Newcomers contribute in 'Cats win

Conant the Barbarian (pitcher)

Conan the Barbarian (batter)

Just a quick one tonight to give some props to the newcomers who all shook off jet-lag and had a positive impact tonight in leading the HarbourCats to a 4-2 win over the Bellingham Bells. Jordan Ellis, Justin Burba, John Schucknecht all collected a hit with recent high school graduate Timmy Richards casting off his robes to collect a couple himself.

On the mound, Bryan Conant "The Barbarian" pitched a very solid seven and two thirds, giving up two runs and striking out four while walking only one. The towering lefthander looks to be a good addition to an already tough (and huge...these guys are giants) pitching staff. Hopefully this is just the start of good things to come.

The win puts Victoria in first place in the North, one game above the Bells with the rubber match tomorrow evening.

See you Friday boys!

'Cats drop opener in Bellingham

The cavalry arrived - well a lot of them anyway - but it did not seem to help on this night as the HarboutCats lost what looked to be a good ballgame, 3-1 to the Bellingham Bells. The Bellingham pitching staff strutted their stuff, keeping the Victoria bats quiet for most of the night. Bells starter Jason Hager gave up only three hits in five innings, with great support from Aaron Sandefur who pitched two scoreless innings while racking up another four K's.

'Cats starter Joe Navilhon struggled a bit early but then found his groove, closing out six innings of work and giving up seven hits, three runs and striking out five, for a decent outing. The net tonight though, was the sleepy HarbourBats. There were a few new faces in the lineup, including that "other" Schucknecht (2B John), and while they didn't make a huge impact tonight (although Will Ballowe did pitch two hitless innings in relief), look for things to get better and better as they find their legs and start to gel with the team. This season will be built in defined steps so like a good meal, let's let the new ingredients simmer a bit before we get too excited. This is an important series and a nice step up the ladder of competition to see where we really stand, and with two more games still to play, I see the 'Cats winning at least one of them.

I liken the Victoria team to a potentially strong comic book hero, say Iron Man, when his resources have been tapped out and he is running on auxiliary power, but is still somehow managing to keep the bad guys away. Or if you are a trekkie, shields are up, but only operating at 20% power. While Iron Man saves lives and the Enterprise defends against Klingons, the 'Cats chalk up wins, standing at a very respectable 7-3 and they have been running in this "scramble" mode since the season began; especially the pitching staff. Some nice deep inning runs by the starters, a couple of long relief stints, players playing admirably out of their preferred position and a host of successful ten-day signings have the 'Cats in a good position as power is returned in the form of the regular 'Cats showing up in Bellingham. While there are still a few more to arrive, this next stretch of games is where we see if the 'Cats are a true contender for the WCL playoffs or just an expansion franchise that had a good start.

This series with the Bells is a good early test as they are now even with the HC's for bragging rights in the North, while the next series brings the current leaders in the land of Dixie (the South...of the NorthWest anyway!) to town in the Bend Elks. This string of games will not define their season/fate or anything like that, but will still be a good indication of what is to come as full power is restored. Will they be the studs of the North or just a pretty good team fighting for a playoff berth? Will they take a bit of a dive, and need to regroup in making a charge leading up to the All Star break? Whatever the case, it will be fun watching the drama unfold, so tune in tomorrow...same 'Cat time, same 'Cat channel!

Holy bats man, we need a win!

Victoria drops series finale

The brooms were out, but after a disastrous fourth inning, they were sheepishly put away as the Kelowna Falcons prevented the sweep and collected their first win of the season courtesy of the Victoria HarbourCats. In the series finale tonight, the 'Cats opened the scoring with a power surge in the top of the dreaded fourth inning when the Alex's - DeGoti and Real - combined for back to back round trippers. On the mound for Victoria, another "ten day tender" who was signed on Saturday, Danny Moore, was cruising until his half of the fourth where he ran into more trouble than Mel Gibson at open mic night, combining with Logan Lombana and two 'Cats errors to allow eight runs to cross the plate.

There were to be no late inning heroics on this Monday night, with the 'Cats whimpering to a 13-6 loss, unable to recover from the damage of that woeful inning. It was interesting to note that catcher Greg Fettes moved to first, presumably so that they could keep his bat in the lineup while slotting the white hot Alex Real behind the plate. To make room for Fettes, Chris Lewis shifted over to second with Jack Graham, who is only batting .100, the odd man out. Zach Storm - hitless entering the game until a dribbling infield hit in the eighth - filled in at DH, most likely in an attempt to get his bat going.

After three series against teams with a losing record, the HarbourCats now enter their first real challenge of the season in taking on the 6-3 Bellingham Bells in a three game road set against a team that is fresh off a series sweep of Wenatchee. Like Victoria, the Bells took two out of three against Medford but also managed to get a game off the South-leading Klamath Falls Gems. Statistically the two teams are pretty similar, but I would give the batting edge to Victoria as - heading into tonight's game - they lead in average by 20 points, as well as having a slight edge in slugging and OPS. As a team, Bellingham only has one home run and 14 extra base hits so far in nine games and 291 at bats, compared to Victoria which had three HR's (plus 2 more tonight!) and 15 extra base hits, but in only 218 at bats. I'd tip the Bells (but not by much) on the mound as they hold the opposition to a league leading .205 batting average. The two team WHIP's and ERA's are very close, with Victoria having only a slight edge so it should be very even there. All in all, it looks to be a very competitive and evenly matched series. The loss tonight to Kelowna may be a wake-up and just what the doctor ordered heading into a more meaningful and competitive series. But the good thing about baseball, is that it still only counts as one loss and tomorrow is a fresh sheet of paper - new day, new city, new game.

A couple of players to watch for on the Bells are new additions (in the Wenatchee series) Alex Calbick and Johnny Sewald (great baseball name!) who are both hitting over .400. Beware of RHP Aaron Sandefur who will most likely come on in long relief, but has 14 strikeouts in only nine innings of work, allowing three hits and seven walks in that time. As for starters, Luke Morrill comes in with a 1.00 WHIP and 2.45 ERA, while collecting seven strikeouts and giving up only four free passes.

Tune in tomorrow after the long bus ride from Kelowna has our lads waiting to stand up the Bell(e)s of the ball.

HarbourCats "Russell" up another win

Alex DeGoti had his first multi-hit game of the year on Sunday

Victoria defeated the Kelowna Falcons 9-1 on Sunday night to raise their record to 7-1 on the season and all three Russells on the HarbourCats roster played a big part in the victory. Connor Russell picked up his first win of the season by limiting the Falcons to one earned run over 7 2/3 innings, but the outing was anything but smooth for the big right-hander. He gave up eight hits and five walks to go along with seven strikeouts and he also benefitted from some solid defense behind him.

The Russell brothers were a big part of offensive attack, as Austin went three-for-four with an RBI and Ty went one-for-three with a walk and two runs scored. Austin's batting average now sits at a impressive .375 on the season, good for second best on the team behind Alex Real's .429 mark. Alex DeGoti also chipped in with a pair of hits, two RBI and two runs scored on Sunday night.

The win gives the team the best record in the West Coast League and a 1 ½ game lead over the Bellingham Bells in the North Division standings. Victoria will attempt to go six-for-six against the Falcons this year when the two teams square off in the final game of the series on Monday night at 6:35 PM. Victoria then travels to Bellingham to take on the Bells in a big three-game showdown that begins on Tuesday night.

HarbourCatNip

• Victoria has signed left-handed pitcher Cameron Cuneo from UC Santa Barbara. Cuneo went 1-1 with a 4.50 in 12 innings pitched with the Gauchos this season. He is the third southpaw on the pitching staff, along with Bryan Conant and Will Ballowe.
• The HarbourCats have now scored 39 runs in their last four games. Murderers' Row, indeed!

