2021 CBN All-Canadians Team; Palmegiani, Keller, McCabe, Keys, Borman, Hicks
Former Toronto Mets 2B Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) is the 2021 Canadian Baseball Network college Player of the Year.
October 27, 2021
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The 2021 season will be remembered as that of No. 3. And not just because the numbers which make up the year ‘21 add up to three.
Let’s see ...
Larry Walker, who wore No. 33 for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals, was the 333rd player inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Justin Morneau, who wore No. 33 with the Minnesota Twins and the Rockies, was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame, which already had 33 members since being created in 2000.
And Tyler Black was the 33rd player selected in North America this July as teams brought new blood into their farm systems selecting high schoolers and collegians.
On deck ... Our stats package.
Already posted ... 22nd annual Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Year ... Hot Rod Black with the Player of the Year scoop ... Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Second Team. ... and the Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Third Team.
***
Black wore No. 6 for the Wright State Raiders. He was the sixth college hitter selected behind Louisville C Henry Davis (first overall, Pirates), Sam Houston State OF Colton Cowser (fifth, Orioles), Boston College OF Sal Frelick (15th, Brewers), UCLA SS Matt McLain (17th, Reds) and Eastern Illinois INF Trey Sweeney (20th, Yankees).
And he was the best of the 814 Canadians playing south of the border to earn our Canadian Baseball Network college Player of the Year award. He was also named to our 22nd All-Canadian First Team at second base.
Our 56-person set of voters was composed of 17 coaches, 16 scouts, 12 writers, seven baseball executives, two broadcasters and two former players. Our voters came from eight different provinces and 14 different states south of the border.
And now ... the 2021 all-Canadians ...
Former London Bader LHP Travis Keys (London, Ont.)
First Team
Left-hander - Travis Keys (London, Ont.) Aquinas College Saints
Keys etched his name in the school’s record books when he struck out 16 against Lawrence Tech. The previous AQ record for strikeouts in a single game was 13. Then, Keys matched his new mark with 16 again against Michigan Dearborn at LMCU Ballpark.
On the season he was 5-2 with one save and a 2.61 ERA walking 23 and striking out 101 in 62 innings over 13 games, as he made 10 starts. This was Keys’ first full season since 2017. He missed part of 2018 and all of 2019 because of academic ineligibility issues and 2020 because of COVID-19.
He worked two innings for a save against IU Kokomo (two scoreless, one hit, six strikeouts) and gained wins against Lawrence Tech (five innings, five hits, three runs, one walk, five whiffs), Lourdes (seven scoreless, five hits, one walk, 11 strikeouts), St. Francis-Ind. (three scoreless, five whiffs), Lawrence Tech (nine scoreless, three hits, two walks, 16 strikeouts) and Cornerstone (nine runs, six hits, two runs, 12 strikeouts).
Keys earned NAIA Honorable Mention All-American after being named WHAC Pitcher of the Year. He was also a First Team All-WHAC selection. His 101 strikeouts are the second-most in Aquinas single-season history, behind the 123 strikeouts from former major leaguer Paul Assenmacher in 1981.
Keys, who pitched for the London Badgers and coach Mike Lumley, earned Canadian Baseball Network Honourable Mention honours in 2019.
Former Great Lake Canadian Jordan Marks (Brights Grove, Ont.)
Right-hander - Jordan Marks (Brights Grove, Ont.) USC Upstate Spartans.
Marks was the only Canuck to reach double figures in wins, going 10-2, with a 2.45 ERA in 15 starts. He walked 20 and fanned 101 in 95 2/3 innings. Marks had wins over Toledo (six innings, one hit, one unearned run, nine strikeouts), Charleston (6 2/3 innings, four hits, one run, eight strikeouts), Campbell (seven scoreless, three hits, one walk, 10 whiffs), Winthrop (6 2/3 innings, five hits, one walk, 10 whiffs), Radford (7 2/3 innings, five hits, one run, two walks, eight strikeouts), Charleston Southern (nine scoreless, four hits, two walks, nine strikeouts), Longwood (eight innings, six hits, two runs, one earned, 10 strikeouts), Presbyterian (seven innings, seven hits, one run, three walks, three strikeouts), High Point (six innings, eight hits, three runs, one walk, four whiffs) and UNC Asheville (six innings, four runs, two runs, two walks, eight strikeouts).
Marks was named to the National Collegiate Writers Association 23rd Division I All-America team, the Atlantic All-Region Second Team ABCA/Rawlings and the NCBWA Division I All-America third team. He was the first Spartan to earn All-America recognition since Devon Ortiz in 2016, and the first to earn the honours from the NCBWA since Chad Sobotka in 2012.
Marks was named the Big South pitcher and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in his record-breaking season. He shattered three school records on the year and became the first-ever Spartan to be named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. Marks boasted the best ERA in the league, led the league in wins and strikeout-to-walk ratio. The four-time Big South Pitcher of the Week led the conference in innings and allowed a league-low 27 earned runs on the year. At High Point, Marks broke the school record for strikeouts and wins in a single season. With a win at UNC Asheville, Marks became the all-time win leader in Upstate’s program history with 21 career wins. He threw his first-career complete game shut out at Charleston Southern.
Among Canadians, our George Farelli tells us that he led in wins, was second in innings (two behind San Francisco’s Landen Bourassa) and strikeouts (75 behind Bellevue’s Corey Jackson) and fourth in ERA. A Great Lake Canadians grad, Marks pitched for coaches Adam Stern, Adam Arnold and Chris Robinson and earned a Canadian Baseball Network Third Team honours in 2020.
Former Guerriers de Granby Cedric De Grandpre (St-Simon, Que.)
Reliever - Cedric De Grandpre (St-Simon-de-Baget, Que.) Chipola College Indians.
De Grandpre was 2-1 with three saves and a 1.69 ERA. He walked 15 and struck out 48 in 37 1/3 innings. He had saves against Florida Southwestern State (five innings, two hits, eight strikeouts), Chattahoochee Valley (one inning) and Tallahassee (three innings, six strikeouts).
De Grandpre had scoreless outings against South Florida State (one inning, one strikeout), Gordon State (2/3 of an inning, one walk, one strikeout), St. Johns River State (one inning, one hit, two strikeouts), Pensacola State (2/3 of an inning, two hits), Gulf Coast State (1 1/3 innings, one hit), Tallahassee (one inning, one hit) and Northwest Florida State (two innings, one hit, one walk, one strikeout).
And he had wins against Coastal Alabama-Monroeville (2 1/3 innings two hits, two runs -- one earned -- two walks and six strikeouts) and Chattahoochee (three scoreless innings). De Grandpre pitched for for the ABC 17U coach is Maxime Hockhoussen, as well as the Guerriers de Granby and coach Denis Lamontagne.
Ex Toronto Mets C Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.)
Catcher - Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) Mineral Area Cardinals.
The sophomore homered in five straight contests, including an entire four-game series sweep of St. Louis. Hicks drove in a season-high six runs during a 20-14 victory at home against State Fair, sparking a sequence of 11 straight outings with at least one RBI.
Hicks finished with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs – both team highs for MAC – posting a .415 average with 12 doubles and 55 runs scored. His 15-game hitting streak featured seven straight multi-hit efforts. A final .859 slugging percentage easily paced the Cardinals.
He carried a perfect 4.0 GPA in class and has committed to play at Indiana State University. His brother Liam Hicks, also a former Mineral Area catcher, completed his junior season at Arkansas State.
Among Canucks, he was third in homers (eight behind Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani and nine behind Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffin Keller). He was recognized by the NJCAA for his productive season, picking up All-America Honorable Mention following a 30-13 season by the Cardinals.
Former Ontario Blue Jays and Ontario Astro David McCabe (Oshawa, Ont.)
First base - David McCabe (Oshawa, Ont.) Charlotte ‘49ers.
Batted .338 with nine doubles, 14 homers, 35 RBIs and a 1.135 OPS in 37 games.
