A trio of blazing bats, all hitting above .300, have paced the Victoria HarbourCats to a fast start in the West Coast League season at 12-4.
“You need to have the freedom to fail in this sport,” said HarbourCats catcher Tyler Davis.
Because that’s what you do most of the time in baseball.
“If get you a hit every third time at bat, you’re in the Hall of Fame,” added Davis.
“It’s a good thing it’s a team sport. The next guy is there to lift you up. We have each other’s backs on this team. We all just want to win.”
Heading into his senior year for his hometown NCAA Div. 1 team, the Fresno State Bulldogs, Davis is batting .356 in summer ball for Victoria after Tuesday night’s 7-4 victory over the Edmonton Riverhawks (4-11) before 1,458 fans at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.
Davis added two hits, a walk, an RBI and run scored to his season total on Tuesday.
Nick Dumesnil from Cal-Baptist University of the WAC is hitting .333 for the HarbourCats and Jack Johnson from the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference .304. Dumesnil and Davis also have three home runs each.
Dumesnil had two hits, an RBI and three runs scored and Johnson a hit, walk and run scored on Tuesday.
Davis was tipped off to Victoria by last season’s HarbourCats’ slugging star Grady Morgan, who plays at Fresno State.
“He had nothing but good things to say about the city and organization,” said Davis.
The recommendation is turning into a good one for both Davis and the HarbourCats.
“The returning guys have provided leadership and the new guys have been solid,” said Victoria head coach Todd Haney, a former five-season major-leaguer.
“This group has jelled quickly and everyone is pushing each other.”
It isn’t lost on any of these players that there are 40 WCL alumni in the Major League Baseball this season and 20 who played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Or that four former HarbourCats have gone on to play in MLB. Nick Pivetta is with the Boston Red Sox and Andrew Vaughan with the Chicago White Sox and Nathan Lukes has played with the Toronto Blue Jays and Alex De Goti with the Houston Astros.
“I want to take baseball to as far as it lets me go,” said Davis.
“I’d be happy to play until I die.”
Davis is certainly enjoying the ride.
Few NCAA players get to play at their hometown universities but the native of Fresno has been able to do just that in Fresno, California: “It’s called [Central] Valley Pride. I grew up going to Bulldogs games. It’s great to have so many family and friends come out to see me play and cheering me on the stands.”
The WCL is among several summer collegiate leagues across North America in which NCAA and NAIA players can extend their seasons into the summer after their university and college seasons end in the spring. Davis is pleased with his landing spot in the WCL: “The HarbourCats’ fans rival those in a lot of college baseball stadiums. This is very good ball, or the fans wouldn’t come out.”
The Riverhawks and HarbourCats meet again tonight and Thursday night.
