Wednesday, the West Coast League announced that Driveline Baseball is now an Official Development Partner, with a wide range of elements that will provide unprecedented opportunities for WCL teams and Driveline athletes.
“I’ve been admiring Driveline for years,” said Commissioner Rob Neyer, “and I’m thrilled that now we’ll be working so closely with them. Our league mission includes a commitment to both player development and cutting-edge technology, so we couldn’t hope for a better partner than Driveline.”
West Coast League teams will benefit from Driveline’s revolutionary TRAQ technology, along with Driveline’s highly regarded coach certification courses. What’s more, a number of Driveline athletes will have the opportunity to actually join West Coast League teams after completing their early-summer Driveline training blocks.
“We’re incredibly excited,” Driveline CEO Mike Rathwell said, “to partner with and support the West Coast League, a mainstay of the Pacific Northwest’s baseball scene and a jumping-off point for many of baseball’s stars. The combined operational and technical expertise between the two groups points to a bright future for WCL players with access to a wider array of development options, and for WCL teams that will have new, deeper access to talent.”
The WCL-Driveline partnership is just beginning, and we’ll have exciting updates to share in the coming months.
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 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.
David Krahn (UBC) has hit a franchise record nine home runs this season on the way to a well-deserved Player of the Year Award. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)
Victoria, B.C. – It was all HarbourCats in this Thursday night showdown between Victoria and Port Angeles, with the Cats putting on a pitching clinic for a 5-1 win and a series sweep.
Port Angeles drew first blood in this one, rallying with two outs and scoring on a bloop single to take an early lead in the top of the second. The Cats responded quickly, however, sparked by a leadoff double that Michael Rodda (Palomar) smashed over the head of the centre fielder. A walk and a bunt then loaded the bases, and a free pass taken by Aidan Rice (Portland) brought in the first run for Victoria. Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) put enough distance on a fly ball to drive in another from third, turning the tables and giving the HarbourCats a 2-1 lead after two innings.
The Lefties loaded the bases in the top of the third in an attempt to regain control, but Taylor Franklin (George Fox) escaped the jam to end his third inning of work without allowing another run. Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) took over for the fourth inning, keeping Port Angeles at bay with another scoreless frame.
Community Involvement Award winner Flynn Warren tossed four shutout innings in tonight’s win. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)
Victoria made some noise once again in the bottom of the sixth! With two outs and two runners on, Riley Kwak hammered a base knock through the infield to bring home one run, followed by another RBI single from Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) to widen the lead to 4-1.
Flynn Warren’s night was done after four stellar innings in which he allowed no runs and picked up six strikeouts. Taking his place was Carson Ackermann (Tacoma), who worked his way through a scoreless eighth inning. David Krahn ripped an RBI single into centre field for the cherry on top before Ackermann closed out a decisive 5-1 win to complete the series sweep.
Jeremiah Arnett holds a sparkling 1.74 ERA and 62 strikeouts and was crowned this year’s HarbourCats Pitcher of the Year. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)
The Cats will now hit the road for a weekend series in Bellingham to continue the fight for a playoff spot.
There is only one home game left in the 2026 season! On August 3rd, we end the season with a bang with our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.
ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.
Jacob Silva was all over the bases in this one, earning three walks and stealing three bases. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats and Lefties faced off for the second of three games this week, with Victoria nailing down a 3-2 win to clinch the series.
Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) got off to a good start in this one with a strikeout to begin the game. Unfortunately, that was all the action the right-hander would get, as a comebacker hit him up high which necessitated his removal from the game. Davis Lee (Calgary) was activated to step in for his fallen comrade and picked up where he left off, striking out two Lefties to finish the first inning.
The HarbourCats got it in gear in the bottom of the second beginning with a leadoff walk earned by Jacob Silva (UTSA). Michael Rodda (Palomar) singled with two outs and took an extra base to move up to second before Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) blooped a ball into right field. Both infielders came around to score and the Cats took a 2-0 lead.
Davis Lee’s excursion came to an end after nearly four full frames of shutout baseball. Lee suffocated the Lefties with six strikeouts in 3.2 innings before bowing out for Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) in the top of the fifth. Thomas hit the ground running and picked up two K’s in a quick three-up three-down inning.
Victoria picked up their pitching staff by extending the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a run manufactured by Cameron Chee-Aloy. The speedy centre fielder walked, stole second, stole third base, and came all the way home when the throw went way over the head of the third baseman. Heads-up baserunning from Chee-Aloy, and a 3-0- lead for the home team.
Tristin Thomas struck out five batters in just two innings. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Port Angeles responded in the sixth with a pair of singles to begin the inning, and later drove in their first run on a laser out to left field. Nonetheless, Thomas was able to shrug it off and finish the inning off with three strikeouts. The New Mexico native came back for the seventh, but two walks in a row to start the inning spelled the end of his night. Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) took his place with no outs and a couple of runners on and deftly found his way out of the jam with a strikeout and two groundouts.
Mueller mounted another daring escape in the eighth. A plunked batter and a double put runners on second and third with no outs, but Mueller locked in and secured three consecutive strikeouts to put up another scoreless inning. The Lefties had another comeback attempt in the ninth, but Victoria buckled down and clinched the series with a 3-2 victory.
There are only two home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including the finale of our mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties on Thursday night! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.
ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.
Jeremiah Arnett was integral to getting the win in this tight Tuesday night ballgame. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Victoria, B.C. – The Cats hosted the Port Angeles Lefties for the first of the three game set and held on by the skin of their teeth to take a 6-5 win.
Victoria took an early advantage in this one, scoring in the second inning. After Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) worked a walk out of a long at-bat to leadoff the frame, the catcher immediately stole second base and came home on a single by Aidan Rice (Portland) that bounced through the middle of the infield. Rice simply would not be contained, as he stole second and third back-to-back before coming in to score from third on a groundout.
Meanwhile, it was another episode of the Jeremiah Arnett show on the defensive side. The Rice University starter and WCL All-Star was unflappable in the first four innings, shutting down the Lefties lineup to keep the top half of the line score clean.
While Arnett was doing his thing, the Cats got back to work on offence in the bottom of the fourth. Rohne Klein (San Jose State) earned himself a leadoff walk and swiped second base, coming around to the plate on a single by Dillon Lopez. Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) and Michael Rodda (Palomar) got in on the fun as well with an RBI single each, and the former crossed the plate on a groundout before the end of the frame to push the lead to six.
The defence held strong for eight scoreless innings behind Jeremiah Arnett’s start. (Photo by JPM Photography)
Jeremiah Arnett continued to rumble along through three more frames, finally taking a seat after seven gleaming innings. Arnett allowed five hits on his watch (all singles) and no runs while adding nine more tallies to his impressive strikeout total this summer. The right-hander handed the ball off to Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) for the top of the eighth. Friedrich recovered smoothly from a leadoff single to make three quick outs and move on to the bottom of the inning.
Initial responsibility of the ninth was given to Hunter Daniels (Phoenix), but after he walked the bases loaded with nobody out, Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State) was called from the bullpen to try and finish this one off. Tomlinson would continue to waver, with walks galore bringing Port Angeles all the way back within one. A strikeout finally ended the inning and secured a close 6-5 win for the Cats.
There are only three home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties this week! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.
ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login