He hit his first career home run as part of a two-hit afternoon in an 18-3 win over Morehead State, belted two more while driving in four in 7-1 series-opening win against William & Mary. He set multiple career highs, hitting .462 on the week with three homers and six RBIs leading to Hitter of the Week honours. His middle homer of a back-to-back-to-back sequence during a 9-0 shutout over No. 14th ranked Tennessee. He batted .400 in a series win over Rhode Island with a pair of two-hit games and homered from both sides of the plate playing No. 14th ranked East Carolina. He belted a two-run, fourth-inning blast from the right and a 430-foot solo bomb from the left in the sixth ... Facing No. 20th ranked Old Dominion he hit .400 in the series before ending the regular season hitting .700 going 7-for-10 with a pair of homers, double and six RBI against North Carolina-Wilmington.
Hit two home runs in four different games during the year scoring three runs on four different occasions and drove in four twice. He played in 37 games with 34 starts
McCabe made Conference USA’s All-Academic Team and also earned C-USA Hitter of the Week honours. He played for the Team Ontario Astros and coach Jason Booth, as well at the Ontario Blue Jays and Mike Steed.
Former Toronto Met Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.)
Second base - Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) Wright State Raiders.
On his way to being the top Canadian drafted and receiving a $2.2 million US bonus from the Milwaukee Brewers, he hit .383 with 14 doubles, a triple, and 13 home runs. He drove in 59 runs and had an OPS of 1.179. He earned 39 walks and was bit by a pitch six times for an on base percentage of .496. Black started all 48 games.
Two of Black’s best outings were a season-high five hits against Purdue Fort Wayne and going 4-for-5 against Tennessee. In all, he had nine three-hit games and 10 two-hit games. When it game to RBIs he had a season-high four three times (twice against Youngstown State and Illinois-Chicago).
He was named to the Knoxville All-Regional Team and the East-ABCA/Rawlings’ All-Region First Team. Leading into the draft, DI Baseball listed him as No. 7 in the Top 100 Hitters. He also earned Horizon League First Team honours as well as Third Team recognition from Perfect Game All American, ABCA/Rawlings’ NCAA Division I All American and DI Baseball Third Team All American.
Among Canucks, he was third in RBIs (behind Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller and Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani), fourth in average -- minimum of 150 at-bats -- (in back of Keller, Southwest Oklahoma State’s Alex Bedard and Palmegiani. Black, who played for the Ontario Prospects, Stouffville Yankees and Toronto Mets, under coaches Rob and Rich Butler, plus Chris Kemlo, gained Canadian Baseball Network Third Team honours in 2020.
Former Vauxhall Jet 3B Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC)
Third base - Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) Southern Nevada Coyotes.
They know sluggers at Southern Nevada where Bryce Harper dented fences. And in the spring of 2021 they knew Palmegiani, who batted .389 with 13 doubles, three triples, 26 homers and 81 RBIs. He had a 1.388 OPS in 63 games and had a team-high in average, home runs and RBIs, scoring 80 runs, thanks to 79 hits. He also led in 36 walks.
He hit homers facing Salt Lake (two, five RBIs), Southern Idaho (solo shot), Colorado Northwestern (plus a double and four RBIs), Pima (two solo homers), Pima (two-run shot), Pima (two homers, a double, five RBIs), Arizona Western (three-run homer), Colorado Northwestern (solo homer), Southern Idaho (two-run homer), Utah State Eastern (two run homer), Community Christian (double, homer, three RBIs), Colorado Northwestern (two hits, two RBIs), Utah State Eastern (two homers, five RBIs) and Salt Lake (solo homer).
He had two hit games against Community Christian, Utah State Eastern (two doubles), Salt Lake, Southern Idaho (double), Colorado Northwestern (two RBIs), Utah State Eastern (double), Utah State Eastern, Utah State Eastern (two RBIs), Salt Lake (triple, RBI) and Salt Lake (three hits, including two homers, five RBIs) ... plus a three-hit game against Colorado Northwestern (double, two RBIs). Other successes during the season included a five-hit game -- including a double, triple, homer and five RBIs -- against Southern Idaho, plus hitting a pair of home runs against Western Nebraska in the NJCAA West Region tournament.
Among his honours, besides being voted to the NJCAA All-America First-Team recognition and Region 18 Player-of-the-Year in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. He ranked atop of the Canuck pile in homers, was second in hits (behind Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller) and RBIs (behind Keller), and third in averages (behind Keller, Mineral Area’s Ben Jones, Southwest Oklahoma State’s Alex Bedard). Palmegiani was a Vauxhall Academy Jet under coach Les McTavish.
Former Prairie Baseball Academy Dawg Dylan Borman (Camrose, Alta.)
Shortstop - Dylan Borman (Camrose, Alta.) Arkansas Monticello Boll Weevils.
This season the senior shortstop hit .338 with 40 RBIs, 11 doubles, a career-high 16 home runs, 40 RBIs and a 1.171 OPS.
Borman also led UAM in slugging percentage and collected 46 hits, including posting 14 multi-hit games and two-multi-home run performances. He hit homers against Northwestern Oklahoma (two RBIs), Southeastern Oklahoma State (three hits, two RBIs), Harding (three RBIs), Ouachita Baptist (two homers, four RBIs), Ouachita Baptist (four hits with a double and two RBIs), Southern Nazarene (double, three RBIs), Southern Nazarene (solo shot), Southern Nazarene (homer, two RBIs), Oklahoma Baptist (double, six RBIs), Oklahoma Baptist (double, three RBIs), Southern Arkansas (two RBIs), Southwestern Oklahoma (two solo shots), Southwestern Oklahoma (solo shot) and Arkansas Tech (two RBIs).
He finished his career in a Weevil uniform second in career home runs with 39 and fourth in RBIs with 139. Borman earned an honour from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) after being named Postseason All-Central Region and he was selected Second Team All-Central Region at shortstop after leading the Weevils in home runs including a two-run shot in the semifinals of the Great American Conference tournament. In addition, he garnered First Team All-GAC, D2CCA First Team All-Central Region and NCBWA Second Team All-Central Region following his campaign.
Among Canadians, he tied for fourth in homers (with Indiana State’s Max Wright, behind Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani, Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller and Mineral Area’s Connor Hicks). Borman, who played for the Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs’ coaches Todd Hubka and Ryan MacDonald earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Honourable Mention honours in 2019.
Former Martin Academy, Regina Red Sox and Team Saskatchewan OF Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.).
Outfielders - Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies, Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) Southern Illinois Salukis and Tyler Duncan (Sooke, BC) Arkansas State Red Wolves.
Keller was crowned a champion as Georgia Gwinnett took the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Id. with an 8-4 win over Central Methodist. Keller hit .469 with 26 doubles, four triples, 18 homers and 89 RBIs with a 1.400 OPS in 61 games.
Keller was No. 1 in the NAIA in total hits (107) and runs scored (89). He was second in the nation in total bases and doubles. He was third overall in RBIs and fourth in average. He led all Canucks in hits (28 more than Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani) doubles (three more than Bryan’s Tyler Scott), RBIs (eight more than Palmegiani) and batting average (42 points higher than Mineral Area’s Ben Jones). He was second in homers ... eight behind Palmegiani.
He had home runs against Reinhardt (double, solo homer), Truett McConnell (single, solo shot) Truett McConnell (four hits, three RBIs), Lourdes (three hits, six RBIs), Middle Georgia State (two hits, two RBIs), Pikeville (two hits, four RBIs), Campbellsville (two hits, solo homer), Columbia International (solo homer), Talladega (two hits, solo homer), Fisher (three hits, three RBIs), Fisher (two doubles, three RBIs), Fisher (three hits, seven RBIs), St. Katherine (two homers, six RBIs), Hope International (two hits, solo homer), Hope International (two RBIs), Oklahoma Wesleyan (two RBIs) and Southeastern (two RBIs).
