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WCL Adds Springfield Drifters as Newest Member Team

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April 22, 2021

Thursday, the West Coast League announced the addition of the expansion Springfield Drifters as the league’s 16th member team. The Drifters will join the Bend Elks, Corvallis Knights, and Portland Pickles as the league’s fourth Oregon-based team.

“When you look at a map,” said WCL Commissioner Rob Neyer, “adding another team in the Willamette Valley is an easy call for us. We were simply waiting for the perfect situation, and with the Springfield Baseball Project, that’s now exactly what we’ve got.”

The Drifters, Bushnell University, and Huddle Up Foundation comprise the Springfield Baseball Project, which is partnering with Springfield Public Schools to renovate the Hamlin Sports Complex baseball field, located at Hamlin Middle School. Beginning in 2022, both the Drifters and the Bushnell Beacons will call the Hamlin Sports Complex home in their inaugural seasons.

“Bringing the high-level play of the West Coast League to Springfield is a baseball dream come true,” said Drifters General Manager Jamie Christopher. “Through the Springfield Baseball Project and Springfield Public Schools’ partnership, we are not only building a first-class baseball facility; we’re also bringing a community facility to an under-served youth population.”

The Drifters join the Edmonton Riverhawks, Kamloops NorthPaws and Nanaimo NightOwls as the four expansion teams set to begin play in 2022. Edmonton, Kamloops and Nanaimo, along with the Victoria HarbourCats and Kelowna Falcons, are gearing up for the 2022 campaign after withdrawing from the 2021 season due to continuing pandemic-related border and gathering limitations.

Springfield’s ownership team of Ike Olsson, from Olsson Industrial Electric; and Kelly Richardson of Richardson Sports, have been planning this venture for a year. “In partnership with the school district,” said Olsson, “we are honored to present our community with another phenomenal baseball complex that builds upon Huddle Up Foundation’s success with Rich Schwab Field at Maple Elementary School. This new project will continue Huddle Up’s mission of providing mentorship and after-school programs to underserved local youth.”

“The Springfield School District has been an ideal partner. Without their cooperation and shared vision, the Drifters Baseball Club and this new facility would not be possible,” said Richardson. “We are excited to bring collegiate baseball to the Springfield community and provide a first-class facility for local kids to use and be proud of.”

To find more information about the Springfield Drifters Baseball Club, visit www.driftersbaseball.com. Fans can follow the team on social media: @driftersbball on Facebook and Twitter.

About the West Coast League: The West Coast League is the West’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Encompassing Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and now Alberta, the WCL showcases pro prospects from major collegiate conferences around the nation. Every summer, the league features unparalleled fan and player experiences, with North America’s best baseball weather. The 2019 MLB amateur draft began with former Corvallis Knight Adley Rutschman selected with the overall No. 1 pick by the Baltimore Orioles. Also in 2019, 317 WCL alums were active in affiliated professional baseball, including 45 in the major leagues, while overall attendance in the West Coast League increased to nearly half a million fans.

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats deep fry Pickles

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May 30, 2026

Portland, OR – It was billed as “Wrestling Night” in Portland Saturday night and while the wrestlers in the ring on the third base concourse of Walker Stadium did their best to ensure chaos reigned there all night, the HarbourCats did the same on the field, pummelling the Pickles by a score of 15-6.

FULL BOX SCORE


Victoria atoned for their three-hit performance in the opener on Friday by body slamming the Pickles for 19 hits in total, 14 of which came in the first four innings, allowing them to build a 13-0 lead over that same time span.

The Pickles got up off the mat briefly in the bottom of the fourth, scoring all their six runs in that frame, but never threatened again after that, shut-out the rest of the way.

The HarbourCats offence was led by leadoff hitter David Krahn, who had four hits, including a double, four RBI and four runs scored. Right behind him was Dryden Fuoco with three hits, including a double and the first HarbourCats home run of the season. Max Bernal, Jax Heid, Lukas Le Gras, Matthew Westley, Rhone Klein and Kade Davis also contributed two hits each to the winning effort.

