These are the ties that bind.
The Victoria HarbourCats and Medford Rogues, which entered the West Coast League this season as expansion franchises, will always have that in common.
In their brief tenures, the HarbourCats are the only undefeated team in the league at 3-0, while the Rogues are 3-3 following Monday鈥檚 5-1 victory in Kitsap, Wash., over the BlueJackets.
The first-year clubs meet in a three-game set beginning tonight at 7 at Royal Athletic Park.
The Rogues are owned by the same company, headed by Bill Yuill of Medicine Hat, that owns the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.
Three Rogues were taken in the MLB draft over the weekend with pitcher Keynan Middleton going to the Angels in the third round, outfielder Dane McFarland to the Diamondbacks in the 12th round and shortstop Brody Weiss to the Rockies in the 22nd round.
The HarbourCats, meanwhile, answer with their unblemished record.
鈥淲e got timely hitting over the first three games and our first two starters [MLB fourth-round Washington Nationals draft pick and hometown boy Nick Pivetta and fellow Victorian Connor Russell] both pitched into the eighth inning, which is a big help,鈥� noted HarbourCats co-manager Bob Miller.
鈥淎nd we got good work out of the bullpen when we needed it [Ty Provencher has a win and a save]. Pitching and defence have to be your staples.鈥�
Russell is listed as tonight鈥檚 projected starter for the HarbourCats and Pivetta for Wednesday. The Rogues 鈥� named after Rogue County in Oregon and also a 1950s New York Giants minor-league affiliate of the same name in Medford 鈥� will answer with six-foot-three Medford native Mike Bradshaw tonight and Mac Acker of the University of Washington Huskies on Wednesday.
The Medford pitchers will be looking to shut down HarbourCats catcher David Schuknecht, a 12th-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2011, who is the WCL batting co-leader at .500 with five hits in 10 plate appearances and four runs, five RBIs and a homer.
鈥淒avid has very good tools that with a little bit of polish will see him accelerate [in his career],鈥� said Miller.
Abetting the early Victoria attack has been hometown product Austin Russell and Miami-native Alex DeGoti out of Long Beach State with .364 and .333 averages, respectively.
The HarbourCats roster continues to evolve with three new players having arrived in time for the Medford series. Catcher/first baseman Alex Real is a 2011 48th-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves out of the University of New Mexico Lobos and should give Schuknecht some relief behind the plate, especially with the other roster catcher, Greg Fettes, battling injury. Outfielder Brandon Smith is a six-foot-three 2012 15th-round draft pick of the Nationals. Six-foot-four Clark McKitrick will be Victoria鈥檚 first left-handed pitcher on the roster.
鈥淧lus he [McKitrick] has a big frame, which we like,鈥� said Miller.
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