'Cats take down Falcons again

Austin Russell photo by Brian Hayes

The HarbourCats continued their winning ways with a 7-2 victory over the hapless Kelowna Falcons on Saturday night, raising their record to 6-1 on the season. The win preserves Victoria’s one-game lead over the second-place Bellingham Bells in the North Division standings. Perhaps more importantly, since the top two teams in each division make the playoffs, the HarbourCats maintain a three-game lead over the third-place Walla Wall Sweets.

Scott Kuzminsky was the hero for Victoria in their first-ever road game, as he picked up the win by pitching seven scoreless innings. It was Kuzminsky's first start in over two years. The offense was led once again by Alex (“The Big Cat”) Real, who saw his average “drop” to a league-leading .563 after going two-for-five with three RBI. Austin Russell had a pair of hits and RBI to raise his average to .321, and every ‘Cat in the lineup with the exception of Jack Graham registered a hit.

Connor Russell (0-1, 1.88) takes to the mound this evening against Kelowna’s Caleb Olson (0-1, 4.76). First pitch is at 6:05 PM with the pre-game show on the internet broadcast starting at 5:45.

HarbourCatNip

• Six more of Victoria's regulars will join the team on Tuesday in Bellingham.
• The two HarbourCats from the UCSB Gauchos, Connor Baits and Robby Nesovic, will join the team on Wednesday. Both will be impact players for Victoria.
• The HarbourCats released the following players on Saturday: Clark McKitrick, Ryan Adkins, Jackson McCuaig, Brendon Magee, Erik Phillips, Daniel Bednarski and Daryl Blaskovich. All with the exception of McKitrick were 10-day players.
• Ty Russell and Chase Cuckovich were the only original 10-day players to remain with the team for the Kelowna trip. This humble blogger is hoping that Ty Russell remains with the team for the duration of the season -- he's currently second on the team with an incredible .588 on-base percentage. He'd be a valuable contributor off the bench, especially in late-inning situations when the HarbourCats are in a desperate need for base runners.
• Pitchers Jornh Kaluzniak (Vancouver Island Baseball Institute) and Danny Moore (Thompson Rivers University) were signed to 10-day contracts yesterday.

HarbourCats embark on inaugural road trip

Elks Stadium in Kelowna

After a wildly successful inaugural home stand, the first-place Victoria HarbourCats are embarking on the first road trip in team history. The Kardiac Kids were on the 7:00 AM ferry to the mainland this morning, and hopefully the bus ride to Kelowna is much less eventful than the Falcons' trip to RAP on Opening Day.

The team will play a three-game set in Kelowna before travelling to Bellingham to play a trio of games against the Bells. The pitching matchups for the Kelowna series are as follows:

• Saturday 6:35 PM – Scott Kuzminsky (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Michael Frericks (0-1, 3.85 ERA)
• Sunday 6:05 PM – Connor Russell (0-1, 1.88 ERA) vs. Caleb Olson (0-1, 4.76 ERA)
• Monday 6:35 PM – TBD vs James Mouton (0-1, 10.80 ERA)

Ryan Rouillard will be doing the play-by-play for all games, with the live stream available on MixIr. All broadcasts start 20 minutes before first pitch. You can also follow the game using Pointstreak’s Game Live application.

For those of you who missed the stunning series finale against Medford, you can check out the audio highlights on SoundCloud. You can also listen to the latest episode of the ‘Cats Cast podcast for a review of the Medford series and a look ahead to the road trip.

The HarbourCats return to Royal Athletic Park on Friday night to start a big three-game showdown against the Bend Elks.

Wild one wraps up homestand

Chris Lewis stretches for the out

That's why you stay until the bottom of the ninth! The HarbourCats ended their first homestand with a wildly improbable 12-11 victory over the Medford Rogues on a walk-off double by game hero Dylan LaVelle. After spotting the Rogues a 9-1 lead at the end of five, the 'Cats chipped away over the next three innings to make the score 9-7 heading into the ninth. They also missed a glorious opportunity as a bases loaded double play ended their threat in the eighth. In the top of the ninth, eventual winning pitcher Ty Provencher gave up two more runs making it a four run gap heading into the bottom half.

Now cue the heroics. The 'Cats were patient at the plate all night drawing a total of thirteen walks and did more of the same in the ninth. Sprinkle in a few clutch hits including an Alex Real infield single to go along with his homer earlier in the game and they sat at 11-10 with two out and Lavelle at the dish. The man of the moment promptly slammed a two run double to create the first of what I hope will be many magic moments at the RAP, and send what was left of the 1,015 fans home happy.

So heavy sigh Victoria, they came into town like a whirlwind, impressively taking five of a possible six games with their final dramatic win tonight over the Medford Rogues. Now they will leave town just as fast for their first road trip of the season, a six game bender where they will play three each against Kelowna and the Bellingham Bells. So take five sports fans, smoke 'em if you got 'em, the boys will be back next Friday.

The next challenge facing the HarbourCats after one day of "rest", is playing nine games on nine consecutive days. The six game roadie is followed by a brief three game homestand against the Bend Elks, who - after tonight's 8-2 win over the Cowlitz Black Bears - stand at a very respectable 5-3, good enough to be tied for second place in the competitive South division. This road trip should really help the team get to know each other as they will have no hometown distractions and just have each other for company on and off the field. I'm imagining mini-golfing or go-karts between games but whatever it is, it will help them get better acquainted. As well, this is the first "grind" of the season, playing nine days in a row, so there will most likely be some adversity which I see as a good thing, again, for team chemistry. Maybe a loss here or there, a bad break on the field or even fighting for the top bunk will advance the character building experience that Dennis Rogers and staff have already started. Other players will also potentially join the team on the road, which will strengthen the team further. I'm telling you fans, get in line early to see the product that jogs on to the field at RAP on Friday, June 21, I'm expecting it to be even better than the North division leaders that walked off the field tonight.

So after six games, what did I learn about the 'Cats, their opponents and WCL ball in general?

• We won't have Nick Pivetta as he will sign with the Washington Nationals - bad for us, excellent news for Nick
• Pitching is a bit up and down so the team will need some more consistency here - the HarbourCats' staff WHIP is an impressive 1.22 but that is still only second to last in the league and ERA has ballooned to 4.50, good for third last in the league with 53 strikeouts and only 17 walks (which is a nice spread!)
• Doing a bit of stats hunting, the South is a pretty good division. The South teams are all above the North teams in terms of ERA but it's a little more balanced on the more meaningful WHIP statistic. Still, beware the South!
• Hitting - which was helped by tonight's eleven hit affair - is pretty respectable and we sit at fourth in the league in the major offensive categories; OPS, average and slugging
• We will see errors in the WCL - both from our boys (none tonight though!) and from our opponents. I know the Victoria coaching staff is high on defense so I'm already looking for improvement when we see the boys again on the solstice, but I feel it will be a fact of life.
• The 'Cats will be a menace on the basepaths - lots of hit and runs, straight steals and overall aggressive base running will make for exciting baseball to watch.
• The norm seems to be about 1,000 fans per game but I am optimistic that this is a WEEKDAY stat and that once we have a series over the weekend, we'll come closer to 1,500 or even 2,000
• Harvey is a kid-friendly, prancing sort of mascot who did show a tiny bit more attitude tonight, but I think I'll have to wait a while for my own "Rocky"
• There is very little attitude on the field as I have not seen any player hot dog it or try and show anyone up. All they do is hustle and stay positive. For the first time tonight I saw a coach (from Medford) race out on the field to vehemently argue a call. That said, I though the angry little coach was right!
• Spinnakers beer is very good - even on cold nights. Pig's beef brisket also rocks my world.
• Victoria will only get better as more of the regular roster shuffles in after getting knocked out of the College World Series
• It is AWESOME having baseball back in town!!!

