Night Owls
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Star Vegas catcher, Hawaii Pacific players added to summer roster
Unveiled today for Coach Andreychuk’s roster in 2025:
C Anthony Marnell IV, S/R, College of Southern Nevada (and Oregon State), 6-2/200, Las Vegas
RHP Zach Horwith, R/R, 6-1/200, Bellarmine University, Castle Rock, CO
RHP Brennan Kettle, R/R, 6-0/155, Hawaii Pacific, Houston, TX
SS Andrew Nykoluk, R/R, 5-10/165, Hawaii Pacific, Simi Valley, CA
RHP Jayden Gabrillo, L/R, Hawaii Pacific, 5-8/165, Ewa Beach, HI
OF Owen Wessel, R/R, 5-8/165, Hawaii Pacific, Huntington Beach, CA
NightOwls know the way to San Jose, add four Spartans
The Spartans of the Mountain West Conference will have infielder Drew Giannini, athletic outfielder Raoul Fabian Jr., along with pitchers Luca Staiano and Brady Pavlovsky, on Head coach Cody Andreychuk’s roster for the 2025 West Coast League season.
Also signed today is a pitcher from Italy who is on course to pitch for his country in the next World Baseball Classic, working for a Hall of Fame manager in Mike Piazza.
RHP Vincenzo “Vinny” Bruno, Bridgeport University, 5-9/185, R/R, Staranzano, Italy
OF Raoul Fabian Jr, San Jose State, 6-0/200, R/R, Oakland, CA
IF Drew Giannini, San Jose State, 6-2/210, L/R, Tracy, CA
RHP Luca Staiano, San Jose State, 6-6/205, R/R, Newbury Park, CA
RHP Brady Pavlovsky, San Jose State, 6-1/166, R/R, Temecula, CA
Bruno has represented his country and is known for his competitive nature, and has spent part of his time developing in Toronto where he has been a teammate of outfielder Alessandro Volpe. He made nine appearances including three starts for Bridgeport last spring.
Giannini’s lefty swing will be something to watch in the tight confines of Serauxmen Stadium and the enticing right field wall. The junior has hit a lot of home runs dating back to high school and a season at San Joaquin Delta College, with eight leaving the park for the Mustangs. Giannini played a full season for Kamloops in the WCL in 2023.
Fabian is a college veteran who hit eight bombs and .353 for Chabot College before landing at SJSU as a junior.
Pavlovsky has starter type stuff and a fastball that can hit 94mph, while Staiano works out of the back end of the bullpen but will be stretched out for a starter role.
Big lefty arms from San Diego, two key Arizona players join NightOwls
The five players announced to head coach Cody Andreychuk’s roster today:
LHP Thomas Young, San Diego State, 6-1/180, R/L Carson City, Nevada
LHP Connor Shaw, San Diego State, 6/185, L/L San Diego
LHP Trevor Fox, San Diego State, 6-7.200, L/L San Diego
RHP R’Mani Adams, Arizona Christian, 6-5/235, R/R, Federal Way, WA
OF Andrew Ivy, Arizona Christian, 5-9/165, L/L, Chicago
NightOwls Team With New Innovative Ticketing Platform
Season Ticket Holders
New Season Tickets are now available to be purchased online for the first time ever at https://www.showpass.com/m/nanaimo-night-owls-season-ticket-holders/ Visit the seat map, see what is available, select your preferred ticket type, and checkout securely.
Season Tickets will be delivered to all members by e-mail (planned for April 1, 2025) with an option for printing classic paper tickets. Members can transfer tickets as needed through their accounts, and print their tickets via PDF or simply save into their mobile wallet on their phone.
Renewals are simple, with reminder emails coming from showpass late in the season, or early fall, with details for the following season and secure, online renewal.
NOTE: Season Ticket holders who have not yet renewed their seats for 2025 should ensure they call or visit the office to do so as soon as possible so that all relevant details are updated in the new system and so their seats are locked in for 2025. Any seats not paid / renewed by April 1, 2025 will be released for sale to the public at that time.
10-Game and Season Ticket Flex Packs
10-game flex packs and our Season Ticket equivalent flex-packs (32 vouchers) are also now available to purchase and manage on-line in the showpass system.
General Admission vouchers will still be available at all Save On Foods locations from Ladysmith to Parksville, the five partner stores of our premier partner.
https://www.showpass.com/10-game-flex-pack-2/
https://www.showpass.com/32-game-flex-pack-2/
Once purchased, fans can skip coming to the office or box office and can easily exchange their vouchers / credits on-line for the games that they wish to attend. Once exchanged, fans can also e-mail those tickets to someone else, if they don’t plan to attend the game themselves.
