HarbourCats begin scramble for playoff spots
Fans might have a better chances of figuring out string theory or dark matter than the West Coast League playoff structure. There are three sets of standings — first half, second half and overall.
The first-half North Divisionchampion Bellingham Bells and first-half South Division champs Corvallis Knights have clinched. The second-half champions of both divisions will also make the post-season. If the Bells and Knights again top the tables, then the playoff berths will go to the second-place teams.
There are also four wildcard spots open this year, two per division, so eight of the 16 teams will make the playoffs. That is dramatically extended from the last full pre-pandemic season in 2019 when four teams made the post-season and Corvallis, led by 2022 MLB draft top-five ranked Brooks Lee, beat the HarbourCats in the league final. The expanded playoffs means much more opportunity and there is all to play for as the scramble continued this weekend at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park as the Victoria HarbourCats close out their three-game set today at 1 p.m. against the Yakima Valley Pippins.
The screeching-hot Pippins beat the HarbourCats (6-7 in the second half and 17-21overall) 10-4 on Saturday night, and that was on the heels of a 13-8 Pippins win on Friday night as the Pippins (9-3 and 17-21) extended their winning streak to seven games.
The Friday slugfest, although a loss for Victoria, was reflective of how the club has had a better second half than first half thanks mainly to the HarbourCats’ bombastic bats. Heading into Saturday night’s game, Roberto Gonzalez was hitting .412, Jessada Brown .347, Joseph Redfield .333, Grady Morgan .319 and Colton Moore (.292) had seven home runs and 23 RBIs. Moore had two of the HarbourCats eight hits on Saturday.
“Our hitters will be pro hitters,” predicted HarbourCats general manager Curtis Pelletier.
With no one or two batters for opposing pitchers to key on. They come at you like the rollers off Tofino.
“Everyone is chipping in,” said Pelletier.
“It’s contagious.”
That was also evident Thursday night at Serauxmen Stadium in Nanaimo as the Victoria offence pounded out 23 hits in a 16-1 victory over the NightOwls as Victoria took the six-game WCL Island regular-season derby 5-1. What may have been overlooked in the recent Victoria offensive onslaughts is that the HarbourCats have also been winning the arms race with the mound being as much of a key to the Victoria revival as has the plate power. The HarbourCats starters have regularly gone four to five innings into most games in the second half. When that happens in summer collegiate ball, the victories usually follow.
“Our starters are gaining in confidence, and going longer, and that has a compound effect in that it has allowed our bullpen to be more effective,” said Pelletier.
That wasn’t the case earlier in the season.
“We expected more consistency from both our batters and pitchers in the second half of the season,” said Pelletier.
Meanwhile, the expansion Nanaimo NightOwls (0-7 and 12-21) were in Bellingham meeting the Bells (3-4 and 22-11) on Saturday night. The reeling NightOwls lost for the seventh consecutive game Friday night in falling 3-0 to the Bells. The teams concluding their set today.