The HarbourCats didn’t just bring the bats on Thursday – they brought the buzz.
For the second straight week, thousands of school kids packed Royal Athletic Park for the team’s School Spirit Game, and once again, the home side delivered in style.
With 2,576 fans – most of them students – filling the blue seats, Victoria cruised to a 10-3 win over the Nanaimo NightOwls, completing a three-game sweep and grabbing a 4-2 edge in this year’s Island Cup rivalry series.
“It creates this major league ambience,” said HarbourCats general manager Christian Stewart. “There’s just that buzz happening.”
One week earlier, the club hosted a record 3,584 during their first School Spirit Game of the season.
The quick stretch of morning games has quickly grown into a signature event for the organization, helping forge ties between the team and the next generation of fans.
“We used to just put the kids in general admission and leave the blue seats empty,” Stewart said. “Now we fill up the bowl. The kids bring a great energy to the ball-park, the players also love hearing the noise. "
Since launching the School Spirit program in 2016, the event has gone from modest outreach to one of the hottest tickets among local schools.
“Our School Spirit Game has become so popular that I have groups that, literally in the next week or two, will ask me to put them on the list for next year – before our schedule is even out,” Stewart said. "This is the momentum that makes us excited to host these games."
The operation ran smoothly on Thursday, with organized school bus arrivals and pre-scanned entries setting the stage for a safe, seamless, and loud ballgame.
The hope, Stewart said, is that early-season experiences like these help bring families back later in the summer.
On the field, the HarbourCats backed up the energy with a dominant performance. Six players – Owen Clyne, Isaiah Afework, Xander McAfee, Tanner Beltowski, Kyle Hepburn, and Connor Ross – recorded multi-hit games, with the team combining for a 16-hit afternoon.
Starter Hudson Lance went five innings, allowing just four hits, with three more pitchers finishing the job from the mound.
The win lifts Victoria to 10-8 on the West Coast League season, just 2.5 games back of the first-place Wenatchee AppleSox. Nanaimo drops to 8-10, sitting 4.5 games off the pace.
While the Island Cup might be a friendly rivalry – both teams are owned by the same group – it’s no less competitive.
“We’re fortunate to have won it the first three years,” Stewart said. “We, of course, want to keep that going.”
The HarbourCats are also continuing to grow the local summer sports scene through partnerships with Pacific FC and the Victoria Shamrocks.
“It’s a win-win for everybody – just to let the world, let Victoria know, hey, we have baseball, we have soccer, we have lacrosse,” Stewart said. “At the end of the day, we are all just trying to put butts in the seats, and bring a positive atmosphere for everyone."
The HarbourCats now hit the road for a three-game weekend series against the Kamloops NorthPaws, starting Friday at Norbrock Stadium.
The final round of the Island Cup goes July 1-3, where Victoria will look to clinch bragging rights for a fourth straight year.