Among Canadians, he led all in hits, doubles, RBIs and batting average, plus he was second in homers (behind Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani). Keller was named the Association of Independent Institutions Player of the Year. He played at Martin Academy, under Rob Cherepuschak and Justin Eiswirth, the Regina Red Sox for coach Jason Veyna and Greg Brons’ Team Saskatchewan, earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian college Honourable Mention in 2017.
Okotoks Dawgs and Team Manitoba grad Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.)
Peters hit .355 with 20 doubles, two triples, six homers and 55 RBIs. He had a 1.011 OPS starting all 60 games in centre, while stealing 14 bases. He led the Missouri Valley Conference in on-base percentage, walks and doubles, while ranking third in hits and RBIs. He was fourth in stolen bases, fifth in batting average and sixth in total bases.
He was a fixture either in the No. 3 spot or clean-up leading SIU to its best winning season (40 wins) since 1990. Peters had 25 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games. He also owned a 13-game hitting streak which was the longest this season and he reached base at least three times (by hit, walk or hit batter) in 24 of the team’s 60 games.
His best games were two-hit efforts facing Alabama State, Eastern Illinois (two RBIs), Mercer (two RBIs), Western Illinois (RBI), Tennessee-Martin (two doubles, RBI), Evansville (double), Illinois State (RBI), Valparaiso (triple, RBI), Missouri State (triple, two RBIs), Missouri State (double), Evansville (two homers, three RBIs), Evansville (RBI double), Murray State and Dallas Baptist (RBI double), And three-hit efforts against Jacksonville State, Tennessee-Martin (two RBIs), UT Martin (triple, homer, four RBIs), Evansville (three RBIs), Marshall (double, three RBIs), Illinois State (RBI), Dallas Baptist (homer, three RBIs), Bradley (RBI double), Indiana State (double, two RBIs) and Indiana State (home run, three RBIs).
Peters was selected First-team All-Midwest Region, Second-team All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team. He also earned MVC Player of the Week going 10-for-15 (.667) with two doubles, a homer, seven RBIs, and four steals leading SIU to a 4-0 week. As well, he earned a spot on the MVC Academic Honour Roll.
Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round this summer, he was the highest drafted SIU player since Sam Coonrod in the fifth round in 2014.
Peters ranked third in hits on our Canadian list (behind Georgia Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller and Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani) and fourth in doubles (behind Keller, Bryan’s Tyler Scott and Sacramento State’s Steven Moretto). Peters, who played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Tyler Hollick, Val Heldobler and Jeff Duda, as well as the GVC Zodiacs and coach Gerry Falk plus Team Manitoba and coach Faron Asham, earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian college Second Team honours in 2019 and Honourable Mention in 2020.
Former Victoria Eagle Tyler Duncan (Sooke, BC)
Duncan batted .303 with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 homers and 54 RBIs. He had a .938 OPS in 49 games. He led the team in homers, finished second on the team in hits (60) and third in hitting slugging a team-best .556 as he started all 49 games in right field. He had the most RBIs by a Red Wolf since 2014 and led the Sun Belt Conference in RBIs.
He posted 20 multi-hit games and 12 games with multiple RBIs. His best games included finishing a triple shy of the cycle versus UT Martin, going 3-for-4 with three RBI; a 3-for-4 day with three RBIs at Abilene Christian, going 3-for-6 with a career-best six RBIs at Oklahoma, roping a grand slam in a win at Texas State and hitting a towering home run against UT Arlington.
Besides those games, he had three hits against Austin Peay (home run, three RBIs), as well as two-hit outings against Missouri State (RBI double), Appalachian State (solo homer), Appalachian State (double), Illinois State (RBI double), Illinois State (double, RBI), Little Rock (double, three RBIs), Louisiana, UT Arlington (RBI), Central Arkansas (RBI), Austin Peay (double), Ole Miss (double, two RBIs), Troy and Troy (two doubles, RBI). He was named Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference.
Duncan, who played for coach Anthony Pluta and the Victoria Eagles, earned Canadian Baseball Network Second Team All-Canadian in 2017.
Great Lake Canadian Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
Designated hitter - Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.) Alabama Crimson Tide.
Diodati batted .230 with three doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 40 RBIs. He had a .734 OPS in 56 games.
He recorded five of the Tide’s nine four-RBI performances in 2021 and had three grand slams (tied for the second-most in a season in UA records since 1983. Besides slams in back-to-back games -- first player in UA history to do so -- against College of Charleston and South Alabama, plus McNeese State, he also homered against McNeese (two RBIs), McNeese (four RBIs), Arkansas (four RBIs), Ole Miss (solo), Tennessee (solo), Texas A&M (three RBIs), Kentucky (two RBIs) and Vanderbilt (solo),
Diodati had three-hit games against Texas A&M and Kentucky, plus two-hit outings against Tennessee-Martin, Auburn (two RBIs) and Tennessee.
He also walked off Auburn with the game-winning, single and with his slam against South Alabama, as well as the game-winning homer playing Texas A&M. Diodati had an eight-game hitting streak, batting .357 (10-28) with a double, one triple, three home runs, 11 RBIs, nine runs scored and six walks.
He ranked second on the team in homers while tying for second in RBIs, splitting time between the outfield (16 chances) and DH,
Diodati was elected an NCBWA Preseason Third Team All-American and tabbed a Preseason All-SEC Second Team by league coaches. He played for Chris Robinson and Adam Stern’s Great Lake Canadians as well Mike McRae’s Niagara Falls Falcons winners of five straight OBA titles and was a member of the Canadian Baseball Network college First Team honors in 2020.
Most first-place votes on our First Team: Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) Wright State Raiders 56, Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) Southern Nevada Coyotes 52, Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies 51, David McCabe (Oshawa, Ont.) Charlotte ‘49ers 36, Travis Keys (London, Ont.) Aquinas Saints 32, Dylan Borman (Camrose, Alta.) Arkansas Monticello Boll Weevils 30, Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) Mineral Area Cardinals 29,
First team by provinces: Ontario 4, BC 2, Alberta 1, Manitoba 1, Quebec 1 and Saskatchewan 1.
First team by graduating organizations: Great Lake Canadians 2, Okotoks Dawgs 2, Toronto Mets 2, GVC Zodiacs 1, Guerriers de Granby 1, London Badgers 1, Martin Academy 1, Ontario Blue Jays 1, Team Ontario 1, Vauxhall Jets 1, Victoria Eagles 1.
First, Second and third teams by province: Ontario 11, Alberta 9, Quebec 4, Saskatchewan 3, British Columbia 2, Manitoba 2, Newfoundland 1 and Nova Scotia 1.
First, Second and third teams by graduating teams: Okotoks Dawgs 7, Great Lake Canadians 4, Toronto Mets 4, Ontario Blue Jays 3, Vauxhall Academy 3, Academy Baseball Canada 2, Prospects Academy 2, Bisons de Saint-Eustache 1, Boissevain Centennials 1, Edmonton Cardinals 1, Diamants de Québec 1, FieldHouse Pirates 1, GVC Zodiacs 1, Guerriers de Granby 1, Langley Blaze 1, London Badgers 1, Mount Pearl Blazers 1, Okanagan Athletics 1, Pirates de Laval 1, Prairie Baseball Academy 1, Regina White Sox 1, Spruce Grove White Sox 1, St. Francis Academy 1 and Team Manitoba 1, Team Ontario 1 and Victoria Eagles 1.
Honourable Mention and voting
Left-handers - Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) Alabama Crimson Tide and Taisei Yahiro (Abbotsford, BC) Yavapai Lopes.
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Keys (32) 191, Brunner (6) 118, Bells (10) 101, Jean (5) 66 and Yahiro (3) 18.
(Two pitchers received less than 10 points).
Right-handers - Landen Bourassa (Lethbridge, Alta.) San Francisco Dons, Sam Turcotte (Toronto, Ont.) Stony Brook Seawolves and Mathieu Gauthier (Montreal, Que.) West Texas A&M Buffs.
