Nanaimo NightOwls

Last updated
Nanaimo NightOwls
Nanaimo NightOwls Logo.png
Information
LeagueWest Coast League
Location Nanaimo, British Columbia
Ballpark Serauxmen Stadium
Founded2020 [1]
ColoursNavy blue, gold, white
   
MascotNey-Te the Night Owl [2]
OwnershipJim Swanson, Ken Swanson, John Wilson, Richard Harder [1]
Manager Greg Frady [1]

The Nanaimo NightOwls are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The Night Owls are members of the West Coast League and began play in 2022; they play their home games at Serauxmen Stadium.

Contents

History

The Nanaimo NightOwls were announced to the public on 15 July, 2020 [2] with the ball club's name paying homage to the Nanaimo Owls baseball team of the 1920s, [3] whilst the 'night' in the name refers to the work that the City of Nanaimo's undertook to install floodlights at Serauxmen Stadium. [3] On the same day, the team's mascot was also announced; Ney-te (pronounced 'Nate') the NightOwl was named in honour of former mayor of Nanaimo Frank Ney. [2] A month later, it was announced that former Georgia State Head Coach Greg Frady would serve as the team's inaugural Coach. [4] One month after his appointment, Frady announced his first signings for the club; a quartet of players affiliated with Illinois State, three of whom had Canadian passports. This group was made up of infielders Aidan Huggins and Nick Gile, outfielder Dayton Peters and right-handed pitcher Chase Florendine. [5]

Name

The Nanaimo NightOwls are unusual among sports teams in that they have two names; the Nanaimo NightOwls and the Nanaimo Bars. [2] Named after the dessert of the same name, Nanaimo Bars had been the most requested name by the fans when asked to name the team. [2] Games that are played during the day will see the club go by the Bars moniker, whilst evening games will be played under the guise of the NightOwls. To this end, the team partnered with supermarket chain Save-On-Foods in order to stock away game concessions stands with Nanaimo bars. [3]

Season-by-season record

SeasonLeague Division Finish Wins Losses Win% GBPost-seasonManager
2021Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)
2022WCLNorth6th2232.40711.5Did Not QualifyGreg Frady
2023WCLNorth5th2628.48112.5Did Not QualifyGreg Frady
Division winnerLeague champions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Aviators</span> Minor league baseball team

The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a community in Las Vegas. The Aviators play their home games at Las Vegas Ballpark, a 10,000-seat facility which opened in 2019. The team previously played at Cashman Field from 1983 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanaimo</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Nanaimo is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating from the shoreline like the spokes of a wagon wheel, and to its relatively central location on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is the headquarters of the Regional District of Nanaimo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beloit Sky Carp</span> American Minor League baseball team

The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C. Pohlman Field from its opening in 1982 until moving into their current ballpark in August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Rock Stadium</span> Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I college football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Redbirds</span> Minor league baseball team

The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbirds play their home games at AutoZone Park, which opened in 2000 and is located in Downtown Memphis. The team previously played at Tim McCarver Stadium in 1998 and 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrara Stadium</span> Stadium on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Carrara Stadium is a stadium on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara.

GoMart Ballpark is the current home field for the Charleston Dirty Birds, a baseball team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. It also has been used by the baseball programs of West Virginia University, Marshall University, and the University of Charleston. The stadium, which opened in April 2005, is located in the East End of Charleston, West Virginia. It seats 4,500 fans and cost $25 million to build. The dimensions of the field are as follows: left field - 330 feet, center field - 400 feet, right field - 320 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truist Field</span> Baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina

Truist Field is a baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The Uptown-area stadium hosts the Charlotte Knights, a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team in the International League. It is also the third sports building to be built in Uptown, after Bank of America Stadium and Spectrum Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Hurricanes baseball</span> College baseball program

The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 25 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 44 consecutive years, from 1973 to 2016. Miami has won 29 NCAA Regional Titles, hosted 27 NCAA Regionals, and in each of their four national championship runs they were an NCAA Regional Host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Atlantic Owls</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Florida Atlantic University

The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of the American Athletic Conference. On October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accepted the invitation to join The American and became a full member on July 1, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Coast Suns</span> Australian rules football club

The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast League</span> Collegiate summer baseball league

The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCBL), but in 2008 renamed as the West Coast League. The league is designed to develop college talent, and only current college-eligible players are allowed to participate. The West Coast League has produced dozens of professional players, including a number of major leaguers. League teams are operated similarly to professional minor-league teams. The WCL's season typically runs from early June through the middle of August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constellation Field</span> Baseball park in Sugar Land, Texas, US

Constellation Field is a baseball park located in Sugar Land, Texas. It is the home of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys of the Pacific Coast League, who began play in 2012 as the Sugar Land Skeeters. The park also has the ability to host rugby union, American football, soccer, lacrosse, and cheerleading competitions, as well as concerts. Constellation Field has a capacity of 7,500 spectators for baseball games, and 9,500 spectators for concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria HarbourCats</span> Summer-collegiate baseball team

The Victoria HarbourCats are a summer-collegiate baseball team located in Victoria, British Columbia. The HarbourCats play in the West Coast League (WCL), a collegiate summer baseball league. The team's home games are played at Victoria's Royal Athletic Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Frady</span> American college baseball coach

Greg Frady is an American college baseball coach. He was most recently the head coach of the Georgia State Panthers baseball team since the start of the 2007 season until the end of the 2019 season. He also served as general manager of the German National team. Frady was the head coach at North Florida Community College from 1990–1996. Before serving as North Florida Community College head coach, Frady played for Troy from 1984–1987. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Columbus State University. From 1997–2003, he served as an assistant at Central Florida before being hired as an assistant coach at Georgia State in 2004. He became general manager for the German national team in 2004 and head coach at Georgia State in 2007. In July, 2020, he was named the first Head Coach of the Nanaimo NightOwls of the West Coast League, signed to a five year contract to lead the team at historic Serauxmen Stadium. The 2021 season, to be the debut of the NightOwls with Frady at the helm, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah Bananas</span> Baseball team in Savannah, Georgia

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2016 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. Until 2022, the Bananas competed as a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League's (CPL) West division, where they won three Petitt Cup championships. However, after the growth of their alternate "Banana Ball" format, the team transitioned entirely to exhibition games against their partner touring teams, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, and other "challenger" professional teams, similar to the decades-long format of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters and their partner touring team, the Washington Generals. The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, and Sports Illustrated because of its on-field hijinks and viral videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down East Wood Ducks</span> Minor league baseball team

The Down East Wood Ducks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the owned-and-operated Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a colorful local waterfowl. Established in 2017, the team plays its home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949 and holds 4,100 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas United</span> Soccer club

Texas United is an American soccer club that currently competes in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club plays its home games at the John Clark Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fredericksburg Nationals</span> Minor league baseball team

The Fredericksburg Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team that is the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and play their home games at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, with a capacity of 5,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Wild West League</span> Collegiate summer baseball team

The Wild Wild West League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league based out of Portland, Oregon. It serves as a developmental minor league and is owned and operated by the Portland Pickles collegiate baseball club of the West Coast League. The league features four teams and all games are played at Charles B. Walker Stadium at Lents Park in southeast Portland, home of the Pickles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Nanaimo Night Owls". West Coast League . Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nanaimo unveils new WCL baseball team". CTV News. July 16, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Nanaimo NightOwls will play ball under the lights next season". Nanaimo News Bulletin. July 15, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  4. "Veteran NCAA coach Greg Frady takes helm of Nanaimo NightOwls". Times Colonist. August 26, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  5. "WHO's been signed by the NightOwls?". Nanaimo NightOwls. September 23, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.