Members of the Victoria Golden Tide, soon to be called the “Victoria Collegiate Cats” pose in their Collegiate Cats gear at the HarbourCats offices.

For immediate release

February 17, 2026

VICTORIA, BC — In name only, the ‘Golden Tide’ tenure is coming to an end — so a stronger age of Victoria collegiate baseball can take root.

Welcome, the Victoria Collegiate Cats, fully embracing the HarbourCats logo and branding as of the fall season — caps, uniforms, workout gear, and mission statement to develop great baseball players and young men in a winning environment. Same program, even stronger connection to the parent club.

The city’s entry in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) will play as the Golden Tide for this spring campaign, which starts in just over a month. The team, which provides an outstanding collegiate baseball and academic experience for UVic and Camosun students, where they can stay at home, play in a great stadium (Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park) in a tremendous city, with the best weather in Canada, and get a world-class degree over five years of athletic eligibility, began as the Victoria Golden Tide in the fall of 2021.

Five years as the Golden Tide included some strong results, including a second place finish in May of 2023, a Cinderella run to the final of the CCBC World Series in Lethbridge.

“It just makes sense for many reasons, as the program has improved and grown beyond early challenges, to be fully adopted under the respected HarbourCats name,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the group that owns the HarbourCats of the West Coast League, the Collegiate Cats, and the Nanaimo NightOwls (also WCL). “Among other bonuses, so many Golden Tide players have earned summer WCL opportunities through this program, and that can only continue to increase with the foundation being firmly entrenched in this name shift as well.

“In hindsight, this should have been the naming from the beginning. Moving forward, the players and coaches and new recruits are excited for the transition.”

The HarbourCats front office, led by Swanson, GM Christian Stewart and VP-Operations Adrian Somers, supports the now-Collegiate Cats coaching staff of head coach Chris Vlaj, and assistants Darius Opdam Bak and Colton O’Brien — in fact, Opdam Bak and O’Brien have themselves taken to the field as HarbourCats.

The Collegiate Cats coaches will continue to have the support and mentorship as well of all coaches with both the WCL HarbourCats and NightOwls.

Over the four completed seasons, more than 20 players in good standing with the Golden Tide have earned opportunities to play with either of the Island’s WCL clubs, some in regular season and playoffs (such as team leader and catcher Jai Berezowski, and slugger Ryan Deagle), or in exhibition games. That number will grow this summer.

The list:

OF Jaxson Cordle
RHP Brett Paterson
RHP Nate Major
C Jai Berezowski
OF Dominic Biello
IF Jordan Bond
RHP Darius Opdam Bak
OF Colton O’Brien
RHP Peter Cunningham
C Damian Cataldo
IF Thomas Plant
IF Ryan Deagle
LHP Ethan Dean
RHP Jakin Rohne
OF/RHP Travis Harfield
IF Nick Lee
IF Brandon Green
RHP Haldon Craig
OF Daniel Sawchyn
OF Tyler Burton
RHP Owen Luchies
RHP Cam Dunn
LHP Jacob Popadynec

The Golden Tide start their 2026 schedule on the road at Thompson Rivers University with a four-game set March 21-22 and then return for their home opener on Saturday March 28th at 1:00pm at Wilsons Group Stadium against the Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks.  A second game follows at 4:00pm, with another doubleheader scheduled for Sunday the 29th at 11:00am and 2:00pm.

The full 2026 Golden Tide schedule is found below (Home games in BOLD and at Wilson’s Group Stadium unless otherwise noted):

Sat. March 21 – @Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Sun. March 22 – @Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, 11:00am and 2:00pm

Sat. March 28 – vs. Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Sun. March 29 – vs. Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks, 11:00am and 2:00pm

Thu. April 2 – vs. Okanagan College Coyotes, 2:00pm and 5:00pm
Fri. April 3 – vs Okanagan College Coyotes, 10:00am and 1:00pm

Tue. April 7 – @Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, 4:00pm and 7:00pm

Fri. April 10 – @Prairie Baseball Academy, Lethbridge, AB, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Sat. April 11 – @Prairie Baseball Academy, Lethbridge, AB, 2:00pm and 5:00pm

Wed. April 15 – @Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, 4:00pm and 7:00pm

Mon. April 27 – vs. University of British Columbia @LAMBRICK PARK, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Tue. April 28 – vs. University of British Columbia @LAMBRICK PARK, 10:00am and 1;00pm

Sat. May 2 – @University of the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Sun. May 3 – @University of the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, Noon and 3:00pm

Sat. May 9 – vs. University of Calgary, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Sun. May 10 – vs. University of Calgary, 11:00am and 2:00pm

Sat. May 16 – vs. University of British Columbia, 1:00pm and 4:00pm

Sun. May 17 – @Vancouver Island University, Nanamio, 4:00pm and 7:00pm

Wed. May 20-Mon. May 25 – CCBC World Series, Lethbridge, AB – Top six teams in regular season play advance.