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Marks (23) 173, Jackson (17) 135, O’Toole (10) 97, Bourassa (3) 52, Turcotte (2) 20 and Gauthier (20).
(Two pitchers received less than seven points)
Relievers - Campbell Ellis (Georgetown, Ont.) VCU Rams, Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) Canisius Golden Griffs, Lucas Wepf (Georgetown, Ont.) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, Ben Hubert (Komoka, Ont.) Kellogg Bruins and Chase Stewart (Abbotsford, BC) Mercyhurst Lakers,
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): De Grandpre (28) 188, Pugh (9) 99, Szabo (5) 72, Ellis (6) 43, Duffy (4) 36, Wepf (2) 24, Hubert (1) 22 and Stewart (1) 14.
(One pitcher received less than seven points)
Catchers - Konner Piotto (Abbotsford, BC) Wright State Raiders, Garrett Takamatsu (Burlington, Ont.) Central Oklahoma Bronchos, Nick Seginowich (Victoria, BC) Angelo State Rams, Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) Mineral Area Cardinals, Evan Magill (Ajax, Ont.) Monroe Mustangs, Connor Caskenette (Duncan, BC) Cochise Apaches and Kayden Beauregard (Abbotsford, BC) Cloud County Thunderbirds.
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Connor Hicks (29) 190, Wright (17) 153, Hewitt (2) 26, Makarus (2) 26, Piotto (2) 20, Takamatsu (2) 19, Seginowich 19, Liam Hicks (1) 17, Magill 17, Caskenette 6, Beauregard (1) 5.
(Four players received less than five points)
First base - Cal Brazier (Oshawa, Ont.) Niagara County Thunderwolves, Victor Plaz (Montreal, Que.) Clarendon Chapparals,
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): McCabe (36) 216, McWillie (10) 116, Coutney (5) 78, Brazier (2) 50 and Plaz (3) 30.
(Six players received less than seven points)
Second base - Carter Arbuthnot (Oshawa, Ont.) Erie Kats, Dylan Edmands (Regina, Sask.) Arizona Western Matadors Rhys Cratty (Lamgley, BC) Southwest Baptist Bearcats, Ashton Roy (Sudbury, Ont.) New Mexico Highlands Cowboys, Jonah Weisner (Misson, BC) Allen County Red Devils, Edouard Savoie (Saint Eustache, Que.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norse and Luke Turino (Toronto, Ont.) Georgetown Tigers,
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Black (56) 280, Tucker (67), Parsons 47, Edmands 31, Arbuthnot 25, Roy 10, Weisner 11, Cratty 8, Savoie 8 and Turino 8.
(Two players received less than eight points)
Third base - Shawn Granmont (Lethbridge, Alta.) Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks, Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC) Southern Arkansas Muleriders, Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) Lamar Cardinals, Steven Moretto (Coquitlam, BC), Sacramento State Hornets, Colton Harold (Abbotsford, BC) Northwestern Red Raiders,
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Palmegiani (52) 269, Grant (1) 56, Vulcano (1) 55, Grandmont 34, Morris 26, Quirion (1) 20, Moretto 14 and Harold (1) 11,
(Seven players received less than 10 points)
Shortstops - Tyler Scott (Calgary, Alta.) Bryan Lions, Aidan Huggins (Edmonton, Alta.) Illinois State Redbirds and Cleary Simpson (Red Deer, Alta.) Colby Trojans.
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Borman (30) 191, Jones (18) 134, Small (4) 111, Scott (2) 41, Huggins (1) 15, Simpson (1) 10.
(Two players received less than 10 points)
Outfielders - Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) Santa Barbara Gauchos, Chris Tani (Oakville, Ont.) Niagara County Thunderwolves, Pier-Olivier Boucher (Quebec, Que.) Indian Hills Trojans, Justin Carinci (Toronto, Ont.) Highland Scotties, Riley Jepson (Kamloops, BC) Texas-Tyler Patriots, Alex Orenczuk (London, Ont.) LSU-Alexandria Generals, Owen Benson (Toronto, Ont.) Lake Michigan Red Hawks, Ryan Humeniuk (Stonewall, Man.) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and Daniel Martin (Langley, BC) Yavapai Lopes.
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Keller (51) 265, Peters (23) 172, Duncan (20) 171, Vallee (18) 157, Chenier-Rondeau (21) 154, Bedard (8) 132, Clarke (13) 117, Olson (8) 81, Cust (2) 50, Willow (3) 48, Tani (1) 31, Boucher 22, Carinci 22, Jepson (1) 17, Alex Orenczuk 16, Benson 12, Humeniuk 11 and Martin 11.
(Eight players received less than 10 points)
Designated hitters - Noel McGarry-Doyle (Vaughan, Ont.) Southeastern Blackhawks, Jacob Ervin (Mississauga, Ont.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norse and Stefan Turino (Toronto, Ont.) Three Rivers Raiders.
Voting (on 5-3-1 basis; first-place votes in brackets): Diodati (24) 152, Graversen (16) 149, Arnold (13) 136, Ervin 9 and Turino 9.
Second Team
Okotoks Dawg Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) is off to Illinois State
Left-hander - Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) Barton Cougars.
He completed the season 7-2, winning his last four regular season games on the mound and helping the Cougars to a second-place conference finish. Appearing in 13 games with 12 starts, Brunner struck out 65 while walking 28 in 63 1/3 innings. His Region VI third best 3.84 ERA led Barton to a region second-best team ERA.
Brunner struck out 10 or more three times in his abbreviated two-year Barton career, his second best 11 strikeout effort coming this spring in a 4-2 loss at Colby. His Barton career totals consisted of an 11-2 mark with a 3.19 ERA with 115 strikeouts.
This year he scored wins over Western Nebraska (four scoreless, two hits, seven strikeouts), Hutchinson (five innings, five hits, four runs -- three earned -- two strikeouts), Dodge City (6 1/3 innings, two runs on two hits, eight strikeouts), Butler (seven scoreless, four hits, four strikeouts), Pratt (five innings, three hits, one unearned run, six strikeouts), Garden City (5 2/3 innings, four hits, three runs, three whiffs) and Cloud County (seven innings, six hits, two runs -- one earned -- seven strikeouts).
Brunner was selected First Team to the All-Region VI Division I and was also elected to the First Team All-Jayhawk West conference all-stars. The former Okotoks Dawg, who pitched for coaches Jeff Duda, Val Helldobler and Tyler Hollick, earned Canadian Baseball Network First Team honours in 2020.
Former Okotoks Dawg RHP Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.0
Right-hander - Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.) Bellevue Bruins.
Jackson was the workhorse of Canadian pitchers tossing 111 innings in 18 games -- making 17 starts. He went 9-3 with one save and a 2.43 ERA. He walked 42 and fanned 176.
He picked up wins over Midland (seven scoreless, three hits, one walk, seven strikeouts), Warner (seven scoreless, two hits, three walks, five whiffs), Brewton-Parker (seven innings, four hits, one unearned runs, two walks, 12 strikeouts), Waldorf (seven innings, five hits, one run, two walks, 13 strikeouts), Viterbo (seven scoreless, four hits, two walks, 18 strikeouts), Dakota State (seven scoreless, two hits, one walk, 13 strikeouts), Waldorf (nine innings, five hits, six runs, six walks, 21 strikeouts), Waldorf (eight innings, seven hits, two runs, one walk, 14 strikeouts) and Oklahoma Science & Arts (nine innings, six hits, two runs, three walks, 16 strikeouts).
Jackson highlighted Bellevue on the Omaha World-Herald’s All-Midlands team and was named the honorary captain of the squad. Jackson earned second-team NAIA All-American honours and was named the NSAA Pitcher of the Year. A first-team all-league selection, Jackson led the nation with 176 strikeouts and established a new program record for punch outs in a single season and strikeouts per nine innings (14.27). He limited opposing batters to a .170 average. Jackson struck out at least 10 batters nine times, including doing so in each of his final four starts. Jackson dialed up some of his best performances in postseason play. He struck out 16 in a 4-2 complete-game win over No. 9 Science & Arts in his first start of the NAIA opening round and followed up by striking out 10 in a quality start on two days’ rest against Concordia.
