The Victoria HarbourCats hit the road last Monday to take batting practice at four locations in the Cowichan Valley.
The West Coast League baseball team made stops in Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith and Lake Cowichan on the unique tour that saw them interact with students and ball players at every location.
HarbourCats head coach Brian McRae, a former major-leaguer with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays, was pleased with the way his team was received in the communities.
“It’s good to see kids interested in baseball,” he said following the last stop of the day in Lake Cowichan. “Hopefully they’ll want to learn and play the game that means so much to us.”
McRae, whose father, Hal, also played and managed in the Major Leagues, said he wants young kids to “understand what a great game it is.”
“There are a lot of positive things I’ve learned and carried through life because of baseball,” he stated.
At each stop, the HarbourCats players took batting practice and held a youth clinic, while McRae and fellow coach and former Major League second baseman Todd Haney chatted with minor baseball coaches.
It was good to see budding athletes of all ages coming out to hit and throw with the college-age HarbourCats players.
“The younger ones don’t understand,” he said. “But they come out here and have a good time.”