Victoria starter Erik Rico was flat out brilliant in his HarbourCats debut, going three shut-out innings, and allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out six, including the first three Portland batters of the game. Relievers Bryson Toner, Hunter Daniels, Easton Reimers and Anson Stuckly were also solid, combing for 5.1 innings of scoreless relief with eight strikeouts.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats and Pickles will complete the rubber match of the series on Sunday night wth a 6:05 PM start. Victoria then travels home for their opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, June 2 at 6:35. Tickets for that are selling fast and are available at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

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Summer Collegiate

Raptors edge NightOwls on Saturday evening

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RIDGEFIELD, WA — Nearly, another comeback win for the Nanaimo NightOwls.

Nanaimo has the go-head runner on base in the ninth but fell just short in a 4-3 setback Saturday against the tough Ridgefield Raptors, the NightOwls falling to 1-1 on this young West Coast League season. Nanaimo opened the summer with a 7-6 come-from-behind win on Friday.

Runners were on first and second in the ninth but a pair of strikeouts ended the Nanaimo threat.

BOXSCORE LINK — https://wclstats.com/sports/bsb/2026/boxscores/20260530_0fwy.xml 

Jacob Hayes, one of the top hitters in the WCL dating back to a year ago, got the NightOwls out to a lead on Saturday with an RBI single. Ridgefield scored two in the third, one in the fifth and one more in the sixth to go ahead 4-1.

Carter Cathers drove a ball to right in the eighth and an error led to Easton Mould and Tyler Clementz crossing the plate, cutting the score to 4-3.

STANDINGS AND STATS LINK — https://wclstats.com/sports/bsb/2026/standings

Starter Caleb Morrison, Parker King, Cesar Corrales and Moosa Nonomiya handled the pitching chores for Nanaimo. Ridgefield made two errors to just one for Nanaimo, and the Raptors outhit the NightOwls 7-5.

WCL PIXELLOT VIDEO LINK — West Coast League Live

The NightOwls play one more game in Ridgefield before returning home for the home opener, which is on Tuesday against the Kelowna Falcons at historic Serauxmen Stadium. The game in Ridgefield on Sunday, a 1:05 PM start, will feature former all-star Adison Mattix as the starting pitcher for Nanaimo.

Tickets for the home opener are going fast — nanaimonightowls.com/tickets for the official Showpass ticketing site, do not be fooled by googling and ending up at a third-party offshore ticketing website.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Drop Season Opener in Portland

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The Cats fought hard but fell short in the first game of 2026

Portland, OR – The HarbourCats began the 2026 season tonight, falling 8-2 in the first game of the year to the Portland Pickles.

The Cats struck first in the season opener, as Kade Davis (UTSA) scored from third in the first inning on a Dryden Fuoco (Hill College) groundout. Portland returned fire in the bottom of the first, cashing in a run on a base knock to right field and tying the ballgame at 1-1.

BOX SCORE

HarbourCats starter Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) saw his night come to an end following an action-packed second inning where he fielded all three outs. The Los Angeles product went two innings, giving up a pair of hits, one earned run, one walk, and a strikeout. Caden Shoul (Wenatchee Valley) kicked off the bottom of the third inning on the mound for the Cats, and the Pickles would break through with three more runs to claim a 4-1 lead.

A fruitful eighth inning broke the game open for Portland

Victoria got back on the board in the top of the fifth with Frankie Rutigliano (Portland) taking first on a dropped third strike and later scoring from third on a groundout from Jai Berezowski (Victoria Collegiate Cats).

Pierce Stone (Regis) worked the fourth and fifth innings for the Cats, refusing to surrender any runs on a pair of hits and a walk. Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) took over for the sixth and seventh, and kept the lid on the Pickles through two hitless innings.

Portland added on in the eighth, as Cats reliever Marcus Janovsky (UBC) gave up four runs on three walks and a hit.

Victoria managed to load the bases in the ninth, but the runners were left on and Portland came away with the 8-2 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will be in Portland all weekend, with 6:30 pm games on May 30 and 31, before returning home on June 2 for the Home Opener.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby 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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