Among Canadians, Jackson led in innings pitched and strikeouts, was tied for second (with Iowa Western’s Evan O’Toole and West Texas A & M’s Mathieu Gauthier ... one behind Jordan Marks), was third in ERA (behind O’Toole and Lindsey Wilson’s Cohen Achen -- with a minumum of 50 innings)
Jackson pitched for the Langley Blaze and coach Jamie Bodaly.
Former Boissevain Centennial Aaron Pugh (Boissevain, Man.)
Reliever - Aaron Pugh (Boissevain, Man.) University of Jamestown Jimmies.
Pugh closed the door, when asked, picking up six saves -- to lead all Canadians -- as he went 1-2 with a 1.74 ERA. He walked eight and struck out 28 in 20 2/3 innings, while holding opponents to a .179 average.
He garnered saves against Valley City State (one scoreless, two strikeouts), St. Mary (1 2/3 scoreless, one strikeout), Culver-Stockton (one inning, one run, two hits, two strikeouts), Hastings (one scoreless, one strikeout), Midland (2/3 of an inning) and Concordia-Nebraska (2/3 of an inning, one strikeout) with runners at second and third in an 11-9 game.
He had scoreless outings facing Valley City (one inning, one strikeout), Culver-Stockton (one scoreless, one walk, one strikeout), Concordia-Moorhead (one inning, two strikeouts), Briar Cliff (2/3 of an inning, two strikeouts), Dordt (one inning, one walk, two strikeouts), Concordia-Moorhead (one inning, one walk, one whiff), Dakota Wesleyan (one inning, two strikeouts), Dickinson State (one inning, two whiffs) and Northwestern Iowa (1 1/3 innings, one walk, one strikeout), where he picked up his lone win. Pugh got the final out in the seventh, worked around a couple of base runners in the eighth to get the win, improving his record to 1-2.
Pugh, who played for the Boissevain Centennials under coach Ken Pringle and Team Manitoba under coach Wes Pomarensky, was named to the Great Plains Athletic Conference First Team.
Ex-Great Lake Canadian Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.)
Catcher - Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) Indiana State Sycamores.
Wright led the Sycamores with 16 home runs and 41 RBIs while hitting .305 on the season. Wright slugged .611 with 25 extra-base hits. Overall, Wright drew 39 walks and was hit-by-pitch 13 times for a .453 on-base percentage. He started all 52 games for the Sycamores at both catcher and as DH in 2021. His homers came against Illinois State (three), Evansville (three), Dallas Baptist (twice), Southern Illinois (twice), Pitt, Tennessee, Florida International, Alabama Birmingham, Saint Louis and Valparaiso.
A five-year player for the Sycamores primarily behind the plate, Wright appeared in 172 games, including 161 starts. He recorded a career .284 average to go along with a .436 slugging percentage and a .394 on-base percentage. He tallied 163 base hits, including 22 career home runs and 99 RBIs.
He finished his career with a pair of NCAA Regional appearances, All-MVC First Team honours, an ABCA All-Region Team selection, as well as Academic All-District, and Academic All-MVC honors. Wright became the fourth player in program history to earn Google Cloud Academic All-American status in 2019. Wright was also named an All-Defensive team member at catcher.
Among Canucks, he was tied for fourth in home runs (with Arkansas-Monticello’s Dylan Borman, behind Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani and Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller).
Wright, who played for the Great Lake Canadians under coaches Adam Stern and Chris Robinson, received Canadian Baseball Network Honourable Mention honours in 2019.
Former Okotok Dawgs 1B Tyler McWillie (Watrous, Sask.)
First base - Tyler McWillie (Watrous, Sask.) Colby Trojans.
McWillie wasn’t like slugger Willie McCovey, but he was close to it on the Kansas campus as he hit .375 with three doubles, 12 homers, 41 RBIs and a 1.273 OPS in 42 games.
He homered against Lamar (three RBIs), Dodge City (two hits, three RBIs), Otero (two hits, three RBIs), Seward County (two hits, including a double, two RBIs), Seward County (two hits, five RBIs), Butler (three RBIs), Pratt (two hits, three RBIs), Garden City (two hits, two RBIs), Cloud County (three hits, four RBIs), Hutchinson (three hits, three RBIs) and Allen County (two homers, four RBIs).
He had two-hit games facing Otero (three RBIs), Barton (two RBIs), Cloud County (RBI), Allen County (two RBIs) and Hutchinson (two doubles).
McWillie, an Okotoks Dawgs grad played for coaches Jeff Duda, Val Helldobler and Tyler Hollick, was a Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian college Second Teamer in 2020. This spring he was a First Teamer in the Jayhawk Conference.
Ex-Okotok Dawg Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.)
Second base - Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.) Niagara Purple Eagles.
He hit .391, with nine doubles, three homers, 19 RBIs and a 1.069 OPS in 30 games. His average was the best on the team and third-best in the conference.
He managed three-hit outings against Siena (three RBIs, double, homer), Manhattan (two RBIs, double) and Manhattan (three RBIs, home run). Tucker had two-hit performances against Siena (RBI), Siena, Quinnipiac (RBI), Saint Peter’s (three RBIs, with a double), Manhattan, Fairfield (RBI double), Rider (double, two RBIs) and Rider (RBI).
Tucker earned All-MAAC Second Team honours. A former Okotoks Dawg, Tucker played for coaches Bretton Gouthro and Aaron Ethier, competing in the Best of the West Tournament. Before that he played for the Mount Pearl Blazers under coaches Steve Donahue and Greg Williams competing in Newfoundland Summer Games. He headed south to the Southeastern Community College Blackhawks (.260, eight doubles, four home runs, 41 RBIs) and then Niagara.
Former Okotoks Dawg Logan Grant (Calgary, Alta.)
Third base - Logan Grant (Calgary, Alta.) Bismarck State Mystics.
He hit .409 with 11 homers, three triples, eight homers and 58 RBIs. He had a 1.229 OPS in 38 games.
He homered against Miles (plus two others hits, two RBIs), Miles (two other hits, four RBIs), Dakota (another hit, four RBIs), Lake Region State (another hit, four RBIs), North Dakota SCS (double, four RBIs) and Miles (another hit, four RBIs).
He had two-hit games against Dickinson State (RBI), Dawson (RBI), Dawson, Williston State (RBI), North Dakota SCS (double, RBI), Miles (two RBIs), Miles (double, RBI) and Dawson (two RBIs) ... as well as three-hit efforts playing Dakota (triple, three RBIs), Lake Region State (two doubles, three RBIs), North Dakota SCS (double, triple, four RBIs), North Dakota SCS (double, RBI) ND Dawson (two doubles, three RBIs).
When it came to Canucks, he was tied for fourth (with Northwest Nazarene’s Shawn Grandmont, behind Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffin Keller, Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani and Wright State’s Tyler Black. Grant played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Bretton Gouthro and Aaron Ethier.
Former Toronto Met SS Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.)
Shortstop - Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) Mineral Area Cardinals.
Jones hit .427 -- second highest among Canadian hitters (minimum 150 at-bats) behind OF Griffin Keller of Georgia-Gwinnett -- with eight doubles, three triples, five homers and 36 RBIs. In his 43-game schedule, he had a 1.156 OPS while stealing 24 bases (third behind Mathieu Vallee of Northeast Oklahoma A&M and Alex Bedard of Southwest Oklahoma State).
He had two-hit games against Frontier (triple, four RBIs), Iowa Central (homer, three RBIs), UA Rich Mountain (double), Rich Mountain (double, RBI), Rich Mountain (RBI), Crowder, Missouri Valley (RBI), Missouri Valley, St. Charles, St. Charles, Rend Lake, State Fair, St. Louis, St. Louis (two RBIs), St. Louis (two RBIs), Metropolitan, Metropolitan (homer, two RBIs), Three Rivers (solo homer), Three Rivers (solo homer) and Metropolitan. His other homer (two RBIs) came against Glen Oaks
Jones had three-hit days facing St. Charles, St. Charles (three RBIs), State Fair (double, two RBIs) and Metropolitan (two doubles, RBI).
