Great-nephew of Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie among four more players added for 2020

For immediate release

January 28, 2020

VICTORIA, B.C. — Among the many great names of baseball past, squarely sits the name Nap Lajoie, who played in the classic era — spending 1896-1916 for the Philadelphia Phillies/Athletics and the Cleveland Bronchos/Naps – yes, a team named after the player himself – finishing his career as a .338 hitter.

Lajoie is the great-uncle of Willie Lajoie, a Chico State infielder who will make his West Coast League debut this coming summer in the uniform of the Victoria HarbourCats.  The 5-11/190-pounder from Irvine, California was a standout junior college hitter at Saddleback College, batting .321 in his two seasons with the Gauchos, collecting 27 extra-base hits and 87 RBI.

“It’s the history of the game that captures so many people, and having a descendant of Nap Lajoie here with the team will catch a lot of interest. We’re excited to have Willie join us,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner/GM of the HarbourCats. “He drove in 87 runs for Saddleback, he’s a producer who can be a key guy for us.”

Also signed is a player with Victoria connections — versatile Tyler Best of the University of Hawaii, whose uncle is long-time MLB scout Tim Hallgren, a former Seattle draft pick now with the Detroit Tigers after many years with the Dodgers organization. Hallgren was born in Victoria. Best is a sophomore, 6-1/170, from Eagle, Idaho, who started 45 games as a freshman.

The other two signings announced today are outfielder Jack Keiser of the University of San Diego, and outfielder Colton Evans of UC-Davis. Keiser is a 6-1/195 freshman from Palm Beach, Florida, while Evans is a redshirt-sophomore, a 5-9 speedster who played with former HarbourCats Brad Plushkell and Ryan Anderson in his first season at Davis. Evans is from Modesto, California.

“These offensive players will like hitting at our park, in front of our fans,” said Swanson. “I know our coaches will be following their spring seasons closely and be excited to further develop them this summer, in our pro-style atmosphere at Wilson’s Group Stadium.”

2020 Tickets Now on Sale

Season Tickets, 10-Game Flex-Packs and Single Game tickets are now on sale for the 2020 season. Visit the office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or call 778-265-0327 to order. Single game tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.harbourcats.com/tickets or at SelectYourTickets.com

About The Victoria HarbourCats

The HarbourCats are Victoria’s entry in the West Coast League (WCL), a summer, collegiate, wood bat baseball league, featuring the top college-age players from across North America and the world. One of the elite teams in the league, the HarbourCats won a record 40 games in 2016 and followed that up in 2017 and 2019 as the WCL’s North Division Playoff Champions, coming one game short both times of their first ever WCL Championship.  In 2020, their eighth season, the team will play a 54-game regular season schedule, with 27 of those games and five additional non-league games, being played at historic Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. Games begin May 30, 2020 with games scheduled through mid-August.   See www.harbourcats.com for more details.

Office Hours:  January-March office hours:  MONDAY-FRIDAY – 9:30am-5:30pm  SATURDAY-SUNDAY – By appointment.