Le Gros Chat (The Big Cat)

Expos fans of a certain vintage will immediately spot the resemblance the first time they see Alex Real play first base or hit at Royal Athletic Park. Based on the way he moves around the diamond and his body type, he's a dead ringer for a young Andres Galarraga. It's downright spooky that they both have the jersey number 14 in common as well.

Appearances aside, Alex Real is an extremely gifted ballplayer. In his first two games with the HarbourCats, Real has gone five-for-seven with a pair of doubles and two walks -- that's a .714 batting average and a .778 on-base percentage. On Wednesday night, he was on both ends of a slick 3-6-3 double play and made a couple of fine catches in foul territory.

Baseball fans would be wise to come on down to RAP this summer as much as possible to watch "Le Gros Chat" prowl the field -- he just might be one of those guys you'll watch on TV in the big leagues in a few years, and you'll want to be able to say that you saw him play in Victoria when he was in college.

Alex Real photo by Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Club

Rogue wave

Well, it was bound to happen. The HarbourCats finally had to bat in the bottom of the ninth and there were no heroics in store as the hometown team went down for the first time this season, 4-1 to the Medford Rogues. While Connor Russell pitched well, striking out eight in his seven innings of work, the Rogues hit several balls pretty hard, including a two run home run in the second inning by Ryan Teel. The HarbourCat offence never looked dangerous in tallying five hits and never really generating much in the way of a threat to the Rogues staff. In the field, the defence can still tighten up a bit as they committed two more errors including a botched catcher-to-first pickoff attempt that actually caught the runner cheating off the bag, but ended with a run being scored and nobody put out. Again, it shows they still have a ways to grow and I believe it is a fact of life in the WCL as we watch these budding stars mature.

On the Medford side of things, starter Mike Bradshaw pitched very well in collecting his first win of the season, giving up 4 hits in his seven innings of work before handing over to his capable (this night, anyway) relief staff.

The announced crowd of 1,014 was nice and vocal, on what turned out to be a very pleasant Victoria evening. The 'Cats "tradition" of playing funny walkup songs for  opposing batters is a definite hit. I heard "Dude Looks Like a Lady", "Man, I feel Like a Woman" and "I'm a Barbie Girl" to name a few. The Imperial March (Darth Vader's theme) especially touched me. One thing that is not a hit with me, are the repetitive sound bites on what seems like every other strike - sometimes when the 'Cats are at bat! Also, the broken glass on a foul ball is good, but only if used sparingly. C'mon...these are important nuances of baseball!! In more mature news, fans also got their first look at a couple of "new" HarbourCats in Greg Fettes who came in for a pinch hit appearance, and Alex Real, who went two for three in his Victoria debut. From what I have heard, keep your eyes on this kid.

Tonight, I was sitting near the Medford dugout, and I'll tell you, it is hard not to like these guys. They hustle on and off the field, I like their logo, I like the colour of their uniforms and they were overly tolerant - even kind - to the swarm of kids begging for balls at every opportunity. Not only were they tolerant of these non-Medford fans, they offered up more than a few souvenirs, and picked up hats that were dropped into the field of play without any grumbling. Nice job Rogues, you could teach pro athletes a thing or two...now just be a little kinder to our hitters tomorrow night.

Medford Rogues - series preview

The Victoria HarbourCats open their second home series of the year at RAP tonight against their fellow expansion cousins, the Medford Rogues.

Fresh off a three-game sweep of Kelowna - the First ever opening series sweep by a WCL expansion team – the Cats look to keep the magic going against the Rogues. Medford comes to Victoria having played twice as many games, going 3-3 over their first six, losing two of the first three against Bellingham before taking two of three against Kitsap, including a 5-1 victory last night.

The Rogues are in a similar position to Victoria, and are carrying a bevy of 10-day contract players while they await the completion of the college season and the arrival of several key players. The Rogues fared excellent in last week’s MLB draft with three players being selected... RHP Keynan Middleton went 95th overall to Anaheim, SS Tyler Smith went 237th to Seattle, and OF Dane McFarland went 360th to Arizona. The three have not suited up in the first 6 games for Medford, not sure if we will see any of them this week – or ever if they end up signing.

Medford is led by lefty starting pitcher Bret DeRooy, who struck out 7 batters last night in Kitsap in the victory. He is currently second among WCL pitchers with 12 Ks. We won’t see DeRooy in this series, nor will we see the Rogues other top 2 starters Jake Lessel or Brandon Williams.

There will certainly be hometown bragging rights on the line Tuesday as Medford boy Mike Bradshaw gets the ball in his second start of the season after giving up a run on 2 hits over 5.1 innings in his first start. He will toss against Victoria boy Connor Russell, who had probably the best start of the season so far in last Thursday’s win. Game 2 of the series will see Mac Acker will go for Medford. Acker had an excellent first outing, throwing 5 no-hit shutout innings in his start against Bellingham. At this point, he’s scheduled to go against Victoria’s Nick Pivetta. Pivetta is still eligible pending his decision to sign with the Nationals who drafted him last week. Thursday Medford has Jamie Flynn scheduled for his first start, while Victoria counters with Friday’s game starter Joe Navilhon. Overall, the Rogues boast an excellent early-season rotation with a combined ERA of 2.06 over the first 6 starts. The bullpen hasn’t helped, boasting a combined 5.59 ERA over the same period.

On the offensive side, Medford is either feast or famine when it comes to manufacturing runs. While they are capable of putting up double-digit totals, they also struggle against top pitching to produce any runs at all. The key to this team seems to be speed, with 12 stolen bases over the first two series, including 5 from league leader Quentin Urban. Urban is batting a buck-five in 19 plate appearances though, so keeping him off the base paths will help keep that stat in check. Not a powerhouse team, Medford has only a single home run this season, courtesy of Caleb Palensky.

As will be the usual for the next while, Victoria will see new faces in this series as the top prospects arrive from late-finishing college seasons and take their place in the lineup. Watch for newcomers Alex Real (C/DH/1B), Brandon Smith (OF), and Clark McKitrick (P) to be in the lineup tonight. Look for all three to have a positive impact on the HarbourCats, both on offence and defence.

Let’s hope fan interest stays high at RAP despite the forecast for gloomy skies tonight and tomorrow. Victoria currently leads the league in attendance, as expected. Game start times are 7:05 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Let’s hope Medford was able to figure out the ferry schedule!

I'll go out on a limb and predict another three game sweep for the Cats in this series. It's a risky prediction for sure, but given Victoria's top starters are in tact for the set, and Medford is running two new starters to the mound, Victoria's ability to produce offence should be able to dominate.

Observations from the inaugural series

Ty Provencher picked up a win and a save vs Kelowna

By any measure, the inaugural series in HarbourCats history was a resounding success. The games were highly entertaining, the crowds were large and boisterous, and the HarbourCats now sport a perfect 3-0 record atop the North Division standings. A total of 5,650 fans came out to the three games against Kelowna, enough to put Victoria firmly in the league lead in attendance with an average of 1,883 fans per game. Those attendance numbers will likely improve further once school lets out and the weather warms up, especially considering that two of the Kelowna games were mid-week and the Friday night game was played with a cold wind blowing out to right field at Royal Athletic Park. Since the HarbourCats lucked out with the schedule and have 14 of their last 21 home games on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Victoria finish significantly ahead of the rest of the league in attendance (Walla Walla is currently second in attendance with 1,352 fans per game).

