Pringle signs with HarbourCats

Victoria Eagles and Junior National Team alum Gavin Pringle (Duncan, B.C.) has signed to play for the Victoria HarbourCats this summer. Photo: Victoria HarbourCats

March 11, 2021

Official Victoria HarbourCats News Release

Victoria, BC - If things keep going the way they are going, the Victoria HarbourCats may just have to permanently switch their uniforms to the alternate red and white, "Cats" Canada Day jerseys that they often wear, as with the signing of Duncan BC's Gavin Pringle, the HarbourCats now boast seven players on their 2021 roster that, at some point in their young careers, donned the red and white for Canada's Junior National Team (JNT).

Pringle joins Josh Walker, Steven Moretto, Declan Dutton, Russell Young, Noah Takacs and Giordano Mezzomo as former JNT members on the 2021 squad.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Pringle is a graduate of the Victoria Eagles of the BC Premier Baseball League (PBL) and made his NCAA college debut this past week, playing for Hawaii Pacific University. He has been one of the more dominant arms in the province over the past two years and in addition to his stints with the JNT, pitched in the Canada Cup and was impressive for the Eagles in the PBL, where in 2019, he had a 2-2 record, 2.06 ERA, striking out 28 batters in 20 1/3 innings of work.

The HarbourCats today also announced the signing of Braeden Gowdy, RHP (Chico State), teammate Micah Wallette, LHP (Chico State), and A.C. Plumb, RHP (Rice).

Gowdy, a resident of Pleasant Hill, Calif., is a junior this season with Chico State, where he transferred after two seasons pitching for Cuesta College. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righty put together a 7-3 record in 2019 with one save and a 2.83 ERA, earning him Fist Team All-Western State Conference North recognition.

Wallette, a Long Beach, Calif., resident took a similar path to his Chico State teammate, transferring there this season after pitching for two seasons with Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif. In 2019, the now junior student posted a 7-5 record, making 14 starts with 60 strikeouts in 67 innings. The multi-sport athlete also lettered in football and can stake claim to saying he has played a ball game at Dodger Stadium.

Plum, a Los Angeles, Calif., resident and in his sophomore season as a Rice Owl, will have to get used to disliking Owls (of the Nanaimo variety) when he comes to Victoria. Plum could be a dominant force on the mound for the HarbourCats. In 2019, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound righty held opposing hitters to a composite .143 batting average and averaged 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, while in his senior year of high school in 2018, he struck out 56 batters in 54 2/3 innings and amassed a 4.23 ERA.

"We continue to be impressed by the level of baseball talent available right here in British Columbia," said Curtis Pelletier, the HarbourCats hitting coach and director of player development, "and adding Gavin [Pringle] to the list of local players we have already signed is a huge bonus for us. We expect him to give us a number of quality innings this season."

"We are also impressed by Plum, who with his size, could be dominating," added Pelletier, "and Wallette give us yet another left-handed option on the hill."