that, the Tide face Thompson Rivers at 9:15 am Sunday and then hope to finish first or second in their pool and play in the semi-finals later that day.
In other CCBC action Friday, UFV defeated TRU 8-0, while Edmonton Collegiate defeated Vancouver Island 1-0. Okanagan College was leading the Prairie Baseball Academy 5-4 in the sixth inning of their game in progress at press time.
Tide catcher Bryce Carroll (left) congratulates pitcher Brady Wilson at the end of Friday’s 10-1 win over Calgary.
Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Fall 2026 Indoor Training Clinics Now Open for Registration
Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Zach Swanson Returning as Pitching Coach for HarbourCats in 2027
September 2, 2026
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. – After a successful debut season in the West Coast League, Zach Swanson will be back as Pitching Coach for the Victoria HarbourCats.
Head Coach Todd Haney is pleased to be putting together the key pieces of his staff already for the 2027 season, and that includes Swanson, the Victoria product and former college pitcher, after setting notable records in 2026. Swanson is a Lambrick Park graduate who played for the Victoria Eagles and Mariners, and pitched collegiately at San Diego Christian and Park University-Gilbert, earning an MBA in the process.
The records and notables of the 2026 HarbourCats:
- Most team strikeouts (536) in team history in a season, two short of a WCL record (and notably, the HarbourCats would have played two more games, but they were cancelled due to smoky conditions in Washington State)
- Highest K/9 rate in WCL history (10.48)
- Second in batting average against (.235)
- Fourth in league ERA (4.48)
- Right-handers Jeremiah Arnett (66) and Erik Rico (64) now sit first and second in HarbourCats history in strikeouts in a season, and both were named all-stars – on top of it, Arnett was named the WCL Pitcher of the Year
- HarbourCats reliever Nathan Mueller was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers and pitcher Will Zielinski was a 20th round pick of the Detroit Tigers
Swanson is the Pitching Coach at Hawaii Pacific University (NCAA Division 2) in Honolulu, entering his second year – in his first season, Swanson had three all-conference pitchers and the team ERA improved by more than a run per game.
“I’m incredibly excited to welcome Zach back as our pitching coach for the 2027 season. He built tremendous trust with our pitchers and has a great understanding of what it takes to develop players,” said Haney, who earlier this week added former MLB infielder Jeff Frye to the coaching staff for 2027.
“Our pitching staff responded to Zach’s leadership every single day, and we saw real growth both on and off the mound. Zach brings an exceptional work ethic, passion and competitive edge to our staff. Our pitchers are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him now, as it’s only a matter of time before Zach is an MLB pitching coach.”
Swanson is excited to return to a team he knows well, holding many roles – batboy, to player, to play-by-play voice in 2022. Swanson was Victoria’s starting pitcher for Game 1 of the WCL final in 2019 against the Corvallis Knights in a game played at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP.
“It’s a joy and a privilege to be returning to Victoria in 2027,” said Swanson, son of Managing Partner Jim Swanson.
“After a 2026 season full of development, my wife Madeline and I are looking forward to coming back to this great city. I can’t wait to help write another chapter – both in the lives of these athletes and in the history books of this organization.”
The HarbourCats have started the recruiting process for 2027 already, and Season Ticket Memberships are now available for purchase or renewal. New members may order their seats on-line if desired at harbourcats.com/tickets (click the Membership tab), or by calling the office at 778-265-0327.
Renew or purchase your seats by September 30th to be eligible to win a round trip airfare on Harbour Air to Vancouver.
The HarbourCats 2027 schedule is expected to be announced in late October 2026, with single-game tickets expected to be available by December 1, 2026.
August 31, 2026
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. — Add another former Major League player to the coaching staff of the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League — and one who definitely has opinions on how the game should be played.
Jeff Frye, who registered nine years and 15 days of MLB service and 667 big-league games overall, joins the staff led by Head Coach Todd Haney, another former MLB infielder who himself played parts of five seasons with the Expos, Cubs and Mets. Haney enters his seventh season as Victoria’s Head Coach in 2027 and has been with the HarbourCats since 2018.
The versatile Frye, who now lives in Maryland, played mostly second base for Texas, Boston, Colorado and the Toronto Blue Jays, and hit for the cycle as a member of the Blue Jays. Frye had a career .290 batting average and slugged 16 home runs — he had 626 hits in the big leagues, 162 of them for extra bases. He also stole 56 bases and only struck out 279 times in 2,451 plate appearances.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Jeff to our coaching staff. Jeff knows exactly what it takes to compete at the highest level,” said Haney.
“He brings a winning mindset, tremendous baseball knowledge and a passion for helping players succeed. His incredible experience and expertise will elevate our player development as we continue our focus of bringing a championship home to our fans.”
Frye is also very well known in baseball social media circles (follow @shegone03 on X) for unabashedly standing up for the game’s fundamentals and traditional values — which are also important to Haney and the HarbourCats organization.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach with my buddy Todd Haney in the beautiful city of Victoria B.C.,” said Frye, who was born in California but played high school and college baseball in Oklahoma before being drafted by the Rangers in 1988 (30th round). (Haney, a native Texan, was a 38th round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 1987, the same draft the Mariners chose Ken Griffey Jr. first overall.)
“I’ve always had the desire to get back on the field teaching the game I love and it’s finally here. Let’s get to work!”
Frye, who celebrates his 60th birthday today, played college baseball at Carl Albert State College and Southeastern Oklahoma State, where he set program records with a .455 batting average in 1988 and a .420 career batting average. Despite being an undersized guy — a playing profile very much like Haney had in college and pro — Frye was all-conference twice, an all-American, conference player of the year, and was inducted into the Southeastern athletics hall of fame.
Frye also used two summers with the Fort Smith Red Sox in the Jayhawk League (1986-87) as valuable development, so he understands the value of baseball players playing baseball for a quality organization.
The HarbourCats franchise has a legacy of attracting former MLB players to be part of the coaching staff, including Greg Swindell, Mark Petkovsek, Brian McRae, and current local assistant coach Steve Sinclair, who played parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays and Mariners. The team also had Manny Ramirez as a guest coach in 2024 when his two sons, Manny Jr. and Lucas, played for the team.
The HarbourCats have started the recruiting process for 2027 already, and Season Ticket Memberships are now available for purchase or renewal. New members may order their seats on-line if desired at http://harbourcats.com/tickets (click the Memberships tab), or by calling the office at 778-265-0327.
Existing members who have accounts in good standing on SHOWPASS can simply log into their account to renew, or can also call the office or pop in to pay for their 2027 seats.
Renew or purchase your seats by September 30th to be eligible to win a round trip airfare on Harbour Air to Vancouver.
The HarbourCats 2027 schedule is expected to be announced in late October 2026, with single-game tickets expected be to available by December 1, 2026.
Victoria HarbourCats – Fall 2026 Indoor Training Clinics Now Open for Registration
Victoria HarbourCats – Zach Swanson Returning as Pitching Coach for HarbourCats in 2027
Victoria HarbourCats – Former MLB infielder Frye joins HarbourCats coaching staff
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