Looking at Canucks, he was third in stolen bases (behind North East Oklahoma A&M’s and South West Oklahoma State’s Mathieu Vallee). Jones, who played for the Toronto Mets and Chris Kemlo, was a 2020 Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian first teamer.
Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.)
Outfielders - Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.) Cowley Tigers, Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norse and Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.) Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs.
Chenier-Rondeau finished the season after a trip to the JUCO World Series with a .412 average. He had nine doubles, six triples, eight homers and 53 RBIs. He stole 22 bases and owned a 1.248 OPS in 51 games.
His best game came in a 21-0 romp over Labette as he went 4-for-5 with two doubles and six RBIs. He had three hits against Highland, Coffeyville (two doubles, RBI),
Chenier-Rondeau had a pair of hits against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (two homers, four RBIs), Hutchinson (homer, four RBIs), Cloud County, Cloud County (homer, four RBIs), Redlands (RBI), Highland (homer, two RBIs), Coffeyville (double, triple, RBI), Rose State (double, RBI), Seward County (double, homer, four RBIs), Labette Community (triple, RBI), Fort Scott (homer, two RBIs), Fort Scott (triple), Fort Scott (homer, three RBIs), Johnson County (RBI double), Kansas City and Central Arizona.
He led all Canadians in triples, was fourth in stolen bases (tied with Pier-Olivier Boucher, behind Northeast Oklahoma A&M’s Mathieu Vallee, South West Oklahoma State’s Alex Bedard, Mineral Area’s Ben Jones and Northwest Nazerene’s Shawn Grandmont).
Chenier-Rondeau played for the Pirates de Laval under head coach Mathieu Granger and ABC for coach Dave Dufour.
Beep-beep Vallee was a speedster on the bases -- 37 stolen bags... tops among Canadians -- while batting .434 with 18 doubles, five homers and 37 RBIs. He had a 1.202 OPS in 40 games.
Former Bisons de Saint-Eustache and ABC star Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.)
Vallee was Mr. 5-for-5 against Seminole State which included a double, a homer and four RBIs. Vallee had three-hit outings against Arkansas Baptist, Connors State, Eastern Oklahoma State (two RBIs), Rose State (two doubles, solo homer), Connors State (two doubles) and Rose State (two doubles, two RBIs).
As well he managed two-hit games against Pitt State University (double), Arkansas Baptist (RBI), Arkansas Baptist (homer, five RBIs), Connors State (double, two RBIs), Eastern Oklahoma State (double, two RBIs) and Rose State (solo homer).
Among Canucks he was atop the list in stolen bases. Vallee, who played for the Bisons de Saint-Eustache under coach Luc Desgroseilliers and the ABC for coach Robert Fatal, earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Honourable Mention in 2020.
Former Diamants de Québec Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.)
Bedard fell two hits shy of batting .400 as he batted .396 with 10 doubles, five triples, six homers and 37 RBIs. He stole 31 bases and had a 1.107 OPS in 39 games.
He went 5-for-6 against Southern Nazarene with three RBIs and a triple in his best game and had a four-hit outing facing Ouachita (three RBIs, triple). He had three-hit outings going up against Oklahoma Baptist (double, RBI), Oklahoma Baptist (double, RBI), Ouachita (double, triple, three RBIs), Southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas Tech (double, triple, homer, three RBIs) and Arkansas-Monticello (homer, two RBIs).
Bedard had a two-hit games against Southern Arkansas (double), Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma Science & Arts (three RBIs), Southeastern Oklahoma (homer, two RBIs), Cameron (two doubles), Harding (RBI), Northwestern Oklahoma (homer, two RBIs) and Northwestern Oklahoma (double, homer, two RBIs).
He was third in batting average -- minimum of 150 at-bats -- (behind Georgia Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller and Mineral Area’s Ben Jones). Bedard, who played for Diamants de Québec and coach Dominik Walsh, may be the first player ever to make the Canadian Baseball Network all-college team five times: Second Team in 2021, First Team in 2020, Second Team in 2018, honourable mention in both 2017 and 2019.
Former Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.)
Designated hitter - Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.) William Penn Statesmen.
Graversen batted .330 with seven doubles, two triples, nine homers and 42 RBIs. He finished with a 1.095 OPS in 44 games.
He homered against St. Xavier (four RBIs), Harris-Stowe State (double, two homers, four RBIs), Park (three hits, double, homer, two RBIs), Jamestown (single, three RBIs), Grand View (two RBIs), Grand View (three RBIs), Clarke (solo homer) and Graceland (three RBIs).
He had a three-hit game against Grand View (double), and two-hit outings facing Northwestern (RBI), St. Mary (double), Lincoln (double, four RBIs), Culver-Stockton, Culver-Stockton (triple, three RBIs), Clarke (triple, two RBIs), Central Methodist.
Graversen played for the Okotoks Dawgs and was coached by Val Helldobler and Jeff Duda.
Former Regina White Sox LHP Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) of the St. Mary’s Rattlers
Third Team
Left-hander - Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) St. Mary’s Rattlers.
Bells was 6-0 until St. Mary’s lost 5-1 to San Angelo. He allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings. Bells walked two and struck out four. Bells finished with an 8-1 record and a 4.50 ERA as he walked 40 and struck out 64.
Bells had wins against Arkansas-Fort Smith (four scoreless, four strikeouts), Texas A&M International (five innings, three runs -- one earned -- four strikeouts), St. Edward’s (six innings, two runs, four whiffs), Eastern New Mexico (six innings, three runs, four strikeouts), Cameron (6 2/3 innings, six runs -- two earned -- four strikeouts), Texas-Permian Basin (five innings, two runs, eight strikeouts), Oklahoma Christian (eight innings, three runs, seven whiffs) and St. Edward’s (seven innings, two runs, three strikeouts).
Among Canadians, he was tied for second in strikeouts (with University of South Carolina Upstate’s Jordan Marks, behind Bellevue’s Corey Jackson), fourth in innings pitched (behind Jackson, San Francisco Landen Bourassa and Marks) and wins (behind Marks, Iowa Western’s Evan O’Toole and West Texas A&M’s Mathieu Gauthier).
He pitched seven innings in a 5-3 victory over St. Edward’s. Bells did not walk a single batter and struck out two, while allowing nine hits. Bells, who pitched for the Regina White Sox and coach Steve Klippenstein, was voted to Lone Star Conference all-tournament team.
Former Vauxhall Academy Jets RHP Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, NS) of the Iowa Western Reivers.
Right-hander - Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, NS) Iowa Western Reivers
O’Toole went 9-0 in 11 games -- 10 starts -- with a find it, if you can ERA of 1.31. He walked 17 and fanned 51 in 55 innings.
He had wins against Crowder (5 1/3 innings, four runs, four strikeouts), Dakota County Tech (four scoreless, one hit, four strikeouts), Ellsworth (5 2/3 innings, one run, seven strikeouts), Kirkwood (seven innings, one run, five hits, eight strikeouts), Southeastern (4 2/3 scoreless, two hits, five whiffs), Marshalltown (seven zeros, three hits, three strikeouts), Iowa Central (five innings, one hit, one whiff), Des Moines Area (five innings, two hits, one unearned run, eight strikeouts) and North Iowa Area (five innings, six hits, two runs, six strikeouts).
Among Canadians he led in ERA (minimum 50 innings) and he was tied for second with nine wins (with Jackson and West Texas A&M’s Mathieu Gauthier, one behind Marks). O’Toole, who graduated from the Vauxhall Academy Jets program and coach Les McTavish, was an all-American in the spring and also Player of the Year in Iowa Community College Conference. O’Toole
Former Great Lake Canadians RP Mat Szabo (Sarnia, Ont.).