Fans with existing 10-packs or season ticket packs purchased during the off-season can come into the office and get set up properly in the new system in order begin to exchanging vouchers on their own.
Single-Game Tickets
Single game tickets are now available on-line and can be purchased at https://www.showpass.com/o/nanaimo-nightowls/
Scroll down the list to find the game of interest, including three “Showcase” games being held this season, click through to the seat map, select your seats and check-out with your tickets delivered to the e-mail used to set up your account.
Group Tickets
Group tickets (10 people or more) can also now be purchased on-line in most of our seating areas and larger groups can be set up and ticket sales managed through a convenient Group Sales platform within showpass.
The showpass system also comes with a very easy to use Help system to guide users through the ticketing sales or exchange process and of course, fans can always come to the office or the box office on game days to order their tickets in person.
NightOwls Pitching Coach Fondly Recalls Time Playing with Rickey
Every pitch Gorm Heimueller threw in the major leagues, Rickey Henderson had his back, positioned in the outfield behind him.
When news broke Saturday of the far-too-soon passing of the greatest base stealer the game has ever known — and likely will ever know — Heimueller was stunned, and saddened.
“I heard from a friend of Rickey’s, who had heard from (former MLB pitcher) Dave Stewart — this is a big blow for the baseball world, like Pete Rose a few months ago,” said Heimueller, who will be pitching coach again for the NightOwls again in 2025, the only pitching staff leader the West Coast League team has known since debuting at historic Serauxmen Stadium in 2022. This season will mark 49 years in the game for Heimueller, one of the most-respected people in all of baseball.
“I loved Rickey — but I loved everyone, I was in the big leagues. I got to play with Rickey and Joe Morgan, two Hall of Famers, it’s hard to believe they are both gone. Rickey looked like he was doing well and healthy. Very sad news.”
Henderson, who would’ve turned 66 on Christmas Day, passed away Friday, a surprise to everyone as he had appeared to be in good health. Initial reports indicated a bout of pneumonia claimed the Hall of Famer, who played with nine teams over 25 years and stole 1,406 bases. Canadian baseball fans will recall his short time with the Blue Jays in 1993, helping Toronto win its second consecutive World Series.
“The best part of playing with him was knowing I didn’t have to face him,” said Heimueller.
“My first game, he made a catch up against the wall — really good catch. People think of the stolen bases but look at all the home runs he hit. He was also unique as not many guys are right-handed hitters and then throw left-handed, very rare in the game. He was one of the more confident players I ever played with — and Rickey talked about Rickey, he had his ways about him that you never forget, that was the way he talked.
“That first game, in Baltimore, he’s leading off — I’m thinking this is pretty cool, and I’m the starting pitcher. I knew I was in the big leagues right there.”
More gifts under the tree for NightOwls fans, two returning players and three Canadians among six signed
Returning players are always a plus for fanbases of collegiate summer baseball teams, and the Nanaimo NightOwls are glad to add two more to that list.
With five members of last summer’s roster already lined up to return to historic Serauxmen Stadium for the 2025 season (Ryder Florence, Cole Carmichael, Richtter Castillo, Moosa Nonomiya and all-star starting pitcher Adison Mattix), first-year Head Coach Cody Andreychuk is pleased to have the WCL experience of pitcher David Stewart and outfielder Alessandro Volpe — who also happen to be Canadian.
Righthander Drew Lenehan, from New Brunswick, is the third Canadian in this group of signings, a hard-thrower with experience as a summer baseball starting pitcher with Lethbridge of the Western Canada League.
“We feel like we will have a leadership group that can help us bond faster and be up to the WCL pace of play right from the start, with guys who know the ins and outs of the league,” said Andreychuk, himself a former WCL player. “David’s character is something the organization picked up on right from the start, and more college experience from Alessandro will bring him to a new level in Nanaimo. Drew is excited to take a step forward this coming summer and gives us depth in our plans for a starting rotation.”
Volpe, from Toronto, used his family heritage to represent Italy in a recent international showcase in Florida. He played the final three weeks of the 2024 season in Nanaimo.
The full list of player signings announced by GM Tina Cornett today:
C Nate Davis, Everett CC, 6/185, Beaverton, OR
Util Talan Zenk, Everett CC, 5-10/185, Briar, WA
RHP Alex Hill, Everett CC, 6-5/240, Seattle, WA
OF Alessandro Volpe, Lindewood University, 6-1/195, Toronto (returning player)
RHP Drew Lenehan, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 6-5/200, Woodstock, New Brunswick
LHP David Stewart, University of Mary, 6-0-/180, Edmonton (returning player)
Switch-hitting catcher Nate Davis of Everett CC was previously with the Ducks at the University of Oregon, a strong defensive catcher with pop in his bat, while teammate Talan Zenk is a spark plug, a physical player who can handle a multitude of positions.
Alex Hill is a huge presence on the mound at 6-5/240, a prototype power arm who projects as another bullpen shutdown option for Pitching Coach Gorm Heimueller.
Lenehan made nine starts in the summer of 2024, striking out more than a batter per inning. Stewart was used as a lefty specialist in 2024 by Heimueller, making 11 appearances and under the pitching coach’s guidance he cut down on walks, not issuing a free pass in his last four outings.
Team signings will continue into January and February as Coach Andreychuk prepares for the fourth season of NightOwls baseball at Serauxmen Stadium.
NightOwls bring back all-star starter Mattix
One of the best pitchers in the West Coast League is returning to The Nest.
All-star Adison Mattix will be back for a third season with the Nanaimo NightOwls. The right-hander from Everett CC made a team-high 10 starts in 2024 and was the only player from the NWAC college baseball conference to be named to the WCL all-star game, where he helped the North Division to victory.
The happiest person with this news is legendary NightOwls pitching coach Gorm Heimueller — and Heimueller’s presence on the staff of new head coach Cody Andreychuk is a major reason Mattix will be spending a third summer with the program in Nanaimo.
Mattix, a power right-hander at 6-4/200, was 1-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 41.1 innings in 2024. He gave up just 30 hits and two doubles. He was a reliever, making nine appearances, in 2023, striking out 15 batters in 16 innings.
The highlight start in 2024 was an 11-strikeout effort over six innings in a 8-1 home win vs. Kamloops on June 25, that made him the league leader in strikeouts at that point. He gave up three hits and no walks or runs.
Local players and returning talent set for 2025 NightOwls duty
Five names, all familiar to local baseball fans.
Head Coach Cody Andreychuk, a local product entering his first year at the helm of the Nanaimo NightOwls, is pleased to announce the signing of five players for the 2025 duty. Three are returnees from the 2024 squad, two are Mid-Island Pirates graduates.
All five players are at the junior college level, with previous announcements featuring mostly NCAA D1 scholarship athletes.
Nonomiya, from Japan but whose mom is Pakistani, recently was the starting pitcher and hit a home run for Pakistan to win the final of the Arabic region tournament. In the summer of 2024, he made seven appearances as a pitcher — three of those as the starter.
Florence, as a graduating high school player, saw action in 25 games last summer and drove in seven runs, playing strong defence. Known for his big arm from the left side of the infield, and an instinctual baserunner, he was an offensive catalyst in high school and has carried that to Scottsdale.
Carmichael, a Swiss Army Knife for the NightOwls in 2024, is being used primarily as a right-handed reliever at ELAC this season, but can still play nearly every position and run the bases, providing a hard-throwing bullpen option for pitching coach Gorm Heimueller, and giving Andreychuk the ability to make moves in the last half of the game. Carmichael has the nickname ‘Cowboy’ because he has competed in junior NFR events — and is a real glue guy with teammates. Carmichael made five pitching appearances in 2024, and batted .195 with a couple of doubles and three stolen bases in limited action.
Cathers spent time with the Canadian national junior team and the power hitting outfielder has made a good first impression at Cloud County.
Laukkanen, whose brother Josh was on the inaugural NightOwls team in 2022, was with the NightOwls for a few days in 2024 prior to setting foot on a college campus. Lucas left the team to stay at a lower level with less competition for playing time. Lucas has plans on being starting shortstop this spring at Cloud County.
Both Cathers and Laukkanen played in the Futures Showcase put on by the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Season tickets and 10pks are available now by emailing GM Tina Cornett, tina@nanaimonightowls.com, and tickets and merchandise make great Christmas gifts — nanaimonightowls.com to find the Team Shop.
VISL, and HarbourCats/NightOwls, enter strategic partnership
Different sports, but the same community ideals.
The Victoria HarbourCats and Nanaimo NightOwls, of baseball’s West Coast League, and the Vancouver Island Soccer League, have entered into a strategic partnership intended to assist the entities in growing grassroots sports and improving facilities on Vancouver Island.
The VISL provides programming and championships on the Island and leads leagues which give the best soccer players an avenue to play the sport for life. Championships such as the Jackson Cup, with many finals played at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, serve as the crown jewel of the VISL.
More than 6,000 participants are involved with the VISL — sports fans, who will keep track of the Island’s top baseball programs, the HarbourCats and NightOwls, who combined to draw more than 100,000 spectators in 2024.
The baseball teams and VISL will jointly promote each others’ schedules, and provide opportunities for youth participation.
