* INF Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ont.), left, and OF Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.), spent their freshmen seasons with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who lost in the final of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. ....  Canadians drafted in the top 200 Top Canucks drafted year by year Canuck$ with si$-figue bonu$

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By Bob Elliott

THe Mississippi State Bulldogs best-ever season came to an Tuesday night at the College World Series in Omaha.

The UCLA Bruins won their first-ever, national title with an 8-0 victory over MSU at TD Ameritrade Park before a record crowd of 27,127.

On the field for Mississippi State when the game ended were Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) and Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ont.), the only two Canucks to make the CWS.

MSU’s season ended at 51-20 as the Bulldogs won the second most games in program history, advancing to the national championship for the first time, coming off a 23-win season.

LF Robson went in as a defensive replacment in the seventh and 2B Hann took over in the eighth.

UCLA edged Mississippi State 3-1 as pinch hitter Robson grounded out to end the game before 25,690.

Mississippi State edged No. 3 national seed Oregon State Beavers 5-4 in an opening-round game before 24,473 fans. The Bulldogs rallied from two different deficits for only the second time this season, with the final Oregon State out being a drive to the warning track ending the contest -- missing a potential game-winning three-run home run.

Mississippi State moved to 2-0 with dramatic come-from-behind, 5-4 decision over the Indiana Hooisers before 25,260.

Next, the Bulldogs secured a spot in the College World Series national championship series for the first time, knocking off Oregon State 4-1 before 18,868. By qualifying, the Bulldogs ensured a Southeastern Conference team in the national championship series for a tournament-best sixth straight season.

 

* * *

Mississippi State kicked off the Starkville NCAA Regional by beating the Central Arkansas Bears 5-3 before a Dudy Noble Field crowd of 11,102.

Next, Mississippi State beat the South Alabama Jaguars 6-2 before a crowd of 11,124.

Central Arkansas then defeated Mississippi State 5-2 in front of 10,226 to force a deciding game.

Mississippi State scored three in the first two innings on the way to a 6-1 victory over Central Arkansas in front of 8,662, advancing to the NCAA super regional.

 

* * *

Hann pinch ran in the eighth as Mississippi State scored an 11-6 win over the Virginia Cavaliers before 4,956 at Davenport Field in Charlottesville Va. to win the opener of the best-of-three series at the Charlottesville Super Regional.

A dramatic 6-5 win over Virginia gave Mississippi State one of the eight Omaha berths, winning the Charlottesville Super Regional in straight games before 4,956 fans.

MSU held a 5-3 lead when the series clincher was suspended by rain in the seventh inning Sunday night. Once play resumed, the Bulldogs expanded the lead before holding off a furious Cavaliers rally in the ninth inning.

* * *

On the season ... Hann hit .219 (7-for-32) with one RBI in 26 games ... Robson batted .206 (20-for-97) with two doubles and 16 RBIs in 47 games.

 

* * *

A total of 111 Canadians at the NCAA Division I level began fall ball in September hoping to qualify for the 64-team tourney and march down the road to Omaha in June.

Only Hann and Robson made it.

A total of 28 Canucks qualified for the tourney this spring up from 10 in 2012, led by the Stony Brook Seawolves (four), 17 in 2011, led by the Maine Black Bears, 15 in 2010, led by Georgia State Panthers and Seawolves (three each) and 18 in 2009 Gonzaga Bulldogs, Georgia State Panthers, Oklahoma Sooners and Binghamton Bearcats (two each).

 

* * *

Canisius Griffins lost 6-3 to the No. 3 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in the opener of the NCAA Chapel Hill regional before 3,305 fans at Boshamer Stadium. Playing its first NCAA tourney game in program history, the Griffs had chances leaving 14 runners on base, including 10 in scoring position.

2B Jose Torralba (Mississauga, Ont.) had two hits and an RBI a fifth-inning single to centre in the fifth for coach Mike McRae (Niagara Falls, Ont.). C Brooklyn Foster (Langley, BC) and 3B Connor Panas (Toronto Ont.) each added singles.

