Victoria hosts Nanaimo on Wednesday night
Monday night was for fun, a non-league exhibition in front of a capacity crowd, that was there mostly for the post-game Canada Day-eve fireworks display at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park as the Senior A Redmond, Washington, Dudes of the Pacific International League defeated the Victoria HarbourCats 6-4.
It was back to West Coast League summer-collegiate baseball for the HarbourCats on Tuesday night as they continued their Island rivalry against the Nanaimo NightOwls at Serauxmen Stadium, which was followed by Canada Day fireworks.
The ’Cats and ’Owls move down-Island for games today and Thursday at Royal Athletic Park as both teams are trying to shed underachieving first-half WCL seasons with brighter second halves envisioned. Nanaimo (12-12) was fifth and Victoria (12-14) sixth in the eight-team North Division.
The Bellingham Bells went 18-9 to win the first half and secure a playoff berth in the North Division, while the Portland Pickles went 21-4 to win the South Division first half and also secure a playoff spot. The second-half champions will also earn berths into the post-season, which is where the HarbourCats have usually found themselves. Victoria has not missed the playoffs the previous four seasons under head coach Todd Haney, including reaching the league final in 2023.
“Our first half was extremely disappointing with the level of talent we have on the team this season,” said Haney.
“There have been a number of variables as we had a number of players who were still in [NCAA] regionals. It took a while to get everybody here. Once they get here, they still have to learn wood bats and what our expectations are as an organization and how we do things. It was hard to get everything rolling.”
That is why summer-collegiate leagues such as the WCL play their seasons in first- and second-halves.
“This week is the start of the second half and we’re very excited. We have all the pieces here now and everybody knows what our organization is all about, so we’re expecting a great second half,” said Haney, a former major-leaguer.
“It’s about having the right individuals in the right places and I feel really good about that now. I love that our organization is all about making the playoffs and providing college players a great experience with a winning culture and understanding of what it takes to win baseball games and play at the next level.”
The HarbourCats have accomplished the latter with six alumni from the Victoria club — Nathan Lukes, Cade Smith, Andrew Vaughn, Chase Meidroth, Nick Pivetta and Alex De Goti — playing or having played in Major League Baseball and several others in minor-pro ball.
The HarbourCats began play in the WCL in 2013. Nanaimo, meanwhile, has yet to make the playoffs since entering the league in 2022.
Victoria led the Island-rivalry season series against the NightOwls 4-2 heading into Tuesday night’s game in the Harbour City. Following the match-ups down-Island today and Thursday against the ’Owls, the HarbourCats are on the road for six games beginning Friday with a three-game set in Ridgefield, Washington, against the Raptors followed by three games in Port Angeles against the Lefties.
DIAMOND DUST:Since it was a non-league game Monday against the Dudes, Haney rested several of his players, and played several Golden Tide development-team players and even a former player as ex-HarbourCats pitcher Zach Swanson, now a coach, returned to the mound in relief for the team in the sixth inning. Catching for that inning was Zach’s dad and HarbourCats managing-partner Jim Swanson, 56, in a moment long to be remembered by father and son.
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