One thing that jumps out at baseball fans who are seeing their first West Coast League game is the impressive pace of the game. The three opening games had an average duration of two hours and 23 minutes, almost a full hour below the average length of a Victoria Seals game. There are many reasons for the shorter games: the players run (instead of saunter) on and off the field, there is a better balance between pitching and hitting talent in the league, players aren’t constantly stepping out of the batter’s box and wandering away from home plate, umpires actually enforce the time limits between pitches and innings, and the energetic HarbourCats staff make sure that the between-inning promotions are completed by the time the pitcher has finished his warm-up tosses. Put it all together and the on-field product is far superior to anything found in the independent leagues. Sure, the indy league guys are professionals, but it’s tough to beat the desire shown by college athletes. Nothing illustrates these differences more than a relatively small detail that I noticed on Friday night. When the return throw from catcher David Schuknecht got away from the pitcher and rolled towards second base, both Jack Graham and Alex DeGoti ran to retrieve the ball. Even though it was clear that Graham would get there first, DeGoti continued to run towards the ball until Graham actually picked it up off the infield grass. It’s the little things like that race for the ball that fans notice and appreciate.

Although the HarbourCats have an impressive 3-0 record, one should tread carefully when jumping to any conclusions about where the team will finish this year. Kelowna’s record now stands at 0-5, and from what I have seen they are clearly a team that isn’t destined for the playoffs. On the other hand, all of their regular players had reported for Opening Day, while only 13 of the 27 HarbourCats signed to a full-season contract were available for the series. Once the majority of the other 14 players have reported, the HarbourCats will be a force to reckon with. However, I’m not making any predictions for a playoff appearance until I have seen how we perform against the stronger teams in the league like Wenatchee and Bellingham.

HarbourCatNip

• Alex Real of the University of New Mexico Lobos has arrived in Victoria and is available for the Medford series, which begins on Tuesday night at Royal Athletic Park. Real is likely to bat fourth or fifth in the lineup and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take on the bulk of catching duties, with some starts at DH and first base mixed in.
• Both the Cal State Fullerton Titans and the Oklahoma Sooners were eliminated from the Super Regionals this weekend, meaning that CSF’s Bryan Conant and Oklahoma’s Anthony Hermelyn and Justin Burba may soon be on their way to Victoria. Hermelyn may well be the HarbourCats’ best all-around player and he should see a significant amount of playing time at third base. Conant will likely be a key lefty out of Victoria’s bullpen, while Burba’s speed will be a boost to our outfielder corps.
• Tim Richards, who is headed to Cal State Fullerton in the Fall, will likely be Victoria’s starting shortstop when he arrives in town (Alex DeGoti may slide over to second base). The slick-fielding infielder is finishing up his senior year at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, and the last day for final exams at the school is on Thursday.
• The HarbourCats have only one player who will participate in the College World Series (June 15-26), UCLA’s Brett Urabe. The UCLA Bruins upset the 3rd-ranked Cal State Fullerton on Friday and Saturday night in the Titans’ home ballpark.
• Even though the Battle of BC is only three games old, there appears to be a bit of animosity between the Kelowna Falcons and our Victoria squad. In the three-game series 10 batters were hit by pitches, including six HarbourCats. The two teams play again June 15-17 in Kelowna and then they square off for the final time of the season on July 5-7 at Royal Athletic Park. There won't be any fireworks at RAP on Canada Day, but don't be surprised to see some fireworks of a different variety when Kelowna rolls back into town a few days later.

A picture says 1,000 words

We now have a one game lead over the Wenatchee AppleSauce. Anyone know what the HarbourCats magic number is?!?

Pivetta drafted!!!

Nick Pivetta - National HarbourCat!

Nick Pivetta was just drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fourth Round - 136th overall. The following was posted as his scouting report:

At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Pivetta has an ideal pitcher's frame. He also has the stuff to back it up. Pivetta, a right-hander out of New Mexico JC, has a fastball that has touched the upper 90s in relief appearances but mostly sits in the low 90s when he starts. He has a solid curveball that could be above-average in the future and also throws an inconsistent changeup. The development of his changeup will the key to being a starter for Pivetta. He could also project as a late-inning power arm out of the bullpen.

Congratulations Nick!!!

Still batting 1.000

Alex DeGoti digs in

Night number two for the hometown HarbourCats was a different type of game, but yielded the same result - a 'Cats win. This time the final score was 4-2 in a game a bit more typical of what we were expecting. Connor Russell scattered four hits in his seven and a third innings, allowing two runs - only one earned - for a very solid outing. Scott Kuzminsky came in to mop up and did not allow a hit in collecting his first win of the season. Overall, between Nick Pivetta last night and Russell tonight, the starters did what they needed to do with a short staff (eight pitchers in total) and that is going deep into the game. Both went into the eighth leaving the rest of the staff ready to roll for tomorrow night's finale against the Falcons.

Victoria was, once again, very aggressive on the pads utilizing the hit and run and straight steal to advance runners, even manufacturing the go-ahead run in the eighth. With a man on first, there was a straight steal, sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to third and a sac fly to bring him in - all executed to perfection. This helped redeem the 'Cats for a botched run down in the seventh that eventually allowed Kelowna to tie it up. Sure there was what seemed to be a missed hit and run, and a throwout at the plate where the batter also did not advance to second as he should have, but I still like it. Go out and try and TAKE the win...don't wait for it to be given to you. I hope this strategy continues as it makes for exciting ball to watch.

At the plate, Chris Lewis led the way going two for three with two RBI and Alex DeGoti cranked one out Pembroke way for his first home run of the year. Overall there were only ten hits combined for both teams and this made for another very quick game. Elapsed time was pretty much right on two hours and that included a mid-inning pitching change for both teams. I also hope this continues.

The crowd was back to a more terrestrial number after last night's sellout  - 1,082 tickets sold - but the hearty group was vocal and braved a cool evening to watch the hometown win. I did not see any issues at all tonight, including the scoreboard which, from what I could see, was operated with the precision of a fine diamond cutter.

So whatever happens on Friday, the 'Cats have their first series win wrapped up and is time to get out the brooms. It would be easy to have a letdown game tomorrow after two big wins, but let's hope not. Well done so far lads!

Game on

First pitch in HarbourCat history

It was a banner night for baseball - warm (for June in Victoria!) summer evening, smell of hot dogs, cool beer on your throat and an eager sellout crowd of 3,026 on hand to watch the HarbourCats notch their first win in franchise history, an 8-6 triumph over the Kelowna Falcons. The fans didn't seem to mind the big walk-up lineups or the delayed start time as the mood remained positive all evening.

The night started out with a bit of logistical excitement as the visiting Kelowna Falcons missed their ferry due to a blown tire and some mechanical issues and the first pitch was delayed by almost sixty minutes. The novelty of traveling to Victoria will have more than a couple of players mumbling about an "island" team in the league but that said, they will have to adjust to this new wrinkle in the bus/ferry league that is the WCL.

Where did that sign go???

Things didn't get much better for the Falcons, as their bus pulled in to RAP and took out a seemingly needless street sign, leaving a nice dent in the side as a souvenir of their trip to Victoria. Then they had to deal with Nick Pivetta for eight innings in what was an exciting first game of the season. It was a back and forth affair with a lot of offense, and few long balls thrown in for good measure in this league of "small ball". Even though the 'Cats were down early, you could see they had a jump in their step, firing the ball around the infield and running out every ground ball.

Dennis Rogers preaches pitching and defense, but in the end it was his offense that won this one. He had the team running the bases aggressively, and catcher David Schuknecht had a great opening night, going three for four and jacking one of the aforementioned long balls in the fifth.

There were a few opening night glitches, which is to be expected, aside from the gong show that was the Kelowna bus ride, but nothing that can't be ironed out. There were a few ticket snafus and in the first inning or two, the scoreboard was flashing while players were batting, but both were corrected right away and can be put down to experience. As well, the scoreboard operator looked like they were wearing boxing gloves but again, with more practice, that too will be fine. There were also a lot of positives too - big crowd, big line-ups that seemed to be moving OK, nice selection of food (as in Pig!), great weather, nice cold local beer and a good mix of fun events for the youngsters in the crowd.

