VICTORIA 2
GRESHAM 0
No draft? No problem.
Griffin Andreychuk, the Victoria HarbourCats鈥� home-Island grown 2015 team MVP made a triumphant return to Royal Athletic Park on Tuesday night with a double and two singles in a 2-0 victory over the Gresham GreyWolves of suburban Portland.
It was the sixth consecutive win for Victoria (6-3) after three losses to start the West Coast League season.
While eight current or alumni HarbourCats were chosen in the 2016 MLB draft over the weekend, Nanaimo鈥檚 Andreychuk was surprisingly not among them. That despite his near-otherworldly .385 batting average last year (with 25 RBIs and five home runs) for the HarbourCats and his .296 average this year in getting Seattle University the conference title and to within one game of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
鈥淚 had interest shown. But the draft just wasn鈥檛 meant to be this year,鈥� said Andreychuk, who will play his senior season for Seattle University in 2016-17.
鈥淏ut several scouts told me I will sign [with an MLB club] as a senior for sure.鈥�
So the Dover Bay Secondary graduate is not overly concerned.
鈥淚t makes we want to work for it even harder and have a good summer with the HarbourCats,鈥� he said.
鈥淓very step gets me closer to my goal of pro baseball.鈥�
He has evolved into the consummate hitter at the NCAA and collegiate summer league level. The recipe is simple.
鈥淪ee the ball, hit the ball,鈥� said Andreychuk, the starting second baseman Tuesday in his return for his third season with the HarbourCats.
鈥淏e selective. During every at-bat, the pitcher is going to give up at least one hittable pitch.鈥�
Victoria starter Will McAffer of North Vancouver, a 2015 draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds, reached pitch velocities of 93 miles per hour in striking out nine and allowing two hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Holden Lyons, turning into Victoria鈥檚 go-to reliever, was excellent in mopping up by allowing just two hits and striking out seven.
The HarbourCats and GreyWolves (3-4) continue their three-game set tonight at Royal Athletic Park.
FOUL TIPS: The HarbourCats current players and alumni chosen in the 2016 MLB draft were infielders Alex DeGoti (Astros), Cameron Cannon (Diamondbacks), Tim Richards (Twins), catcher Gunner Pollman (Marlins), outfielder John Schuknecht (Angels) and pitchers Dalton Erb (Padres), Joe Navilhon (Tigers), and incoming Josh Burgmann of Nanaimo (Cardinals) . . . The GreyWolves have a player named Jack Bauer, and yes, he wears No. 24.
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