HarbourCats add more premier talent

Pitcher Stovman co-winner of MVP

One B.C. Premier Baseball League MVP wasn’t enough for the Victoria HarbourCats, so they went out and got another.

The West Coast League team made signings this week for the 2018 season and chief among them is Michael Stovman of Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Stovman, a right-handed pitcher, was named co-winner of the BCPBL MVP award last season with current HarbourCats infielder and fellow national junior team member Jason Willow.

Stovman, from Maple Ridge, is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound freshman who last season with the Langley Blaze, led the BCPBL in strikeouts with 82 and had an ERA of 0.76 in 64 innings over 11 appearances. He also hit .349 with three home runs. In September, Stovman beat Cuba in a start in Thunder Bay, Ont., at the world junior tournament, going eight innings in a 4-2 win.

“Stovman has been a two-way guy, but his place in the game at higher levels might be in developing more on the mound,” said HarbourCats GM Brad NorrisJones. “We’re bringing him in knowing he has velocity, in the 90s, and developing skills as a pitcher, and can also really handle the bat. Stovman and Willow know each other well, and their dedication to a baseball-first program like the HarbourCats’, a jump from high school level, will only help and challenge their development.”

Also added to the HarbourCats’ roster for 2018 were outfielder Michael Malinchak and infielder Aharon Modlin from Pepperdine of the NCAA, as well as catcher Caleb Ricketts of the University of San Diego, infielder Harrison Spohn and outfielder Nick Plaia of Cal Baptist, right-hander Tyler Hilton from Mesa Community College in Arizona, and pitchers Alex Griggs of Baylor and Gunnar Friend from NAIA Avila in Kansas City.

The HarbourCats open the 2018 WCL season on June 1 when the Wenatchee AppleSox pay a visit to Royal Athletic Park.