Reliever - Mat Szabo (Sarnia, Ont.) Angelo State Rams
The senior pitched in 13 games -- six starts -- going 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA. He walked 14 and struck out 60 in 39 1/3 innings. He finished the season holding opponents to a .187 batting average.
His wins came in four consecutive outings: against UT Permian Basin (five scoreless, 10 strikeouts), St. Mary’s (four innings, one hit, one run, six strikeouts), Arkansas Fort Smith (five innings, two hits, one run, six strikeouts) and Lubbock Christian (five innings, five hits, three runs -- two earned -- five strikeouts). Also, he had scoreless outings against Texas A&M International (three innings, five strikeouts), St. Edward’s (two innings, three whiffs), St. Edward’s (one inning, two strikeouts) and Colorado Mesa (four innings, three hits, five whiffs).
He pitched for the Great Lakes Canadians and coaches Adam Stern, Chris Robinson, Adam Arnold, Jeff Helps, and Kirk Barclay. He attended Young Harris for three seasons and Angelo State for one. He received an extra year due to Tommy John surgery on a medical rehab and then a sixth spring due to the COVID shortened 2020 season.
Former Ontario Blue Jay C Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) of the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Catchers (Tie) - Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) Oklahoma State Cowboys and Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alta.) LSU Eunice Bengals.
Hewitt had his strongest year at Oklahoma State, hitting .281 with nine doubles, two triples, four home runs while driving in 44. He had a .792 OPS in 55 games. This spring he had 251 plate appearances. His previous high at OSU was 196 in 2019.
Hewitt tripled in a run for the No. 4-seeded Oklahoma State in a 5-4 win over No. 2-ranked Texas by a 5-4 count advancing to the Big 12 Championship title game. Hewitt singled in the finale, a 10-7 loss to TCU.
He had a four-hit game against TCU (double, three RBIs), as well as three-hit efforts against Kansas State (double, four RBIs), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (triple, seven RBIs) and Kansas (RBI). And he had two-hit games playing Wichita State (homer, four RBIs), Oklahoma (double, three RBIs), West Virginia, TCU (double), Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Texas (triple), Oklahoma (solo homer), Oklahoma (solo homer), Kansas (double), West Virginia (double, two RBIs), West Virginia (double, two RBIs) and Grand Canyon.
He earned a Big 12 honorable mention selections and was an Academic All-Big 12 First Team. Hewitt, who played for the Ontario Blue Jays and coaches Dino Roumel, Kyle DeGrace, Mike Siena, Sean Travers, and Mike Steed, earned Canadian Baseball Network First Team honours in 2020 and with the Connors State Cowboys in 2017.
Okotoks Dawgs grad Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alta.) of the LSU Eunice Bengals.
Makarus batted .291 with nine doubles, 12 homers and 47 RBIs as he had a 1.065 OPS in 40 games.
His best game of the year was against Lurleen B. Wallace (two doubles, homer, six RBIs), and meanwhile he had a pair of hits against LSU-Alexandria (two RBIs), National Park (double, RBI), National Park (double, homer, three RBIs), Murray State (double, RBI), LSU-Alexandria (homer, two RBIs), Baton Rouge (two homers, three RBIs) and Nunez (two homers, seven RBIs).
He singled as the Bengals beat East Central 7-5 to win the NJCAA Region 23 tournament at Dub Herring Park in Poplarville, Miss. He homered in an 11-2 win against Kellogg at the NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oak. LSU-Enice beat Western Oklahoma 5-4 in 14 innings to win the title.
Makarus played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Tyler Hollick, Val Heldobler and Jeff Duda,
Onetime Spruce Grove White Sox 1B Matt Coutney (Edmonton, Alta.) of Old Dominion.
First base - Matt Coutney (Edmonton, Alta.) Old Dominion Monarchs.
He hit .282 with 11 doubles, a triple, 10 homers, 38 RBIs and a .929 OPS in 59 games, 58 of which were at first base. He was third on the team in walks (30). In the field, he had three errors for a .993 fielding percentage at first base.
His best games were a 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two doubles in a 6-5, 10-inning loss to Rhode Island, 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs in a 8-0 win at Marshall and he drove in a season-high four runs in a 8-2 win at Florida Atlantic as he collected two hits, including a homer. In the post season he was 2-for-4 with a double in the C-USA championship game win over Louisiana Tech and he hit a home run in the NCAA Regional win over South Carolina. In all, he had 16 multi-hit games on the year with two-hit outings against Norfolk State (double, homer, two RBIs), Ball State (RBI), Florida Atlantic, Rice (homer, three RBIs), Charlotte (RBI), Charlotte, Texas-San Antonio, Western Kentucky (solo homer), Western Kentucky (double, RBI) and Louisiana Tech (double) as well as three-hit efforts against Norfolk State (two doubles, three RBIs) and Marshall (RBI).
Coutney, who played with the Spruce Grove White Sox, and the St. Francis Academy under Rob Boik, earned Canadian Baseball Network Second Team all-Canadian honours in 2018 and 2019, as well as Canadian Baseball Network honors in 2020.
Former Okanagan Athletics Jaden Parsons (Vernon BC)
Second base - Jaden Parsons (Vernon, BC) Cloud County Thunderbirds.
Parsons carried a .351 average in his 49 games with Cloud County. He had 17 doubles, two triples, two homers and 36 RBIs. He finished with a .933 OPS and 17 stolen bases.
He had three-hit games facing Fort Scott (double, triple), Marshalltown (two RBIs), Cowley (double, two RBIs), Garden City (double), Dodge City (RBI), Kansas City (two doubles, homer, three RBIs), as well as two-hit efforts against Labette (RBI), Marshalltown (RBI), Cowley (double, RBI), Cowley (two doubles, two RBIs), Cowley (double, three RBIs), Seward County (double, RBI), Butler (double, triple), Butler (double), Butler (double, RBI), Pratt, Garden City (RBI), Dodge City (RBI), Dodge City (double, three RBIs), Barton, Barton (two RBIs) and Seward County (two RBIs).
Parsons, played for the Okanagan Athletics and coach Evan Bailey. He earned Canadian Baseball Network Honourable Mention honours in 2020.
Ex-Vauxhall Jet 3B John Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) of the Colby Trojans.
Third base - John Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) Colby Trojans.
He exploded like ... well you’ve heard it before. Oh heck ... like Mount St. Helens, 52 miles northeast of Portland, Ore. Vulcano batted .375 with nine doubles, three triples, 13 homers and 43 RBIs. He had a four-figure OPS of 1.158 in 41 games.
Vulcano homered against Garden City (triple, RBI), Dodge City (three RBIs), Barton (RBI), Barton (three hits, double, RBI), Seward County (three hits, double, five RBIs), Seward County (three hits, double, six RBIs), Butler (two homers, three hits, three RBIs), Butler (two hits, RBI), Pratt (three hits, double, three RBIs), Garden City (three hits, three RBIs), Hutchinson (two RBIs) and Butler (double, two RBIs).
He had two-hit games against Crowder, Seward County, Allen County and Butler (double, three RBIs), plus three hits against Otero (two RBIs), McCook (RBI), Pratt (two triples), Garden City (RBI) and Hutchinson (two RBIs).
Among Canucks, he had the sixth highest average among Canadians -- minimum of 150 at-bats -- (behind Georgia Gwinnett’s Griffin Keller, Mineral Area’s Ben Jones, Southwest Oklahoma State’s Alex Bedard, Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani and Wright State’s Tyler Black). Vulcano played with the Vauxhall Academy Jets and coach Les McTavish. He was a Jayhawk Conference Second Teamer this spring.
Ex-Ontario Blue Jays INF Tyler Small (Mississauga, Ont.)
Shortstop - Tyler Small (Mississauga, Ont.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Golden Norse.
Small is 3-for-3 his past three seasons receiving end-of-the-season honours after hitting .364 with 13 doubles, a triple, eight homers and 45 RBIs. He had a 1.173 OPS in 35 games.
