NightOwls poised for best season yet

He’s particularly happy that Nanaimo is at the top of the league in fielding percentage.

It will be a sprint to the finish after the all-star break, but the NightOwls’ schedule lines up well.

“We only have two road trips left, so there’s a lot of home games,” Andreychuk said. “We go to Port Angeles, which is a quick trip on the ferry from Victoria, and then we go up to Kelowna right after the all-star break. Our schedule is set up for us to be successful. Our guys just need to show up and keep doing what they’ve been doing.”

Two Nanaimo players will play in the all-star game on Wednesday, July 15.

Ethan Reynolds and Jaxon MacDonald will suit up for the North Division all-stars in Victoria.

“Reynolds has done an outstanding job so far. He’s hitting .373 with 22 doubles. I think he’s three away from breaking the league record for doubles, and we’ve still got plenty of games to play. He leads the league in RBI’s, he’s got 53 hits on the year. MacDonald has been lights out for us. He’s come in in really big spots and excelled in the role he’s been in. He has a 3.92 ERA, 20 innings pitched, 26 strikeouts and six saves.”

Andreychuk said having the all-star game on the Island will allow fans to see the best of the best in the WCL, and it’s the first time the game and festivities have been held outside the United States.

“A lot of people are heading down and I think it gives people on the Island a chance to see players they may not have seen during the season. It’s really going to showcase how good this league is. It’s going to be a pretty cool event with Kevin Pillar there and a bunch of other activities.”

The NightOwls are also celebrating the results of the recent MLB draft with former catcher Anthony Marnell IV getting selected by the Athletics in the 20th round.

Marnell had his 2025 WCL season cut short due to injury.

He joins Elijah Ickes, Connor Caskenette and Hayden Cuthbertson as Nanaimo alumni getting their shot at the game’s highest level.

Andreychuk said it’s a milestone for any player to get drafted, and it reflects extremely well on the NightOwls program.

“Any time you can get guys drafted out of the organization, even for a short stint, it gives recognition to the program, and it puts Vancouver Island more on the map as far as baseball goes. It’s a huge baseball market in BC, and I think it gets overlooked sometimes.”

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by Dan Marshall

NightOwls poised for best season yet

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