Cats to play Sr. Blaze in Duncan exhibition game

On Wednesday the HarbourCats announced that they’ll be playing an exhibition game in Duncan on Sunday June 22nd against the Langley Sr. Blaze, a team of former college players and ex-professionals. The Blaze will provide tough competition for the young HarbourCats, as the Langley squad is considered the favourite to win the Baseball Canada Senior Championship this year after finishing second in nationals in 2013.

The game has been smartly scheduled to help break up the four consecutive off-days between the three-game sets at RAP against the Bellingham Bells and the Bend Elks and it will hopefully help keep the team focused and in playing shape. The HarbourCats have more plans for the June 21-22 weekend, so stay tuned to the blog for additional information. Last season the team had five consecutive off days in late June with no exhibition games scheduled and the layoff ended up becoming the obvious turning point of the season. Victoria was the only team in the West Coast League that did not play a single exhibition game in 2013.

The game in Duncan will also give the Victoria team some added exposure to mid-island baseball fans. A significant number of fans from Duncan and Mill Bay already make the trek into Victoria for HarbourCats games, but perhaps the June 22nd game will help create some new fans from even further up Vancouver Island.

GM Jim Swanson has made incredible strides in working with the local community since he took over in late November and his “Baseball Day in Duncan” is just the latest example. The game is being put on in association with the Duncan Junior Baseball Association and a full day of festivities are planned. These include:

• 9 AM - Youth wood-bat games between Peewee and Mosquito teams.
• 10 AM to 12:30 PM - Fun Fair games and food. 
• 11 AM - Presentation of youth team awards.
• 11:30 AM - HarbourCats/Blaze warm up and batting practice.
• 1:05 PM - Victoria HarbourCats vs. Langley Sr. Blaze.
• Post-game - Autograph session with HarbourCats and Blaze.

The game will be played at cozy Evans Park in Duncan, the complex that hosted the Midget AA provincial championship in 2013. The ballpark dimensions are a tad on the small side, so you can expect to see plenty of offense when the HarbourCats and Blaze take to the field that day. Of course, a few extra souvenir home run balls for the fans are never a bad idea.