So there you have it...game 1 in HarbourCats history is in the books. Let's hope we see many more like that one in the days/weeks to come, starting with tomorrow night. At least the Falcons don't have to catch a ferry, so we should be good to go at the originally scheduled time of 7:05...UNLESS they are staying on Saltspring!

Great Scott!

And by the way, am I the only one who observed that the time clock above the scoreboard seemed stuck at just before 6:00? I was waiting for Doc to fill up his flux capacitor and race in to rescue Marty. The things we notice...

Kelowna Falcons - series preview

Well, it's GO time, baby! As Bob Knight wouldn't say, it's time to put on your game face as the Kelowna Falcons are coming to town for the first ever series against your Victoria HarbourCats! Given this is a new league, new home team and new visiting team, I'm not exactly sure what to expect, but hopefully this will whet your appetite. I mean, we haven't had baseball here for a couple of years so I expect the good people of Victown will be all over it like a starving man on a Christmas ham.

Last year, Kelowna finished third out of four teams in the East Division - this year called the North Division with the addition of Victoria - sporting a record of 28-26 and missed the playoffs by four games. If my detective skills are accurate, it looks like there are only two returnees from last year - RHP Preston Gray who was 0-2 with a 5.60 ERA and 1.58 WHIP, and a Canadian boy from North Delta, outfielder Reed Lavallee who hit a lofty .429 in 10 games (most of which were at the end of the year). In fact, Kelowna boasts a total of six Canucks (not the evil skating kind) on their roster with two being from the Island - Darren Kolk, an outfielder/LHP from Duncan, and Cody Andreychuk, a third baseman from Nanaimo. Both played this year at Vancouver Island University and hit well above .300. This will make for an interesting match-up on Thursday when our own VIU product - Connor Russell - takes to the hill and will be hurling at his former teammates.

So with such a new lineup, it is anyone's guess what we'll be seeing come out of the visiting dugout. The two teams have very different makeups, with the HarbourCats primarily pulling players from bigger Div I schools and the Falcons seemingly staffing up mostly from Div II schools and Community Colleges. I'd give a slight edge to the HarbourCats here, in that they may have a more seasoned roster to kick off the season even though many of them will still be with their respective NCAA teams.

The 'Cats will be missing the four players who are with teams that survived last weekend's Regionals in the College World Series - UCLA (infielder Brett Urabe), Oklahoma (infielder Anthony Hermelyn and outfielder Justin Burba), Cal State Fullerton (pitcher Bryan Conant). All will remain with their colleges in preparation for the Super Regionals this coming weekend. As well, the six players whose teams were just knocked out of the College World Series will also be absent - New Mexico (Alex Real), San Diego (Ryan Keller), Cal Poly (Jordan Ellis and John Schuknecht), UCSB (Robby Nesovic and Connor Baits). It's uncertain who else - if anyone - will be missing for other reasons, but the team will be initially handing out about nine(ish) ten-day contracts to plug the holes until the rest of the lads show up. Bodies will start trickling in throughout June with a full roster not really in the cards until the start of July.

Another edge that I see for the 'Cats in this series is the hulking (these are big boys) pitching staff. With soon-to-be (as in Thursday!) MLB draft pick Nick Pivetta throwing his 95 mph bee-bees on Wednesday, followed up by Connor Russell on Thursday, the Falcons will have to eat a back-to-back dose of Victoria home cooking. Given there are only eight pitchers for this three game series, the hope is that the starters will go deep (NOT the hitters!) to take it easy on relief arms. Friday's starter has not been set as it depends on how the staff is utilized in the first two games, but Cal State Fullerton product Joe Navilhon may get the nod. Aside from pitching, of course the big edge that the 'Cats will have for this series is the emotion of a hometown crowd that is starved for baseball. Come on Victoria, the Hawks are up 2-0 on the Kings so you can miss ONE playoff hockey game. And word has it that GM Holly Jones paid big dollars to order up this AWESOME weather, so get out and cheer on the local boys!

I predict a 2-1 split in favour of the HarbourCats. Falcons will be as young as the 'Cats, and they may not have anyone left in the College World Series, but the broader Div I experience and the hometown emotion make me tip our boys. That said, I really do not have a lot to go on so it's pretty much guesswork at this point. Whatever the case, baseball is baseball and I'll be loving it.

See you at the yard, meat.

HarbourCatNip

• Monday marked the 125th anniversary of that legendary baseball poem written by Ernest Thayer, Casey at the Bat
• The video part of the scoreboard has now been fixed so at the very least, fans will be able to see player profiles. Replays are coming, but it is uncertain if they will be ready for opening night. Nice work by the 'Cats techno-staff!
• Given that this is the first baseball game in a long time at RAP, the field is still a work in progress. It is improving every day, but fans should not start throwing their beers at perceived errors, as the infield is still a little soft and may give up some funky late inning bounces.

The wait is over

On September 5th of 2010, the Victoria Seals dropped a 6-3 decision to the Edmonton Capitals at Royal Athletic Park on a bright, sunny afternoon. If you were one of the 3,751 in attendance, you may remember that day – Victoria’s own Charlie Strandlund played all nine positions for the Seals and fan favourite Josh (“Arrrrr”) Arhart clubbed a pair of homers. Little did we know that the afternoon would become significant for a much different reason. It was also the last game ever played by the Seals. That was 1,002 long days ago, but our wait is finally about to come to an end. Baseball is back!

On Wednesday an exciting new chapter in Victoria baseball history will begin when the Victoria HarbourCats take to the field to face the Kelowna Falcons. If you don’t already have your tickets, go to HarbourCats.com to purchase them now – fans who procrastinate and buy tickets at the door may end up sitting in the football stadium well away from the action. The team also offers a 5% discount for online purchases, so it's really a no-brainer.

There will be no shortage of drama at Royal Athletic Park in the home opener. On top of the excitement of finally returning to the old ball yard, you’ll get to witness starting pitcher Nick Pivetta’s triumphant return to the mound in his hometown. The very next day, Pivetta will likely be taken high in the MLB draft and if/once he signs his contract, he immediately loses his college eligibility. In that case, he would be assigned to a minor league team to begin his journey to the big leagues, so Wednesday night could be your only chance to see Pivetta pitch for the HarbourCats. You won’t want to miss it.

See you at the ballpark... and Go Cats Go!!

HarbourCatNip

• If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, you can listen to the play-by-play online at HarbourCats.com. An outstanding broadcaster, Ryan Rouillard, will be calling the action for every HarbourCats game this summer. You can also follow the action on Pointstreak’s Game Live application. 
• It will be interesting to see how well the HarbourCats draw in their inaugural game at RAP. The first-ever home game for the Victoria Seals, on May 29, 2009 versus the Long Beach Armada, drew 3,778 fans on a Friday night with good weather conditions.
• The West Coast League’s single-game attendance record (4,156) was set by the Klamath Falls Gems on July 22, 2011.
• Mayor Dean Fortin is certain to be involved in the pre-game ceremonies on Wednesday. Fans are encouraged to show their appreciation for the Mayor when he is introduced, because he has played a significant role in bringing baseball back to Royal Athletic Park.
• The season record for WCL attendance is 50,513 by the Bend Elks in 2011 (1,820 fans per game). The Victoria Seals averaged 2,342 fans per game in 2009 and 2,597 in 2010. However, it’s worth noting that attendance figures in the defunct Golden Baseball League were frequently quite “optimistic”.
• The days of seeing a 13-7 game at RAP that takes 4 1/2 hours are over. For a preview of the style of baseball we'll be treated to this summer, check out our blog post from last October.
• On Opening Day every team is in first place – including our HarbourCats. With that in mind, here’s one of my favourite baseball tunes that's also the perfect song for Wednesday: All Future and No Past by The Baseball Project. 

HarbourCats show the threads

Friday night at the Yates Street Tap House, the HarbourCats hosted a media event to roll out the complete set of jerseys for their inaugural season. Three jerseys in all - the home, the road, and the now obligatory "third" jersey that usually finds its way into the home rotation once or twice a home-stand.

