鈥淪ilver is hard,鈥� said co-owner and managing partner Jim Swanson, of the rueful final trip home, after losing 4-2 to the Corvallis Knights in the deciding game of the WCL championship series the night before in Oregon.
鈥淭he Knights have some natural advantages. They play in Corvallis [home to Oregon State of the Pac-12 and feature Beavers players] and have the backing of the Knight family [of Nike fame].鈥�
But the HarbourCats still counted it as a successful season.
鈥淲e continued taking some steps forward,鈥� said Swanson.
He rattled off some notable firsts for the team: 鈥淔irst playoff game win, first playoff series win, first finals appearance, first alumni in the majors [hometown-product Nick Pivetta of the Phillies], first Taiwanese-import player [Bo-Hao Huang], first female player [Claire Eccles].鈥�
Not to mention the fourth WCL attendance crown in five years.
鈥淚ncluding regular season, playoffs and non-league games, we drew more than 70,000 fans this year,鈥� said Swanson.
鈥淭hat still doesn鈥檛 mean dividend cheques for the owners, but that鈥檚 not why we are doing this. As long we鈥檙e not writing out cheques. We have the basics in place to be successful.鈥�
Swanson said ownership was pleased with the work done in his first season by head coach Brian McRae, a former 10-season major-leaguer, who plans to be back next season for the back-end of his two-year deal.
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely talking extension,鈥� said Swanson.
鈥淢cRae was a professional from beginning to end.鈥�
But projecting returning players is not so easy in summer-collegiate baseball with massive roster upheavals from year to year with college and university players constantly coming in and moving on. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fool鈥檚 errand even to try.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the nature of it,鈥� said Swanson.
Yet, it鈥檚 that off-season recruiting through the NCAA that either makes or breaks the ensuing WCL season.
鈥淲e also want to try to cultivate a deeper relationship with UBC [which plays in the NAIA], as we have, and keep developing Island players,鈥� said Swanson.
鈥淥ur past three players of the season have been Island players 鈥� Adam McKillican [Comox] this year, Griffin Andreychuk last year and Alex Rogers the year before [both Nanaimo] 鈥� and that鈥檚 something great and of which we are very proud.鈥�
Swanson is hopeful first-year 鈥機ats such as McKillican, Ethan Lopez, Cole Weiss, all-star catcher Shane McGuire and fan-favourites Eccles and Po-Hao Huang will choose to return to Royal Athletic Park.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e always hopeful because those players were important pieces for us, so we鈥檒l be talking soon to all of them.鈥�
