WENATCHEE, WA — The Nanaimo NightOwls had their chances to put up a big number on the host AppleSox — plenty of them.
The hosts in Wenatchee took a 7-4 lead with three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth and held on for an 8-6 victory on Saturday night in central Washington. Both teams are in the mix for one of four North Division playoff positions.
The NightOwls scored four runs with two outs in the fourth inning, and held a 4-2 lead. Seven different Nanaimo batters had hits, and both teams committed three errors. Ryder Florence, Andrew Nykoluk and Easton Mould had RBIs.
Lino Zepeda, Cole Carmichael, Kiki Villegas, Dalton Hanson and Asher DeLeo handled the pitching duties for the NightOwls.
The NightOwls stay in Wenatchee for the weekend series, playing Sunday evening, returning home on an early ferry Monday morning. On Tuesday, the Corvallis Knights make their first ever appearance at Serauxmen Stadium with a three-game series that continues Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday is the Christmas in July celebration at Serauxmen.
WENATCHEE, WA — The Nanaimo NightOwls know this it the time to get hot, with the West Coast League in a pressure-packed race to the playoffs.
The first step got off on the wrong foot, with an 11-1 loss to the AppleSox in Wenatchee. Both teams are in the mix for one of four North Division playoff positions.
The NightOwls stay in Wenatchee for the weekend series, playing Saturday and Sunday evenings, returning home on an early ferry Monday morning. On Tuesday, the Corvallis Knights make their first ever appearance at Serauxmen Stadium with a three-game series that continues Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday is the Christmas in July celebration at Serauxmen.
NANAIMO, B.C. — It wasn’t our day as the Nanaimo NightOwls dropped the series finally 5-2 to the Wenatchee AppleSox on Sunday. Nanaimo took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, but the AppleSox were able to score two runs in the eighth and added two more in the ninth to take the series.
The NightOwls had two runs on 10 hits but committed three errors on the day, which didn’t help their pitchers. The Wenatchee AppleSox had five runs on nine hits with one error. That drops Nanaimo to 17-19 on the year and 3.5 games back of the playoff spot.
It was a great night for starting NightOwls pitcher, Teague Van Dyke, who went 5.1 innings. The 6’2 right-handed pitcher from Flagstaff, Arizona, gave up just one run on six hits and struck out four. It was a great performance as his family was in town for the weekend to watch him pitch.
UNCOMMITTED Juco transfer from Umpqua CC 6’2 215 pounds Starting pitcher for the @wclNightOwls
Fastball 88-90 t 91 Splitter 79-81 Curveball 74-76
Nanaimo NightOwls Vs Wenatchee AppleSox (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Asher DeLeo came on in relief and pitched 1.2 innings of perfect ball with two strikeouts. Dalton Hanson was the losing pitcher of record for the Nanaimo NightOwls, and Aidan Gonzalez got the win for the AppleSox, going 3.1 innings and giving up just one run on four hits and striking out five Nanaimo batters.
All-Star Talan Zenk was on base three times on the afternoon for the NightOwls. He went one for three with a double, two walks and a run scored. He will be joining fellow NightOwl Jacob Hayes down in Bellingham for the West Coast League All-Star Game.
Nanaimo NightOwls Vs Wenatchee AppleSox (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Hayes had another hit on the day going one for five as he was given the day off from first base. Tyler Arnold was tasked with manning first base and he did an amazing job making a great diving snag in the field and also producing at the plate. Tyler went one for three with a sacrifice fly and single.
A break now for the Nanaimo NightOwls as Monday is an off day before getting back on the field Tuesday July 15th again the Nanaimo Selects in an exhibition game. Then we have the West Coast League All-Star Break on July 16th.
One more exhibition game on Thursday July 17th against the Nanaimo Selects before we get back into league action. Than it’s back on the road for a weekend series against the Wenatchee AppleSox Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 18th, 19th, and 20th. Make sure to follow the team on the live stream and use the hashtag #IlluminuteTheDark on social media so we can engage with you! Go Owls Go, Hoot Hoot!!!!!
After this series, the WCL gets into non-league games and the all-star break — the WCL all-star game goes Wednesday night in Bellingham, with the NightOwls facing the local Nanaimo Selects on Tuesday and Thursday nights, always exciting games of interest with all the former college players from the area getting to share the field with the top current collegiate guys on the NightOwls roster. The Tuesday and Thursday night games are both 6:35pm starts.
The NightOwls will be in Wenatchee next weekend, July 18-20, then return home to welcome the Corvallis Knights to Nanaimo for the first time, July 22-24 — all 6:35pm games, a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday set.
The NightOwls have just seven regular season home games remaining, including the Sunday/tomorrow game with Wenatchee.
NANAIMO, B.C. — The NightOwls are on a roll as they make it four games in a row with a 6-5 victory over the Wenatchee AppleSox. It was a packed crowd of close to 1100 people at Serauxmen Stadium Friday night to cheer on Nanaimo, and despite going down 4-0, they kept their voices strong and cheered on the team to a big comeback.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Wenatchee AppleSox (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Wenatchee put two runs on the board in the third inning and one each in the fourth and fifth to jump out to a 4-0 lead. The NightOwls stormed back in the bottom of the fifth inning with 4 runs of their own to tie things up 4-4. The AppleSox got one more in the sixth, but the fans cheered on the team for a seventh inning rally and scored two runs to take the 6-5 lead and didn’t look back to get their fourth win in a row and move back to .500% at 17-17.
Nanaimo finished the night with six runs on 12 hits with three errors that almost cost them the game. The Wenatchee AppleSox had five runs on 13 hits and one error.
Starter Aidan Boice was dealt a daunting task with the number of pitchers the NightOwls and pitching coach Gorman Heimueller had to use in the last series against Kelowna. He was a beast for the NightOwls, going five innings and striking out four of the Wenatchee batters. He left the game, giving his team a chance to win at the end of the seventh inning.
Ricardo Villegas got back in the lineup and threw one inning for the Nanaimo NightOwls. Cole “Cowboy” Carmichael came into the game in the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless inning giving up just one hit. He got the win for the Nanaimo NightOwls, as he is now 2-0 on the season in relief.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Wenatchee AppleSox (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
That led the way for Jayden Gabrillo to come in for the six out save in the eighth inning. He gave up just one hit, one walk while striking out four to seal things for the Nanaimo NightOwls.
It was our All-Star Jacob Hayes that lead the way for the NightOwls on Friday as we went three for three with a double, two singles, an RBI and than Wenatchee just got tired of it and intentionally walked him. I spoke with him after the game about his performance, “I feel like I’m seeing it well, kind of back to what I said earlier [From a previous interview], just trusting to stay up the middle and trusting Cody [Andreychuk] and what he says, I think, plays a big thing, and then stepping up for the guys and coming through in those big moments.”
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Wenatchee AppleSox (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
He also spoke about the play of the team of late, on a four game winning streak currently, “Yeah, definitely, definitely. After a sweep you want to you want to keep it going and I know the AppleSox had had their way, so they’re down, and just as long as we can, kind of kick them in the teeth and keep our ship rolling so I think it’s good.”
Multiple players had two hit nights as Raoul Fabian Jr. went two for five with two RBI and a double. Spencer Sullivan and catcher Hunter Stencil also had two hits for the Nanaimo NightOwls in the 6-5 victory. Raoul had a clutch double off the Save on Foods monster to start the pivotal seventh inning, he missed a home run by about a foot.
Tyler Arnold and Brock Wirthgen also chipped in with an RBI for the NightOwls. Make sure to check out the first player prolife on catcher Brock Wirthgen that is up now on our NightOwls website, or just click the link!
It was also an important night for us as it was “Help Fill A Dream Foundation Night” at the ballpark. Click the link for more information and to support their great endeavors.
The series continues against the Wenatchee AppleSox on Saturday, July 12th, at 6:35 pm, before a 1:05 matinee on Sunday, July 13th. Monday, the NightOwls have a day off before two exhibition games against the Nanaimo Selects and the All-Star Break. Remember that kids and adults who feel like kids can run the bases on Sunday afternoon!
NANAIMO, B.C. — I want to do something a little different this season and introduce our players to the fans. I will be doing player profiles, so you can get to know your Nanaimo NightOwls a little bit better! The first player profile is one of our catchers, Brock Wirthgen, who wasn’t always a catcher and didn’t always play baseball. We will take a look back at the past and find out what’s in store for these young student-athletes in the future.
I started off asking Brock how he got into baseball, “I got into baseball at the young age of 4, my dad kind of pushed me to play the sport.” Which completely contradicts what his dad Phil told me. Nice try Phil! He would continue, “I started getting serious about the sport when I was around 10. I was watching my cousins play, and ever since then, I fell in love with the sport.”
Brock’s parents were also in town from California for a homestand, and I was lucky enough to catch up with his dad and ask him some questions about Brock. I asked about the family’s sports history. Phil played Water Polo and swam, and Brock’s mom and her family had a baseball background. Brock started as a pitcher, they told me, and had to adjust to how competitive things are down in California. He could hit and catch, and made the switch to Catcher. I asked him about changing positions from the mound to behind the plate.
“Well I’ve always grown up as a catcher, that was my first position I played. Then I started to pitch when I was 12 and I threw the ball hard so I continued pitching and catching. But as soon as I hit high school my coach told me to prioritize pitching but I always worked catching and hitting in. But my senior of high school I started as a pitcher and none of our catchers were hitting so my coach put me behind the plate and then I started hitting and that’s when I made the decision to scratch pitching and continue as a catcher.”
Catcher Brock Wirthgen (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
The 6’1 catcher who has now committed to Hawai’i Pacific University has been a fan favorite this season with his fun personality and great play behind the plate. He has been hitting for power this season, and opposing pitchers would rather give him a free pass than pitch to him. Brock has 14 hits, five walks, two home runs, and six RBIs so far this season for the Nanaimo NightOwls. I wanted to know his approach at the plate.
“The approach I take to the box is pretty simple. I want to beat the pitcher doesn’t matter if I get out or get a hit. I just want to beat the pitcher.” You can see why he does so well at the plate from that answer.
Brock was a multi sport athlete and played baseball and football and was a defensive end and offensive line his dad Phil told me, “So he played Football all the way up until high school…O-Line and D-Line so he was on the ends, left tackle and he was pretty good on special teams.” I wanted to know if anything from football translated over to baseball for Wirthgen?
“Playing football when I was younger helped tremendously both physically and mentally. Physically it put me in a better shape and mentally it made me tougher. It also helped me with my plan, because with being on the o line and d line made me think more and more about the game of football. Like what blocking assignment I had and it made me more patient because of the snap count.”
NightOwls Catcher Brock Wirthgen (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
The Nanaimo NightOwls are a summer league so I wanted to get his plans for the future and what he hopes to accomplish in his career? ” My future plans and goals are of course to try and play baseball for as long as possible. But I do want to get my degree and find a possible route in sales or become a fire fighter or something with law enforcement.” With Mustache Brock would make a pretty mean cop but I Imagine his baseball career could get in the way of that for now.
The NightOwls continue their homestand Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 11th, 12th, and 13th as the Wenatchee AppleSox head into town. Make sure to come out and support the team and tag any social media posts with the Hashtag #IlluminuteTheDark and we will try share your pictures on our social media!
Of course, I needed an embarrassing story about Brock from his dad, instead he gave me a golden quote when I asked, “You know what, he does a pretty good job of embarrassing himself.” He went on to spill Jam all over the locker room a couple of days later so I didn’t need any follow up.
NANAIMO, B.C. — We aren’t curlers, but with the brooms out, we are feeling like it tonight as the NightOwls take all three games in the series against the Kelowna Falcons. It took Nanaimo 11 innings, but the team got the job done in a thrilling 6-5 game Thursday night at Serauxmen Stadium. The 840 fans in attendance got to watch a great baseball game as extra innings in the West Coast League got interesting.
Both teams put two runs on the board in the first inning before the pitchers settled down. Nanaimo was able to take the lead in the fifth inning with one run before taking on two more in the seventh. It looked to be smooth sailing, but the Kelowna Falcons were not going to go away easily and scored three runs in the top of the eighth and sent the game to extra innings.
If you are unfamiliar with the way extra innings work, in the 10th inning, the teams start with a runner on second base. In the eleventh and beyond, the teams start with a runner on second and third base. It makes for some tense times! We got to the bottom of the 11th, and with the bases loaded, Spencer Sullivan came through with a huge single to walk it off for the NightOwls.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Both starting pitchers settled down after the first inning, and Lino Zepeda finished the night throwing three innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out two. Dillon Thompson pitched two scoreless innings for the NightOwls.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
A cool moment as we had International Day at the ballpark, and three of our players were on the the broadcast in their native language. Moosa Nonomiya, Vinny Bruno, and Richtter Castillo each did an inning in Japanese, Italian and Spanish.
— Nanaimo NightOwls WCL (@wclNightOwls) July 11, 2025
Not only did Moosa do an innings in the broadcast booth, he also came back down to the field and pitched 2.2 innings of two run two hit ball. That’s going to be a pretty impressive thing to throw (pun intended) on your resume. Then came on Jaedeyn Edwards in relief who took the win on the night. He had one of best performances you will see from a pitcher, coming in with runners on and getting out of a jam in the ninth.
Then the Portal Transfer pitcher from Culver City, California, decided to strike out the next seven of the next nine batters. Edwards finished the night with 3.1 innings, zero runs, zero hits and eight, count them, eight strikeouts! 31 of 43 of his pitches were strikes and he gave the team a chance to win it in the 11th inning.
