HarbourCats add pitcher from the Bahamas

He’s not a fast bowler, but a fastball pitcher.

The Victoria HarbourCats have signed a player from the Bahamas for the 2017 West Coast League season. Right-handed pitcher Chavez Fernandez plays for Polk State College. In 18 appearances this spring, Fernander has a 1.80 ERA with a save and has recorded 39 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched against only five walks and 25 hits.

The HarbourCats have also added offensive punch, signing outfielders Ryan Hooper from NCAA Div. 1 UC-Davis and D.J. Porter from Cal Baptist as well as catcher Shane McGuire from the NCAA Div. 1 University of San Diego. Hooper is hitting .302 this spring, Porter .289 while McGuire is a high school senior who will report to San Diego in the fall following the WCL season.

The Victoria roster now stands at 41 players.

The HarbourCats open the 2017 WCL season June 1 in Port Angeles against the Lefties. The Victoria home opener at Royal Athletic Park is June 5 against the Wenatchee AppleSox.

Meanwhile, the HarbourCats will join with another Victoria staple team of summer for a unique promotion. The HarbourCats and Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association are offering a cross-over deal featuring sports in which the respective balls used are stitched and rubberized.

The HarbourCats will be hosting Shamrocks Day on June 25 in which lacrosse fans with a used or upcoming Shamrocks ticket will receive a premium seat at Royal Athletic Park for $10 (plus ticket fees and taxes). The Shamrocks players will be introduced on-field before the start of the HarbourCats game against the Walla Walla Sweets.

The Shamrocks will return the favour July 14 at the Q Centre — when they meet the Coquitlam Adanacs on HarbourCats Night — in which the same deal will apply to baseball fans with a HarbourCats game ticket.

“We felt this was an excellent way for the two organizations to show how important we think sport is to this community,” said HarbourCats GM Brad Norris-Jones.