Six more D1 players, including five pitchers and Fresno State shortstop Brady Hewitt (above), ready to play in Victoria

April 15, 2026

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — The Victoria HarbourCats have had a lot of success working with Fresno State Bulldogs players, and Brady Hewitt could be the next key recruit from the D1 program.

Hewitt, the starter as a freshman, was all conference player of the year as a high school senior and is hitting .353 with 18 extra-base hits — 12 doubles, three triples and three home runs.

“We’ve had a lot of success with Fresno State guys putting on a HarbourCats uniform over the years,” said GM Christian Stewart, “and adding Brady and two promising pitchers keeps that tradition alive. Cayden Munster, Sky Collins, Tyler Patrick and Cam Schneider are recent Bulldogs who became fan favourites in Victoria.”

Added today to the HarbourCats 2026 roster are:

• IF Brady Hewitt, Fresno State, R/R, 6-2/200, Simi Valley, CA
• RHP Erik Rico, Fresno State, 6-0/195, Visalia, CA
• RHP Brandon Thomas, Fresno State, 6-4/235, Cypress, CA
• RHP Brandon Vasquez, St. Mary’s, 6-4/210, Round Rock, TX
• RHP Aiden Barrientes, Texas Christian University, 6-1/195, Katy, TX
• RHP Cade Nelson, Texas Christian University, 6-6/205, Katy, TX

Erik Rico, also a freshman, is working out of the bullpen after a strong high school career where he was also the quarterback of the football team. Thomas is an imposing figure on the mound with 12 appearances as a freshman so far, going 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21 innings.

Brandon Thomas is a freshman who has appeared in 21 innings so far this spring for the Bulldogs, building a 4.29 ERA with 20 strikeouts. As a senior in high school, he owned a 6-5 record with a 0.79 ERA, and 81 strikeouts in 79.1 innings of work.

6-6 TCU pitcher Cade Nelson should be a dominating figure on the mound for the HarbourCats in 2026 (Photo courtesy TCU).

Brandon Vasquez is a redshirt junior who is 3-2 with a 5.05 ERA in 34 college outings, which includes 10 starts and a complete game this season.

Freshman Aiden Barrientes was at the 2025 MLB draft combine, and set his high school’s strikeout record with 129, also named the Sports Illustrated player of the week in May of 2025. He is working out of the pen for the Horned Frogs.

Cade Nelson is from the same Texas town and high school as Barrientes, has started four games as a freshman at TCU, fanning 19 hitters in 18.2 innings so far this season.

The HarbourCats begin their 2026 season on May 29th with a visit to Portland and then return to Victoria for the Home Opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 pm.

Season tickets, single-game tickets, 12 and 32-game flex packs and 2026 All-Star Game ticket packages are now on sale at harbourcats.com/tickets or at the HarbourCats office at 1814 Vancouver Street.