Three Up...

Three Down!

The home jersey is a button-down bright white jersey, with a navy blue panel under the armpit on both the body and arm. The team name arcs across the front in a caps-locked Serif font proving one thing - the name Harbourcats has a lot more letters than you probably thought when it's on a jersey. Navy blue player numbers adorn the left front, and middle back of the jersey in a typical block jersey-number font. A crisp white pant with a thin blue stripe down the side of the leg complete the home look.

The road jersey is the same cut and style, with Navy as the main colour and grey under arm patches. The same number font is used, this time in white. A much more compact "Victoria" in a scripted font runs across the jersey on a slight angle towards the left shoulder. Away pants are a matching grey, with the same navy stripe down the side of the leg.

The third jersey, again made the same, uses the lighter blue found in the HarbourCats logo, with navy underarms. The logo sticks with the "Victoria" script, but this time - it goes straight across the jersey in a navy blue font with white outline. The numbers match both the outline style of the name, and the font of the other jersey numbers.

All items of clothing sport the well known Nike swoosh.

Headgear wise, there are two hats in play to start the season: A single block navy "V" outlined in white on a grey hat with navy blue brim complements the road uni, while one of the oddest design items in the set - the home hat is worn with both the standard home jersey and the third jersey. The home hat is a solid navy blue hat and brim with an overpowering H and C logo, the H placed over the C. Or is the C over the H. Or are they the same size? Isn't there a famous french hockey team that's done that? Or the NC Tar Heels? Or even the West Coast League logo? Is HarbourCats two words now? I'm so confused!

The hat seems to make no sense to this logo-happy blogger. In fact, I'm a bit taken aback by the sheer variety and mismatch of all the pieces together. I count six different fonts in play now:

• Original HarbourCat logo text
• "Harbourcats" jersey name
• "Victoria" jersey name
• "V" hat logo
• "HC" hat logo
• Jersey numbers (expected)

And that's not counting the scripted font being used twice - once with border and once without, once on an angle, and once straight across! It's as if a design team created a bunch of samples, and someone said "I'll take one of each".

What does it all matter? This isn't fashion corner, this is a baseball blog! Will it cost us runs, lose us games... probably not. I just think that for a team looking to build an identity and make an entity recognizable in the community, the KISS principle may have been a better way to go. And use the cat logo for god sake... If the internet teaches us nothing else, it confirms that everyone likes an angry / grumpy cat!

Opening day starter

Opening day starter Nick Pivetta

The Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Blog has learned that the local boy, Lambrick Park and Victoria Eagles product Nick Pivetta, will get the inaugural start for the Victoria HarbourCats when they take the field against the Kelowna Falcons on opening day next Wednesday.

It looks to be a big week for Pivetta, with the Major League Baseball draft also coming next week on Thursday. The big right-hander is currently the third ranked Junior College (Juco) prospect and number 155 overall (ranked by Baseball America) heading into the draft and is expected to go as high as the third round. While this is outstanding for our local lad, it puts the big question in his lap of either signing and becoming a pro, or keeping his NCAA eligibility (for now, anyway) and remaining a HabourCat. If he does sign with a big league club, he will be yanked away from us to most likely play some sort of affiliated ball.

Whatever happens, Pivetta gives the 'Cats a great chance for an opening day victory with his mid-high 90's fastball and good control of the strike zone. There have been a couple of recent articles on this blog about him that are worth a peek to familiarize yourself with The New Mexico Juco star before he takes to the hill next Wednesday.

And speaking of opening day, it looks to be a good crowd and with a decent forecast for the next week or so, if you don't already have your tickets I'd suggest you go and grab them - unless you fancy the view from the football stadium. No matter where you sit though, it will be great to have ball back in Vic-town!

Only 6 more sleeps...

Trial run

Trial run at the RAP - view from 3rd base (home) dugout

The HarbourCats staff took the cover off the car for all to see tonight, as the staff had a dry run hosting a PBL game between the two hometown sides, the Mariners and the Eagles. Much more important than any stadium activities or ball game was the fact that all donations (it was a free event) went to the Zach Downey fund which helps support the Mariner's player who is currently battling Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Here's to hoping it is a winning battle.

On to the game itself. Well, not really the game, but some random musing about the RAP experience. The 862 fans in attendance did remain dry and I think the sun even came out for about 3.5 minutes near the end of the game. I think that is foreshadowing to indicate we are in for a banner year at the yard. Overall, I liked what I saw. I missed baseball. You can write all you want about it, but when you get to the park, you remember all the little things you missed. Below are just a few observations on my first post-Seal, pre-Harbourcat experience:

• The outfield fence looks miles better than the old snow fence that was wheeled in for the Seals. There is no blackout behind the pitcher in centrefield (to help the batters pick up the pitch), but not sure if that was just for tonight. It sure would be a good thing to have.
• There were lots of staff members patrolling the field like a flock of secret service men (or is it a herd?), only they were connected with walkie talkies instead of those cool ear things. With this much of a presence, I can't foresee a situation where there is not someone around to attend to anything that may come up during a game.
• There were no long lines for food or beer. Granted, it was a cool Tuesday night and Victoria was in a lightweight mood, but I did notice an extra beer stand behind the first base stands and I think that will help.
• Also on concessions, it was interesting to see a new food choice in the Hungry Rooster perogies wagon. I'm not sure if they will be fast enough to keep up with big crowds, but it's a nice change from hot dogs and popcorn.
• Harvey was there, but he is a passive dude. He interacts well with the kids though and they really love him so I think my calls for a mascot with attitude will not be answered...but he seems to be a great mascot for the younger crowd (which makes sense).
• If memory serves me correctly, there is more netting up to protect the fans down the first and third base lines from the laser foul balls and a mouthful of bloody Chiclets. Some people will like it, some will complain about the vision being obscured. This is one thing where you'll never please everyone. I'm neutral on it, and I can deal with a bit of netting.
• There are speakers mounted (on the first base side only, for some reason?) on the poles holding up these nets and while that is cool for the sound system, it does block the view of a battery member for those unfortunate enough to have to sit right in line with it. It shouldn't be a big deal unless there is a sellout and if that happens, it will be a GOOD problem to solve!
• The old "convict music" walk up tune made an appearance more than once during the evening (ooooooooooooo yeah) which brought back great memories of T-Mac from the Seals. I don't yet have an opinion of the music selection as I know they were just playing around. I did, however, like the fact that they mixed in an ample amount of country. 
• The is some sketchy sod behind third base that really needs to firm up. Not sure what it is from or what they can do about it, but it will be a hazard for anyone chasing a foul ball behind third.

All in all, I think we are in for a great season. I'm sure there will be hiccups (read as, long lines for beer on hot summer evenings), but if tonight was any indication, the staff seemed to have everything up and running, just waiting for that first pitch next week.

Only 8 more sleeps!

HarbourCats sign power-hitter Greg Fettes

The HarbourCats have signed catcher Greg Fettes from the University of Kentucky. The red shirt freshman is a 6-2, 225 lb. power hitter from Madison Heights, Michigan who was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 43rd round of the 2011 draft.

Fettes has been Kentucky's backup catcher this year and has posted a .250 batting average with three homers and 9 RBI in 60 at-bats. He has also shown exceptional strike zone judgement, posting a .365 on-base percentage to go along with a solid .483 slugging percentage. Fettes' power is something to behold: He holds the Lamphere High School single-season records for homers (11) and RBI (49) in addition to the career record for homers (27). It's not difficult to understand what the Tigers saw in this young man when they drafted him out of high school.

