Don’t tell Alex Rogers and Griffin Andreychuk that they can’t go home again.
The two Nanaimo ball players will lead their Victoria HarbourCats teammates into a game in the Harbour City on Sunday, July 19 – a 1pm game at Serauxman Stadium. The exhibition game will see the HarbourCats, who play in the collegiate summer West Coast League, face the Nanaimo Pirates, a team made up of college-level players and alumni of Nanaimo’s Premier League organization, along with some of the great older current Pirates players.
“We are so fortunate to have great players from Nanaimo on our team, in Alex and Griffin, and to be able to make this happen is very special for us and for the city of Nanaimo,” said HarbourCats General Manager Jim Swanson.
“Alex was one of our best pitchers last year, and he earned every moment on the mound as a 10-day contract player. Griffin was our starting second baseman and a real sparkplug at the top of the lineup, and they continue to have success at college – Alex at Trinidad State, and Griffin at Seattle University. It will be a treat for Nanaimo baseball fans to see them back again, even if they are on the visiting team.”
Tickets for the game are on sale now, for $10 each. The game will be nine-innings, and many special features will add to the entertainment level of the game. Included will be a post-game autograph session on the field, with HarbourCats merchandise available for sale during the game as well.
“This is a great event to add for our season, and I know the players we put on the field will be excited to measure themselves against the HarbourCats and that great program,” said Doug Rogers, the Head Coach of the Pirates PBL program – and, yes, father of Alex.
“A lot of people from Nanaimo went down to Victoria last year to see the HarbourCats play, so we’re more than happy the HarbourCats recognized that and wanted to play a game here this year. It will be worth every penny.”
It may also just mark the first time in their lives that Alex Rogers and his twin brother Brady Rogers, also at Trinidad State, will face each other on a baseball field. Brady will be part of the Pirates team for this special game.
Last season, a capacity crowd watched the HarbourCats play an exhibition game in Duncan, so this initiative continues in 2015 with the HarbourCats reaching out to communities on Vancouver Island.
“This is a natural event, and the right thing to do not just for our organization but to grow the game on Vancouver Island,” said Swanson. “We’ll have information on what we do to help the baseball community, and we’ll have our popular mascot, Harvey the HarbourCat, at the game, having fun with the kids.”
To purchase tickets for the July 19 Nanaimo game, contact Jodi Rogers at 250-756-7899 or pirates.harbourcats@shaw.ca. (Tickets are not available on-line for this particular event.)
