The boys of summer don’t simmer in the capital.
Baseball returns to Royal Athletic Park on Wednesday with the start of the Victoria HarbourCats’ inaugural season in the West Coast League, which boasted 54 major-league draft picks in 2012 and 45 in 2011.
Baseball has a history of holding its own in Victoria’s hyper-competitive sporting landscape, which includes the Royals in hockey, Shamrocks in lacrosse, Highlanders in soccer, Vikes in basketball and almost more Olympians in an array of sports and World Cup rugby players than you can count.
“This has always been a baseball town,” said Victoria Eagles product Nick Pivetta, starting pitcher for the HarbourCats opener, recalling how he attended Seals and Capitals games before the teams folded.
“I believe the HarbourCats will be successful,” said the 20-year-old, who will play at the University of New Mexico next season. “Fans are going to see drafted players, and those hoping to get drafted, who have the potential to go onto minor pro and even the majors.”
Outfielder Austin Russell, one of three Island players on the team, concurred. “This is an underrated baseball city,” said the 21-year-old graduate of the Victoria Mariners, who plays for Southern Polytechnic State in Atlanta.
“Some people [off-Island] don’t realize that. But the Seals did well [in terms of fan support].”
The success of Island baseball extends to the pros — Mike Saunders and Rich Harden of Saanich and Taylor Green of Courtenay have all played in the majors in recent years.
Saunders, a Seattle Mariner and 2008 Beijing Olympian, and Green also played for Canada this spring in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Most of the HarbourCats players, however, hail from the U.S. Infielder Zack Storm, from the University of Kentucky Wildcats, drove 41 hours with his dad, Bob, to get to Victoria.
“I get to play baseball all summer while most of my friends are working,” he said.
