* Some where at bottom of that pile are RHP Jeremy Filipek (Langley, BC) who pitched a complete game and C Chris Shaw (Winnipeg, Man.) who hit a grand slam to put the Midland Chaparrals into the 56th annual JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Col. .... 2013 Top Canadians eligible for draft 2013 Canadians in the Minors  2013 Canadians in College  Letters of Intent 2012-13 Canadians at Canadian schools 

By Bob Elliott

Jeremy Filipek pitched Midland to a berth in the 56th annual Avista JUCO World Series this weekend in Grand Junction, Col.

RHP Filipek (Langley, BC) pitched a complete game 9-2 win over Grayson County in the NJCAA Region V tournament at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, Tex. He allowed two runs on eight hits and four walks. He struck out nine.

The nickname of Midland College is the Chaparrals. Yet, with a stitch here and there the name could be altered to the Midland Canucks.

Or maybe the Midland Canadians.

Consider ...

C Chris Shaw (Winnipeg, Man.) homered hit a grand slam in the third inning.

Tyler Barlow (Maple Ridge, BC) singled in a run.

Jeremie Fagnan (Calgary, Alta.) singled.

And then there was Filipek ... all in the regional final.

The quartet make up 10 Canadians playing for the title. In all 177 Canadian JUCO players began the season playing NJCAA Division I play in the hopes to head to Grand Junction.

Shaw, Barlow and Fagnan went hitless in the opener, a 2-1 win over Weatherford.

Barlow and Fagnan each singled, while Shaw was hitless in a 7-6 win against Howard.

Shaw had two hits, including a double, while Fagnan had two hits and Barlow singled and knocked in a run in a 7-0 win over Temple.

Barlow hit .272 (3-for-11) with two RBIs during the four games, while Shaw batted .267 (4-for-15) with four RBIs and Fagnan .235 (4-for-17) with two RBIs.

On the season ... Fagnan led Midland with a .410 average in 60 games which included 19 doubles, 11 triples, six homers, 71 RBIs and an 1.161 OPS.

Shaw batted .383 in 52 games with 21 doubles, three triples, 10 homers, 63 RBIs and a 1.199 OPS.

Barlow hit .266 in 48 games with 13 doubles, one triple and 29 RBIs with a .778 OPS.

On the mound, Filipek was 6-2 in 15 games with a 3.27 ERA. He walked 25 and struck out 58 in 52 1/3 innings.

 

The others:

_ OF Phil Diedrick (Pickering, Ont.), RHP Andrew Simonetti (Toronto, Ont.) and RHP Jordan Romano (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Connors State Cowboys.

The fifth-ranked Cowboys overpowered Maple Woods 9-5 in their opening game of the NJCAA South Central District at Biff Thompson Field in Warner, Oak. Simonetti pitched a scoreless ninth and Deidrick singled.

Next came a stunning 11-10 victory in 10 innings over No. 1-ranked Delgado Doplhins. Deadlocked at 10-10, a second Cowboys was hit by a pitch forcing home a pinch runner for Diedrick, who also had been hit with a pitch, with the winning run. Diedrick was hit by a pitch earlier, scoring on a single giving Connors a 6-2 lead. Diedrick hit a two-run single to right centre giving Connors a 9-5 lead. He also doubled.

Simonetti worked a scoreless seventh.

Diedrick was hitless as Connors State opened with a 3-1 win over Delgado

On the season ... Diedrick hit .307 with eight doubles, six homers and 29 RBIs. Romano was 4-3 in 10 starts with a 4.26 ERA, walking 44 and striking out 53 in 38 innings. Simonetti was 3-0 with two saves and a 3.52 ERA, walking six and fanning 21 in 30 2/3 innings.

 

_ INF Dennon Koziol (Hamilton, Ont.) Kaskaskia Blue Devils.

Few enjoyed as a productive a tournaments as Koziol did to get to the College World Series.

He singled in the opener, a 9-1 win over Rend Lake of the Region XXIV tourney at Centralia, Ill.

Then, he was 4-for-4 knocking in a pair of runs in an 11-1 win over Wabash Valley.

And in the final he was 4-for-5 with five RBIs in a 17-7 win over Wabash Valley.

Koziol was 9-for-12 (.750) in the three games.

On the season ... he had 16 doubles, two triples, with 43 RBIs and a .404 average.

 

_ OF Byron Reichstein (St. Thomas, Ont.) Navarro Bulldogs.

Reichstein was hitless in the opener of the Region XIV tourney, a 4-0 win over the Galveston Whitecaps at Lufkin Tex.

He played a role Navarro’s win over the Paris Ponies, bunting the lead-off man to second and reaching first in the 13th as the Bulldogs scored the winner for a 4-3 win. He also singled in the 11th.

Reichstein had two hits and knocked in two runs in a 15-13 win against the San Jacinto Bulldogs. He had a two-run singled in the fifth to put Navarro up 5-4 in the fifth and singled again in the sixth.

One of his two singles came in the three-run sixth of the final to cut Alvin’s lead to 2-1 and scored the lead run as Navarro registered 4-2 win.

On the season ... Reichstein had 11 doubles, five triples, three homers and 35 RBIs while batting .293 in 52 games.

 

_ RHP Kenton Schroter (Nanaimo BC) Cochise Apaches.

Cochise beat Northeastern 9-7, Western Nebraska 4-2 and Western Nevada 18-11 to win the NJCAA Western District championship in Sterling, Col. and earn a trip to the JUCO World Series.

On the season ... Schroter was 2-1 with two saves and a 2.87 ERA. He walked seven and struck out 15 in 15 2/3 innings appearing nin nine games.

The other entries are Spartanburg Methodist Pioneers, Walters State Senators, Central Alabama Trojans, Neosho Panthers and Palm Beach State Panthers.