Fettes played part of last summer in the Northwoods League, the second-best college wood bat league out there. In 29 at-bats with the Willmar Stingers, he hit .138 with a pair of RBI. You can expect Fettes to improve on those numbers significantly this summer and don't be surprised if he is one of the first HarbourCats to deliver a "Pembroke Poke". Of course, he'll have plenty of competition on the team. With guys like Alex Real, Anthony Hermelyn, Chris Lewis, Robby Nesovic and David Schuknecht swinging the bat, it's starting to look like the HarbourCats are assembling their own version of Murderers' Row.

The signing of Fettes wasn't the only recent roster move, as the HarbourCats released catcher Casey Schroeder. Schroeder has been the third-string catcher for the University of Kentucky this season and has only received six at-bats.

HarbourCatNip

• The University of Oklahoma won the Big 12 Baseball Championship on Sunday and our Anthony Hermelyn played a big part in the Sooners' victory. "Herm" went two-for-three with an RBI in the championship game after driving in a pair of runs the night before to help propel the team into the final. He was also named to the All-Tournament team. The championship win gives Oklahoma an automatic entry in the 64-team NCAA tournament.
• The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship bracket will be announced on Monday May 27th at 9 AM PST.
• Cal State Fullerton (home to HarbourCats Bryan Conant and Joe Navilhon) and UCLA (Brett Urabe) will both host one of the 16 Regionals (May 31st to June 3rd).
• Four teams participate in each Regional with the winner advancing to one of the eight Super Regionals (June 7th-10th). The Super Regionals consist of a best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to the College World Series (June 15th-26th).

Who's on first

Once a WCL roster is put together by forming and fostering relationships with various US college teams and their coaching staffs, the real fun begins. Now it's time to assemble all these puzzle pieces into a cohesive and functional lineup. As opening day gets closer, the college teams finish up their season and even our esteemed HarbourCats coaching staff see to the final duties of their US seasons.

However, some of these teams are just gearing up for the second season as they try and march as deep as they can into the College World Series. This marquee baseball event doesn't wrap up until late June, and with our opening day on June 5 (just 15 more sleeps!), this is sure to cause some logistical issues as WCL teams try to build a roster.

It is expected that maybe a bit more than half of the HarbourCat roster will be there for the first game. To fill the gaps, our managerial and coaching staffs will be very busy signing players to 10-day contracts until the regulars file in after completing their college season. On top of that, there may be more surprises as guys get direction from other sources (agents, parents, doctors, etc.) and this could also influence when/if they report as planned. It all makes for a very difficult situation to manage, but our team will not be unique so it will just be a matter of "dancing with the girls that are at the ball" until the personnel situation stabilizes.

This short-staffed roster is made even more challenging in that the first time the team really gets together is on June 3rd. The coaching staff will get in to Victoria on June 2nd and burn the midnight oil in preparation, but the next day is when they truly meet the players for the first time, give out uniforms and take care of all the other last minute things that need to get done prior to first pitch on June 5th. The team will workout on June 4th - let's call that "Spring Training Day" - and then get at it the very next day. They are home for 11 days and then they hit the road which should be good for team chemistry as they will be together 24x7 as they travel around. Hopefully bonds will start forming and they will really start to get to know each other for this brief summer season.

The 'Cats "permanent" roster has been selected on a position by position basis so when everyone finally does show up, they will have a specific position that they have been earmarked for. The pitching staff is a bit more fluid in that the coaches do not yet have a fixed rotation, an assigned stopper, or long/short relief from the (approx.) 13 pitchers that will be on the staff. They may have a notion, but as the season plays out, you can expect a bit of musical chairs until they can find a combination that works for them. Based on the pitching-heavy experience of our coaching staff though, I feel out pitchers are in very good hands.

College coaches do have some input into how they would like their players handled, but ultimately it is up to the 'Cats staff to fill in the lineup card every night based on the hand they have been dealt this year. That said, keep in mind that the relationships with the colleges are built on trust so I suspect any input is heeded in order to keep a positive relationship with the programs that are lending us our baby 'Cats.

This is very important when it comes to certain pitchers and players who may be nursing some sort of injury. A college coach may request that a pitcher be put on a strict pitch count, say, 65 pitches, once a week. Some may even be on a week by week progressive plan, or a player may be recovering from a sore arm and may be suggested for smaller stints in middle relief, even though they are a true starter. Again, while this is just input, it is wise to accommodate these requests wherever possible to prevent arm abuse, as well as not biting the hand that feeds. This may lead to us seeing strange things, such as a starter pitching a gem and then coming out for no apparent reason. Welcome to the WCL!

Rogers and Miller deciding on opening day lineup

During the college year, there is really not much contact with these players as they are focused on their current season and our coaches are also busy with theirs. There is occasional contact with the coaching staffs though, to monitor how they are doing, and see how they are progressing throughout the year. Now that the 'Cats coach - Dennis Rogers - has his season in the books, he will crank up this contact over the next week or so. Team trainers will be a prime target, again, for checking up on the health of our future players.

Net, your guess is as good as mine as to what our pitching staff will look like, or even who will start
the home opener. All I know is that it will take a bit of figuring out and is sure to make for some lively debate once the season gets going.

As an aside, here is a link to the original "Who's on First"...a classic and very apropos!

HarbourCanucks corner – May 19th edition

Nick Pivetta (27) and a horde of scouts. Photo by Clayton Jones.

The New Mexico Junior College Thunderbirds were eliminated last Monday in the NJCAA Region 5 baseball tournament, bringing Nick Pivetta’s college season to a close. Pivetta went out with a bang the day before, although he ended up the hard-luck loser in a 2-1 decision to Howard College in which the Thunderbirds stranded 16 runners on base. Pivetta gave up seven hits and two earned runs in 8 1/3 strong innings. He walked three and struck out five batters.

Pivetta finished the season with an impressive 9-3 record, 3.25 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He also averaged 2.6 walks per nine innings and 6.0 strikeouts per nine – numbers that justify the attention he has received all season long from MLB scouts. June will be an interesting month for Pivetta: The HarbourCats season kicks off on June 5th and then the MLB draft starts the following day. Given the interested he has attracted, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pivetta taken in the third, fourth or fifth round of the draft.

Connor Russell’s VIBI Mariners were also eliminated last weekend after they dropped a 4-3 decision to the University of Calgary in the Canadian College Baseball Conference semi-final game. Russell pitched the tournament opener and picked up the complete-game win against Thompson Rivers University. In seven innings of work, Russell only gave up three hits, one walk and two earned runs. He also struck out six batters. Russell finished the year with a 2.96 ERA in conference games, striking out 54 batters and walking 20 in his 51 2/3 innings on the hill.

Outfielder Austin Russell of the Southern Polytechnic Hornets has been receiving treatment on his injured elbow since returning home to Victoria in early May. He’s expected to be ready to go by Opening Day. Russell finished his season with the Hornets with a .292 batting average and six RBI in 65 at-bats.

HarbourCatNip

• The HarbourCats have released pitchers Matt Cooper (University of Hawaii), Kevin Behnke (Grand Canyon University) and Andrew Nelson (Cuesta College).
• The team has signed ace reliever Ty Provencher from the Long Beach State Dirtbags. Provencher has a sparkling 2.08 ERA in 21 relief appearances and has held opponents to a minuscule .193 batting average. The redshirt freshman has also shown exceptional control, walking only five batters in 26 innings pitched. Provencher is the third Dirtbag on the HarbourCats roster (reliever Logan Lombana and second baseman Alex DeGoti are the others).
• The HarbourCats have also signed left-handed pitcher Clark McKitrick from Linn-Benton Community College. He is the third southpaw on the 12-man pitching staff -- Bryan Conant (Cal State Fullerton) and Will Ballowe (University of Washington) are the others.
• The HarbourCats roster now stands at 27 players.
• There are only 16 days remaining until the inaugural game for the Victoria HarbourCats!!

Where do these guys come from anyway?

Dennis Rogers - Air Guitar?

