CLEVE DHEENSAW
Times Colonist
The hockey memories from Game 7 might still be raw for Edmonton sports fans, but it didn’t take long for many of them to switch to summer mode.
The Edmonton Riverhawks have become one of the leading storylines of the 2024 West Coast League baseball season and drew a league-record 9,071 fans for the Canada Day game against the Port Angeles Lefties at Re/Max Stadium, a gem of a facility along the riverbank that was once home to the Edmonton Trappers in the halcyon days of Triple-A pro baseball in Canada.
The Riverhawks battled the Wenatchee AppleSox to the wire in the race for the first-half WCL North Division championship, and the playoff berth that goes with it, but got pipped by the Sox.
Edmonton’s drive to nearly take the first-half pennant didn’t go unnoticed as five Riverhawks have been named to next Wednesday’s WCL all-star game to take place at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham.
The Victoria HarbourCats will answer with two WCL all-star game selections when they meet the Riverhawks in a pivotal three-game series beginning tonight at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.
The 2023 league-finalist HarbourCats are 16-17 overall and, just as importantly now, 2-4 in the race for the second-half pennant and playoff berth that goes with it.
The Riverhawks were 20-12 and 2-3 heading into Thursday night’s game in Wenatchee.
The HarbourCats selected as all-stars are infielder Tate Shimao out of the NCAA Division 1 University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, hitting .373 with two homers, two triples, four doubles, 16 runs scored and 20 RBIs over 17 games, and pitcher Carson Cormier from the NCAA Div. 1 TCU Horned Frogs, who sports a 2.61 ERA.
The Riverhawks all-star selections are third-baseman and former Canadian junior national team player Jakob Poturnak from NCAA Div. 1 Xavier, outfielder Bryce McFeely, second-baseman Michael Soper and pitchers Tate Dearing and Vicarte Domingo.
The WCL all-star game will be broadcast live on the MLB Network.
“We’ve already seen Jarren Duran, Steven Kwan, Adley Rutschman, Tarik Skubal and Tyler Anderson play in the West Coast League on their way to becoming 2024 MLB All-Stars,” said MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra, who will provide analysis for the WCL all-star game broadcast.
“I can’t wait until next Wednesday when we’ll help our audience get a closer look at this year’s batch of West Coast Leaguers who could follow similar paths to Major League stardom.”
Meanwhile, the Nanaimo NightOwls (15-17 overall and 3-2 in the second half) are in Bellingham tonight to begin a three-game set against the Bells. Four of the NightOwls will return to Bellingham next week for the WCL all-star game — outfielders Riley Paulino and Wylie Waters, shortstop Nevin Noonan and pitcher Adison Mattix.
