The Nanaimo NightOwls have their 2022 baseball schedule and have added five players to their roster in early December.  The team is already getting out in the community to promote their inaugural season. (Chris Beveridge)

By Dan Marshall

SEASON NEARS

Nanaimo NightOwls flying towards first West Coast League baseball season

Dec 10, 2021 | 10:35 AM

NANAIMO — The NightOwls are hard at work on preparations for the 2022 West Coast League season.

Getting ready for a late may start includes building the team on the field and building the brand off of it. Nanaimo will start in Portland May 31 and return for the home opener Friday June 3 versus Edmonton.

General Manager Jim Swanson said the organization is committed to creating premier fan experience at Serauxmen Stadium.

“We have a lot of things we’re planning. Several we’ve done with our sister team in Victoria that have proven to be a hit with fans. We’ll bring those to Nanaimo and some other new ideas we’d like to mix in.”

Fireworks, skydivers, contests, a bar in centre field and new seating areas are in the works for home games.

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Swanson said one of the highlights of the summer calendar for him will be a home series on Father’s Day weekend.

“We’ve got the Redmond Dudes coming in. It’s a non-league series we think ties in well with Father’s Day.”

The NightOwls announced five roster additions in early December including first baseman and outfielder Josh Marchese from Burnaby. Pitcher Bransen Kuehl and infielder Landon Frei come to the club from the collegiate program at Utah.

Johnny Beck is a 6’8 left handed pitcher out of Western Illinois and Garrett Ostrander is an infielder attending Cal Baptist.

“This is a quality group for us to build around, with more announcements to come,” said Swanson. “The networks of our coaches and staff led us to these players.”

The team will double down on a major success from early 2021 with a New Years Day fireworks display is scheduled for Jan. 1 at 6 p.m.

Last year’s event went unannounced in order to prevent a large gathering, but this year won’t be limited because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“People will want to be around the Third St. ball park a block away from Serauxmen Stadium. It will be an amazing fireworks show that will last about 20 minutes and be a great way to start off 2022.”

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