Before I jump into the main subject of this post, let me first say that HarbourCats manager Dennis Rogers is "good people". I had the pleasure of talking to him and he was very forthcoming on all of my naive questions. Most of the information below comes from a discussion I was fortunate to have with him late last week. He talked a lot about perspective, having a vision and being well-connected with the players. I can't (yet!) take shots at his managing decisions or call him the Yogi Berra of the Garden City, but I can tell you that first impressions are solid.

Now down to business. I have always been curious as to how this West Coast League (WCL) works in terms of filling rosters, positions, etc. I mean, all the kids are NCAA eligible so they have a limited sweet spot that they can play in this league. As well, if they are on a good team like many of our boys are here, the season overlaps for several weeks as the College World Series fires up until late June. So how do the HarbourCats "acquire" players to build a roster? How do they decide who plays where? How do they come up with a rotation? How do they deal with the College World Series overlap? Who invented liquid soap and why? I won't address all these questions here, but I'll at least begin to try and explain what I have learned.

Starting with the basic player selection process. There is no draft for this league, so it is the organization's job to form relationships with various colleges to essentially "feed" the WCL teams. To be successful here, this takes a while (years) as this is a relationship that is based on a lot of trust and initiated via relationships that are formed over time. Basically, the college programs are letting WCL teams borrow their assets for the summer so they can keep playing, improve, and come back to college better than ever next year. Given the amount of experience that our coaching staff has had in the college ranks, they seem well-connected, which means they were not starting at ground zero when recruiting players for year one. Sure, they still had to pick up the phone and make some cold calls, but reaching out to former players or coaches gives an entry point into these delicate discussions. Over time, if things go well, this can hopefully grow into a link that helps establish a WCL team as a consistent powerhouse, especially if that college is a perennial power (like Cal State Fullerton, for example).

The other aspect is the players themselves. Firstly, it helps to be selective in the colleges that are targeted. Given our situation here - we are Canadian, eh - and going after mostly American kids, or at least kids who live in the Excited States of America, the team keeps an eye out for Canadian talent, West Coast kids or kids who would otherwise presumably assimilate well here. All of this helps to give the player a positive summer experience, and improves the chances of him returning the following year, which of course is helpful to keep a common core and build on things from year to year. The successful WCL franchises like Wenatchee or Corvallis have worked hard to establish a model like this and it shows - 11 of the 16 finalists in WCL history are one of these 2 teams.

One thing not to underestimate is the culture shock of these young US based players who are used to the relative "cathedral" college ballparks in the NCAA. Now they have to potentially cross borders, deal with funny coloured (with a "u"!) money and play in multipurpose (to be kind!) fields. It serves a team well to be careful who they select to increase odds of a positive experience and one that fosters a comfortable presence which will hopefully also mean a fruitful season. So the ideal player would seem to be a low-key, humble, Canadian-born tree-hugger who thinks 15 degrees is a hot day, and - like most other Canadians - has always dreamed of living in the paradise that is Victoria


Being a new team, the 'Cats started behind the eight-ball, in that they announced that they were forming a franchise after these discussions had begun for the 2013 season. This meant that a lot of the marquee talent had already been committed to other teams. So remember fans, it's a journey here and it may take a few years to challenge the AppleSox reign of terror in the WCL standings. You'll notice that a lot of our lads are freshmen, sophomores with even a high school guy sprinkled in for good measure.

Well, that's a start at least. Hopefully you get the main idea of how players are/were selected for our 2013 HarbourCats. Next post, I'll talk a bit about filling specific positions, and dealing with the very short (nonexistent!) training camp, including starting the season with about half a team.

Royal Athletic Park is a ballpark once again

Home of the HarbourCats!

After the Victoria Seals folded in November of 2010, Royal Athletic Park no longer had the look of a ballpark. Sure, there were subtle reminders -- like the video scoreboard in centre field -- to remind passersby of past diamond glories, but long gone were the pitching mounds, bullpens and infield dirt (not to mention the whiff of grilled onions that has long been the trademark of the City of Victoria's concession stands).

Fear not, baseball fans; the Grand Old Dame on Caledonia Street is well on her way to being returned to her former glory -- and then some. The Victoria HarbourCats are just over three weeks away from playing their inaugural game, and the baseball club and city staff have been hard at work for many months to ensure that everything is just right for our new team.

I paid the historic ball yard a long overdue visit this weekend and I was definitely impressed with the transformation. The first thing you notice when entering the park is that the mound, infield dirt and bullpens are all back in place. A groundskeeper who used to work for the San Francisco Giants and is currently employed by the University of Washington was in town recently to help the local field maintenance staff, and the field looks to be in great shape.

Perhaps the biggest change is that the two bullpens have been consolidated into one mega-bullpen down the third base line. One large mound contains four pitching rubbers  --  two for the HarbourCats and two for the visitors. The HarbourCats pitchers will throw towards the backstop, while the visiting hurlers will warm up in the opposite direction. The bullpen catchers for the HarbourCats will be fairly close to third base, so each will need a spotter to protect him from batted balls. All in all, it's a very innovative design that keeps the first base line free of bullpen pitching mounds -- a must for a multi-purpose facility like Royal Athletic Park. A pair of bullpen benches and gates have also been installed down the third base line to remove the need for relievers to be seated on folding chairs in foul territory.

Another difference Victoria baseball fans will notice is that the home team will be occupying the third base dugout. Both the Victoria Seals and Capitals chose the first base dugout to be closer to the clubhouse and its bathroom facilities, but portable toilets will be located beyond the stands on the third base side for use by players during the game. The dugouts themselves have also been spruced up with new paint, hooks above the benches, a cement pad near the entrances and a safety fence.

A new removable home run fence has also been purchased. Sections of the six-foot high fence are on wheels, allowing the fence to be retracted in about 30 minutes at the end of a homestand. The left field portion of the fence will remain up all summer, since it won't interfere with the multi-purpose playing field. Outfield dimensions will likely be 315 feet down the lines, 365 feet in the power alleys and 395 to straight-away centre. The new fence is a huge step up from the flimsy fence used by the Victoria Seals that would occasionally be blown over by a stiff breeze.

Portions of the home run fence

The HarbourCats have also purchased an infield tarp to protect the playing surface (neither the Seals nor the Capitals had one). Although July and August in Victoria usually features impeccable weather, a few games were rained out during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Last summer we experienced "June-uary", so it's good to know that if history repeats itself this year then the chance of a rain out is greatly reduced.

A pair of foul poles (more accurately known as "fair" poles) will also be installed in the near future. The pole on the third base line will be permanently fixed, but the one on the first base line will be removable. Both poles will be significantly higher than the ones previously used at RAP ballgames.

One difference that is not clearly visible at first glance is the infield skin. The dirt portion of the infield is actually a bit narrower than normal to allow deeply-positioned infielders to field the last bounce(s) of a ground ball on the outfield grass. This will allow for a truer bounce and hopefully reduce the number of bad hops. The idea, along with the dual bullpens, is the brainchild of coach Dennis Rogers.

The tarp -- just in case.

As we previously reported on the blog, home plate is now 15 feet closer to the stands. That change will make for a more intimate setting and put the fans even closer to the action (if Golden Baseball League players thought Victoria hecklers were a distraction before, visiting West Coast League teams are in for a treat). To improve sight lines further, a number of metal poles have also been removed from the backstop.

Not everyone is aware of it just yet, but Victoria baseball fans are in for a treat when they come out to the ballpark this summer. There may be a few minor glitches during the first homestand, but I'm convinced that the HarbourCats will deliver a much better product that the Victoria Seals ever did. There will be an improved ballpark, an exciting style of play, future major-leaguers in action, better food and beverage options, shorter lineups, cheaper tickets, and a state-of-the-art ticketing system free of "convenience" charges. What more could a fan ask for? Come on out and see for yourself -- first pitch is in 24 days!