Small began his string of eight homers on opening day against Pitt State (going 4-for-5, with a homer, four RBIs), Kirkwood (three RBIs), Seminole State (two hits, four RBIs), Rose State (two RBIs), Oklahoma Wesleyan (solo shot), Crowder (two doubles, three RBIs), Rose State (two RBIs) and Eastern Oklahoma State (two hits, solo homer).
He had three hits playing Seminole State (two doubles) and he went 4-for-5 against Rose State with two doubles and four RBIs. He managed two-hit games facing Coffeyville (double, triple, four RBIs), Kirkwood (RBI), Kirkwood (four RBIs), Rose State (double, two RBIs), Evangel (double, RBI), Eastern Oklahoma State (RBI) and Seminole State (double).
The Ontario Blue Jays grad, who played for coaches Sean Travers, Joey Ellison and Mike Steed, earned a Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Second Team selection in 2020 and Third Team honours in 2019.
Outfielders _ Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) California State Northridge Matadors, Zach Olson (Red Deer, Alta.) Colby Trojans and Brayden Cust (Edmonton, Alta.) Colby Trojans.
Clarke batted .324 to go along with a career-high 46 hits, plus 11 doubles, eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 38 starts in centre field. He posted a .570 slugging percentage and .445 on-base percentage for a 1.015 OPS. He stole 15 bases in 17 attempts.
He led the team in stolen bases while he ranked second in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks, recording 11 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games. Clarke posted the longest on-base streak of any Matador with a 22-game streak. He tallied a career-high four hits and four RBIs to go with a home run and a walk against UC Riverside as well as hitting a homer and driving in three at CSU Bakersfield and went 3-for-5 with three RBIs at UC Davis. He raised his batting average from .192 on Apr. 4 to .328 by season’s end. On the season, he ranked fourth in the Big West in stolen bases, seventh in slugging, eighth in home runs and on-base percentage and ninth in walks.
He became the first Matador in team history to win the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award (a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with two outfield assists), earned All-Big West Second Team honours and Big West All-Academic Team honours. He was selected in the fourth round of the draft by the Oakland Athletics.
Clarke, who played for the Toronto Mets and coaches Chis Kemlo and Rich Leitch, earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Second Team honours in 2020.
Prospects Academy and Prairie Baseball Academy Zach Olson (Red Dear, Alta.)
Olson batted .297 with six doubles, two triples, 14 homers and 35 RBIs. He had a 1.192 OPS in 38 games for the Trojans.
His home runs came against Garden City (three solo shots), Dodge City (three RBIs), Otero (solo shot), Barton (two-run drive), McCook (single, homer), Seward County (solo), Lamar (two solo homers), Pratt (two RBIs), Pratt (double, five RBIs), Garden City (solo) and McCook (plus single, two RBIs).
He had one two-hit game facing Seward County (RBI).
Olson, who played at the Prospects Academy, the Edmonton Cardinals and the Prairie Baseball Academy, for coaches Cam Houston, Todd Hubka and Jason Chatwood, earned a Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Honourable Mention in 2020. Olson earned First Team honours in the Jayhawk Conference this spring.
Prospects Academy grad Brayden Cust (Edmonton, Alta.)
Cust batted .368 with 16 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 41 RBIs. He had a 1.059 OPS and 17 steals in 51 games.
He had a four-hit effort playing Garden City (two doubles, RBI), plus three-hit performances playing Garden City (two doubles, triple, two RBIs), Crowder (triple, solo homer), Dodge City (double, two RBIs), Pratt (RBI), Hutchinson (double, homer, two RBIs), Hutchinson (two homers, five RBIs) and Hutchinson.
Cust had two-hit games against Lamar (double), Crowder (triple), Otero (double, RBI), Butler (double), Barton (two solo homers), Barton (RBI), McCook, Seward County, Butler (solo homer), McCook (double, homer, three RBIs), Garden City (double, RBI), Hutchinson (homer, two RBIs) and Butler (double).
A 2020 Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian First Teamer in 2020, he played for coach Cam Houston and the Prospects Academy. Cust earned Jayhawk Conference Honourable Mention in 2021.
FieldHouse Pirates grad DH Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) of the Campbell Camels had the most first-place votes on the Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian college Third Team.
Designated hitter - Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) Campbell Camels.
Arnold manufactured 12 doubles, hit two triples, slashed six homers and drove in 39 runs, while hitting .324 in 49 games, making 46 starts. He was 9-for-11 stealing bases and had a .958 OPS.
He found a home at the top of the lineup as the DH for the second half of the season, hitting two leadoff home runs, one at USC Upstate and the other against Presbyterian in the Big South championship final. He was a single shy of the cycle as he drove in eight runs during a 3-for-6 day at Winthrop. The eight RBIs are the second-most in a game in program history.
He reached base safely in the first 36 games of his career, good for the longest reached base streak of the season by a Camel. Besides that, he put together a 12-game hit streak. After the fourth game of the season, his batting average did not dip below .300 again. His 56 runs scored were second on the team and in the Big South.
He earned a spot on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll. Arnold played for the FieldHouse Pirates and coach George Halim.
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Previous winners of Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Year (most first-place votes for the All-Canadian team):
2021 _ INF Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) of the Wright State Raiders, who had 56 of 56 first-place votes (100%).
2020 _ INF David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) of the Connors State Cowboys, who had 54 of 62 first-place votes (87.1%).
2019 _ LHP Ryan Johnson (Winnipeg, Man.) of Lubbock Christian Chaps, he had 54 of 59 first-place votes (91.5%).
2018 _ DH Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.) of the Auburn Tigers, who garnered 43 of 52 ballots (82.7%).
2017 _ OF Christopher Acosta-Tapia (Laval, Que.) of Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles, received first-place votes from 41 of 51 (80.3%) voters.
2016 _ LHP Guillaume Blanchette (St-Constant, Que.) of Lubbock Christian Chaparrals 51 of 51 (100%) first-place votes.
2015 _ 3B Connor Panas (Toronto, Ont.) of the Canisius Golden Griffins, 33 of 45 ballots (73.3%).
2014 _ 2B-OF Craig-St. Louis (Gatineau, Que.) of the Seminole State Trojans, 50-for-59 (84.7%).
2013 _ LHP Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.) of the Arizona State Sun Devils, 50-for-65 (76.9%).
2012 _ 2B Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ont.) of the Stony Brook Seawolves, 40-for-58 (69%).
2011 _ OF Chase Larsson (Vancouver, BC), of the Cameron Aggies, 39 of 41 votes (95.1%).
2010 _ OF Marcus Knecht (North York, Ont.) of the Connors State Cowboys, 49 of 51 (96.1%).
2009 _ 3B Jesse Sawyer (Calgary, Alta.) of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 33 for 49 (67.3%).
2008 _ DH Mike Gosse (Pitt Meadows, BC) of the Oklahoma Sooners, 35 of 42 (83.3%).
2007 _ 1B Kevin Atkinson (Surrey, BC) of the New Mexico Jr. College Thunderbirds, 55 for 62 (88.7%).
2006 _ OF Jon Baksh (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Florida Tech Panthers, 40 of 63 (63.5%).
2005 _ 1B Karl Amonite (Woodslee, Ont.) of the Auburn Tigers, 55 for 62 (88.7%).
2004 _ OF Charlie MacFarlane (Lantzville, BC) of the Cumberland Bulldogs, 36 for 45 (80%).
2003 _ C Aaron McRae (Delta, BC) of the LSU-Shreveport Pilots, 37 for 49 (75.5%).
2002 (tie) _ OF Ryan Kenning (North Vancouver, BC) of the New Mexico State Aggies and RP-SS Jesse Crain (Toronto, Ont.) of the Houston Cougars, nine first-place votes on 18 ballots (50%) in 2002.
2001 _ LHP Jeff Francis (North Delta, BC) of the British Columbia Thunderbirds, six of seven (85.7%).
2000 _ OF Ben Emond (Farnham, Que.) of the Texas Longhorns our inaugural year.