It was all hands on deck for the Nanaimo NightOwls as eight batters had hits in the extra innings win. Raoul Fabian Jr. sparked the offense on Thursday night going two for six with a double, single and scored three runs. Talan Zenk is on a hot streak, which makes sense as he was named an All-Star on Wednesday. He went one for four with a single, two RBI, two walks, and two runs.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Nanaimo local, Easton Mould had a nice night at second base for the NightOwls. He stole a base, went one for four and had two RBI. I mentioned earlier that it was a group effort and despite Jacob not having a hit everyone got on base as the Kelowna Falcons walked 11 batters.
Next up for the Nanaimo NightOwls is a three game series with the Wenatchee AppleSox. The series starts with 6: 35 pm evening games on Friday and Saturday July 11th and 12th, before a 1:05 matinee on Sunday July 13th. Monday the NightOwls have a day off before two exhibition games against the Nanaimo Selects and the All-Star Break.
Jacob Hayes and Talan Zenk will be representing us down in Bellingham for the All-Star game so make sure to check that out on the stream in the link above. Make sure to follow us on social media to see what we are up to tomorrow and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark so we can interact with your posts on social media! Go Owls Go!!
NANAIMO, B.C. — It’s NightOwl time as the home stand gets off to a great start. A 3-1 win on Wednesday night in game two of the series against the Kelowna Falcons makes it back-to-back wins for Nanaimo. The pitching for the NightOwls was superb, combining for just one run and six hits.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
The Kelowna Falcons jumped out to a one-run lead in the second inning. That was all they got as starting pitcher Richtter Castillo shut the door and set the tone for the rest of the NightOwls pitchers. Nanaimo was able to scrape in a run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. That was all they needed to move their record closer to .500% at 15-17. Nanaimo finished the night with three runs on nine hits, and both teams had zero errors, making for a well-fielded game.
Of course it was All-Star Talan Zenk with a multi hit game. He went two for four with two doubles and a run scored. Third basemen Tyler Arnold also had a two hit night and scored a run for the Nanaimo NightOwls.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
I mentioned it was a good night for the Nanaimo NightOwls pitchers, starting pitcher Richtter Castillo had a great game, going four strong innings. The left-handed senior from Maracay, Venezuela, finished the game giving up just one run on three hits while striking out three and only walking one. It paved the way for the rest of the pitching staff as newcomer Blake Hager came into the game in the fifth inning and threw two shutout innings with one hit and two strikeouts, he got the win for the NightOwls.
The great pitching continued as Jakin Rohne and Dalton Hanson came on and closed out the final three innings. They gave up just two combined hits and struck out three. Dalton Hanson got the save for the Nanaimo NightOwls. I spoke with head coach Cody Andreychuk after the game about the pitching staff.
“Complete pitching staff [W] tonight, Richtter set the tonne and the rest of our arms did exactly what we needed them to do.” He would continue, ” Super proud of the pitching staff this entire series so far by filling the zone and attacking hitters. Great bounce back effort from our pitching staff after the Edmonton series.”
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Shortstop Andrew Nykoluk also got in the action with an RBI and two singles, out of Hawaii Pacific University, Andrew went two for three on the evening. Local product Easton Mould added an insurance run in with an RBI thanks to a sac fly in the bottom of the seventh and that’s all the NightOwls needed.
One more game against in the series on Thursday July, 10th, at 6:35 pm against the Kelowna Falcons. Then it’s a series against the Wenatchee AppleSox on Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 11th, 12th and 13th. The Friday and Saturday games go at 6:35 pm while Sunday is our Family Fun Day with first pitch going at 1:05 pm. Remember kids, and adults who feel like kids can run the bases after the game!
We have a very special treat tomorrow for anyone who can’t make it out to the ballpark on our live stream. We are going around the world so make sure to tune in to NightOwls.tv or the West Coast League link above. This is going to be a special night for us so we hope you can make it out but if not you will be treated at home! Make sure to follow us on social media to see what we are up to tomorrow and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark so we can interact with your posts on social media! Go Owls Go!!
NANAIMO, B.C. — The Nanaimo NightOwls were very happy to be home at Serauxmen Stadium on Tuesday Night. Nanaimo improved its record to 14-17 on the season after a 9-4 win over the visiting Kelowna Falcons. Despite a slow start and the Falcons jumping out to a three-nothing lead, Nanaimo put two runs on the board in both the fourth and fifth innings before exploding for another four runs in the seventh.
