HarbourCanucks Corner

Nick Rutckyj

This is our first installment of HarbourCanucks Corner, a weekly update on the Canadians who will play on the 2014 version of the Victoria HarbourCats.

Base hits haven’t come easy for Nick Rutckyj in the early going, but when he gets one he sure makes it count. Rutckyj went 2-for-15 in four games for Cuesta College this week, but his hits were a 12th-inning walk-off homer on Friday and a solo blast on Saturday. The freshman from Surrey, who has started all nine games in the Cougars outfield, is now batting.125 with two homers and seven RBI in 32 at-bats. Cuesta (3-6) will play their first four road games of the season this week against Hartnell College, Riverside City College (RCC) and Saddleback College. The Thursday game against RCC is a makeup date for the February 2nd rainout between the teams coached by Dennis Rogers and Bob Miller.

The University of Seattle Redhawks took three of four games from UC Davis this weekend, with Griffin Andreychuk (Nanaimo, BC) starting at shortstop for all three wins. Andreychuk went 1-for-9 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored in the three games. Seattle U plays a four-game series against Cal State Northridge next weekend.

The University of Illinois dropped two of three games to the Georgia State Panthers to open their season. Victoria native Kelly Norris-Jones was the starting catcher in the only game won by the Fighting Illini in the series and he went one-for-five at the plate with an RBI ground out. Norris-Jones, who’s never been averse to taking one for the team, also got his first hit-by-pitch of the season and he has now been hit once in every 12.9 at-bats in his college career -- that’s a ratio that would make Ron Hunt or Craig Biggio proud. The University of Illinois squad is off to Myrtle Beach, SC next weekend to play in the Caravelle Resort’s Baseball at the Beach Tournament.

Brandon Feldman of the Otero Junior College Rattlers started two of the four games against the New Mexico Military Institute in right field this weekend, but he went 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts. He's now hitting .222 on the young season. The Rattlers play a single game tomorrow against Western Nebraska CC and a pair of doubleheaders next weekend against Trinidad State Junior College.

HarbourCatNip

• Catcher Aaron Barnett of Pepperdine University got his collegiate career off to a great start this weekend, going three-for-four in all three games played against St. John's University. Barnett registered nine singles in his 12 at-bats, knocked in three runs and scored three times. To top it all off, he even stole a base.
• Sophomore outfielder Devin Carter only appeared in one game for Pepperdine this weekend and he failed to reach base in his two at-bats.
• Southpaw Will Dennis made two appearances for the University of Seattle on the weekend and he picked up a win and a save. Dennis gave up an earned run on two hits in three innings pitched, struck out two and did not walk a batter.
• Gabe Clark went two-for-four with two RBI and three runs scored in Oregon State’s 15-7 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday. No HarbourCanucks Corner would be complete without checking up on our Beavers...