It has been quite a sporting summer for the McKillican clan of Comox. While sister Sarah McKillican is in Winnipeg playing volleyball for Team B.C. in the 2017 Canada Summer Games, brother Adam McKillican will take to the Royal Athletic Park mound Saturday night for the Victoria HarbourCats in Game 1 of their best-of-three West Coast League championship series against the Corvallis Knights.
“It’s a humbling opportunity, but an exciting one, to be starting what we know is our last game of the year at home in front of these great fans,” said McKillican, the UBC Thunderbirds hurler, who is 5-3 this season for Victoria with a 4.03 ERA.
The championship series swings into Corvallis, Oregon, for Game 2 on Monday and, if required, Game 3 on Tuesday.
McKillican has been the breakout pitcher this season for the HarbourCats.
“I didn’t come here even expecting to start, never mind being named to the league all-star game, and starting Game 1 of the league final,” said the 19-year-old Islander, who has been keeping an eye on Canada Games volleyball results this week as well.
“I embraced this opportunity I was given this season.”
Saturday night comes the biggest moment of all.
“I’m treating this as just another start, staying relaxed and keeping a level head,” said McKillican.
That seems to be the mantra of the South Division-champion HarbourCats, and it has gotten them this far.
“We are treating it as just another game . . . I’ve given no [Hollywood-type locker-room] speeches [in the playoffs or stretch drive before that] because these guys know what they need to do. We haven’t changed anything we’ve done from earlier, and that’s why we have performed so well,” said Victoria head coach Brian McRae.
The HarbourCats held off the Bellingham Bells — ironically needing help from the Knights on the final day of the regular season — to win the North Division second-half pennant and slip into the playoffs. The ’Cats then swept the first-half champion Kelowna Falcons 2-0 in the best-of-three North Division final.
The HarbourCats are positioning the WCL final against the South Division-champion Knights as between the bright-eyed upstart ’Cats against the Evil Empire. Victoria has reached the league final for the first time in the five seasons of franchise history. Corvallis is in for the ninth time in 11 years and is after its fifth WCL championship.
“[Knights] are the big dogs. We are the stray dogs,” said McRae, a 10-season former major-leaguer.
“[Knights] are the defending champions and have had the run of the league for awhile and have home-field advantage. We have nothing to lose and no expectations on us.”
Long-ball hitting Victoria was 29-25 in the regular season with a league-best team batting average of .293 and league second-best 45 homers. The overall regular-season WCL champion Knights were 34-20 before beating the Yakima Valley Pippins 2-1 in a surprisingly tight best-of-three South Division final. The chief operating officer of the Knights is Holly Jones, who was the first GM of the HarbourCats in 2013, and named WCL executive of the year.
Victoria and Corvallis split their season series 3-3 with, interestingly, both teams each winning two of three games on the road.
Several Victoria players have already returned home, for family reasons, or to their NCAA teams. But that’s the nature of summer ball, as the HarbourCats head into the final with 10 position players and 10 pitchers. The latest to depart was Hunter Vansau, the fine outfielder from Mississippi State, who led Victoria with eight home runs and was third in team batting at .359 behind Shane McGuire (.451) and Andrew Shaps (.441).
The HarbourCats have compensated with the return today of Ethan Lopez. The University of Hawaii Rainbows player was probably Victoria’s best defensive outfielder, and was hitting .230, before being called away after 26 games for family reasons.
Some late-season additions have proven surprisingly effective for Victoria. Among them have been scheduled Game 2 starter Garrison Ritter of West Linn, Oregon, relief pitchers Ethan Fox and 17-year-old Mike Musselwhite from Lambrick Park Secondary, and UBC infielder Justin Orton.
“We’ve taken cast-offs, who have played hard every day, and that’s all we can ask for,” said McRae. “We have found a way to get it done.”
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ON THE DIAMOND
Schedule for best-of-three WCL final.
• GAME 1
Saturday, at Victoria, 6:35 p.m.
• GAME 2
Monday, at Corvallis, 6:40 p.m.
*• GAME 3
Tuesday, at Corvallis, 6:40 p.m.
* If necessary