Nanaimo would add one more run in the eighth, and some great pitching from the NightOwls would allow them to close out the game in front of a rowdy crowd of 529. The NightOwls finished off the day with nine runs on eight hits with one error. The Visiting Falcons had four runs on seven hits with three errors.
Starting pitcher Asher DeLeo struggled a bit with his control but was able to weather the storm and get out of the second inning. Asher finished the day with two strikeouts and had a no-decision. Nanaimo stranded 12 runners on base, and DeLeo was key in that, as things could have gotten out of control. It was fitting that Cole “Cowboy” Carmichael came out in relief on Country Night at the ballpark. He pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless ball, giving up just 2 hits.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs. Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Vinny “The Chef” Bruno was the winning pitcher on the evening for the NightOwls, going 1.2 innings and striking out four of the eight batters he faced, only giving up one hit and two walks. I spoke with him after the game about the game: “The whole staff really pitched well and the guys came up with the hits when it counted.” Short, sweet, and right to the point from a Senior from the University of Bridgeport.
Brennan Kettle and Carter Chad-Hill came in and closed out the final 3 innings for the Nightowls. Kettle went two innings and gave up no runs and no hits while striking out three and walking only one. Chad-Hill finished things off with one inning and a strikeout to end the game to the cheers of the Nanaimo fans.
It was All-Star selection day for the West Coast League and the NightOwls had two players who will be making the trip to Bellingham. IF/OF Talan Zenk was named to the team and went one for three on the day with a single, RBI, run, walk and a stolen base (His 6th of the season). Not to be outdone his All-Star Counter part Jacob Hayes had a blast of a day.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs. Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Jacob went two for three with a massive two run home-run, a single, a walk and two runs scored. Another reason why he is an All-Star was shown off tonight as he was able to pick some throws at first base. Catcher Brock Wirthgen went three for five with two singles and an RBI. He did spill jam everywhere but since he had a great game I’ll let him off the hook this time because he threw out a runner trying to steal second base.
Nanaimo NightOwls vs Kelowna Falcons (Photo Credit: Chad Frostad)
Centerfielder Andrew Ivy went one for three with a single and was hit by a pitch. He was also a monster on the base path as he swiped a bag and scored two runs for the Nanaimo NightOwls on Tuesday night. Tyler Arnold also reached base twice on the day with a double, scoring a run and getting hit by a pitch.
We go again on Wednesday and Thursday, July 9th and 10th, at 6:35 pm against the Kelowna Falcons. Then it’s a series against the Wenatchee AppleSox on Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 11th, 12th and 13th. The Friday and Saturday games go at 6:35 pm while Sunday is our Family Fun Day with first pitch going at 1:05 pm. Remember kids, and adults who feel like kids can run the bases after the game!
Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest NightOwls news and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark so we can share your posts! We have some awesome promotions coming up so stay tuned for those
EDMONTON, A.B. — The NightOwls break the losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Edmonton RiverHawks. A big second inning and some amazing pitching were all Nanaimo needed to break their losing streak. Nanaimo looks to take the series in game three on Sunday.
The NightOwls only needed five hits to score their three runs, thanks to a double from Jacob Hayes, Brock Wirthgen, and Owen Wessel. They moved the runners around at a pivotal point in the game in the second inning, and the team turned things over to their pitching staff. Edmonton had one run on eight hits with an error in the loss.
Starting pitcher for the NightOwls tonight was Zach Horwith, and he had a great night on the mound. He went three innings, giving up just one hit while walking and striking out two batters.
NightOwls vs RiverHawks (Photo Credit: James Maclennan)
Dawson Schultz was the pitcher of record on the night, going two innings, giving up no runs and no hits while striking out two RiverHawks. Jaedeyn Edwards went two innings, allowing one run on two hits.
I mentioned the NightOwls only had five hits on the night, and two of them were thanks to Catcher Brock Wirthgen. The newly Hawai’i Pacific University commit, went two for four with a double, a single, and a run.
Jacob Hayes continues to wield a hot bat and had a double and walk for the NightOwls. Owen Wessel went one for three but had the big double in the second inning for two RBI, he also scored a run. Spencer Sullivan had the only other hit for the NightOwls.
It’s an early start on Sunday morning as the NightOwls and Riverhawks get back at it at 11:30 am PST. Make sure to stream the game with the link above.
The NightOwls will have a well deserved day off after 10 straight days of games. Them Nanaimo returns home with a three game series against the Kelowna Falcons in a mid week matchup. That starts Tuesday July 8th at 6:35pm and continues Wednesday and Thursday at the same time. Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest NightOwls news and use the hashtag #IlluminateTheDark!
