The Victoria HarbourCats open at home tonight in what are heady times for the West Coast League.
Adley Rutschman, made the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles, played in 2016 for the Corvallis Knights, tonight鈥檚 visitors. And slugging-infielder Andrew Vaughn, who played seven games for the HarbourCats in 2017, was selected third overall in the first round by the Chicago White Sox.
Rutschman, Vaughn, and the 39 WCL alumni who played in the major leagues in 2018, will invariably mention their hometowns and college/NCAA university teams ahead of their WCL teams in terms of career influence. For Rutschman, that鈥檚 the Oregon State Beavers and for fellow Pac-12 product Vaughn, the Cal-Berkeley Bears.
Still, the WCL has every right to consider this a landmark week for the league. It鈥檚 part of the springboard. You can get there from here. Leagues such as the WCL serve their purpose in extending the season for NCAA and college players. Baseball is, after all, primarily a summer sport.
鈥淚t does tend to get overlooked, but this is a pro-preparation stage for players,鈥� said Jim Swanson, managing-partner and general manager of the HarbourCats.
鈥淭here are 27 former HarbourCats currently playing pro ball [from Single-A on up to Triple-A]. That鈥檚 a good record for [seven] years. People are seeing legitimate future pros in our league.鈥�
The HarbourCats play their seventh home opener in the WCL tonight with the first of three games at Wilson鈥檚 Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park against the two-time defending league champion Knights. Corvallis is the menacing Dark Star of the WCL everybody wants to knock off. Victoria came close in 2017, losing the league final by one game to Corvallis. The annual powerhouse and overall six-time WCL-champion Knights are named for the wife of Nike co-founder Phil Knight and main team sponsor Penny Knight.
The Kelowna Falcons, as the only other Canadian team in the WCL, and the Port Angeles Lefties and Bellingham Bells, because of close cross-border proximity, represent Victoria鈥檚 biggest rivalries in the WCL. But Corvallis is right up there because of that 2017 final and the fact everybody gets up for games against the Knights.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to win championships at any level, and to do it repeatedly, is tough,鈥� said Swanson.
鈥淪o this has turned into a rivalry for us. The Knights have been the WCL organization to model yourselves after for so long. We are striving to do that.鈥�
Meanwhile, the HarbourCats opened the season by going 2-1 in a three-game road set in Wenatchee, Washington, against the AppleSox. The series concluded with an 8-5 victory by Victoria on Thursday night. Matt Amrhein pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, while Frankie Niemann went 5-for-5 with two RBIs.
鈥淭he players are getting acclimatized to their teammates, the league, the travel and to hitting with wood bats [NCAA uses aluminum bats],鈥� said HarbourCats head coach and five-season former major-leaguer Todd Haney.
鈥淭he players are getting settled in and more comfortable. This week has been something to build off.鈥�
DIAMOND DUST: Tonight鈥檚 home-opening festivities will include sky divers, a military flyover, and the HarbourCats sporting a VicPD-themed third jersey.