RP Jon Fitzsimmons (London, Ont.) had a scoreless outing, working 2/3 of  an inning.

Foster had three hits, including a double and knocked in a run as Canisius was eliminated 14-6 by the Florida Atlantic Owls in front of 535 fans.

RHP Devon Stewart (Maple Ridge, BC) started and took the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits and four walks in two innings, walking the bases loaded to start the third inning. RP Billy Martin (Mississauga, Ont.) retired the final out allowing one run on a hit and two walks, while striking out one.

DH Shane Zimmer (St. Albert, Alta.) had a pair of hits and CF Michael Krische (Langley, BC) singled.

 

* * *

On the season ... Foster hit .360 with 12 doubles, a triple, two homers and 31 RBIs in 40 games... Panas batted .321 with six doubles, three triples, a homer and 18 RBIs in 50 games ... Brett Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) batted .318 with seven doubles, two triples, a homer and 29 RBIs in 44 games ... Michael Booth (Lakeshore, Ont.) hit .247 with a double and 11 RBIs in 29 games ... Krische batted .245 with seven doubles, two triples and 19 RBIs in 50 games ... Zimmer batted .222 with five doubles, a triple, a homer and 14 RBIs in 37 games.

On the mound ... Fitzsimmons, who allowed only one run until the conference final, was 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA and 10 saves as he walked 18 and struck out 38 in 31 innings ... Stewart was 5-6 with a 5.65 ERA in 15 games making 14 stats, as he walked 28 and struck out 47 in 79 2/3 innings ... RHP Iannick Remmillard (Valleyfield, Que.) was 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 games making three starts as he walked seven and struck out 17 in 26 2/3 innings ... RHP Tyler Soucie (Cambridge, Ont.) was 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 10 games, walking five and fanning 11 in 9 2/3 innings ... RHP Jason Rubenstein (Thornhill, Ont.) was 1-0 with a 5.48 ERA in 16 games, walking 13 and fanning 15 in 23 innings ... Martin was 0-1 with a 12.71 ERA in six games, making three starts as he walked four and struck out seven in 11 innings.

 

* * *

LHP Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.) had been spotless this season for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Quite uncommon for a Canadian freshman at a powerhouse like ASU. He was almost spotless pitching against the Cal State Fullerton Titans, when he allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 1-0 loss before 3,371 fans at Goodwin Field.

Kellogg took his first loss of the season after 11 consecutive wins, allowing the only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.

After Kellogg gave up a lead-off double and a bunt single a scoring fly ball accounted for the only scoring of the game.

ASU had the tying run on base with one out in the ninth.

Kellogg kept Fullerton off the board early stranding a pair of Titans on the corners in both the first and second innings. He induced consecutive flyouts to end the opening frame and then was helped out when his right fielder threw a runner out at the plate.

Arizona State had opened with 4-3 win over the New Mexico Lobos before 1,582 fans at Goodwin Field.

RHP Zak Miller (Surrey, BC) started for ASU in a 10-5 win over the Columbia Lions before 1,279. Miller pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing three runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out two and was not involved in the decision.

Miller escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second, but made his exit with two out and the bases loaded, up 7-3 in the third inning.

Arizona State was eliminated in the final, a 6-1 loss to Cal-State Fullerton.

 

* * *

On the season ... Kellogg was 11-1 with a 3.15 ERA. He walked 17 and struck out 54 in 103 innings in 16 games, making 15 starts ... Miller was 4-0 with a 4.85 ERA. He walked 27 and struck out 24 in 52 innings in 13 games, making 11 starts.

 

* * *

RP J.D. Moore (Mississauga, Ont.) was tagged with the loss as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits were edged 3-2 by No. 8 national seed Oregon Ducks at the Eugene regional before 2,505 fans at PK Park in Eugene, Ore.

Moore took over in the eighth with the score tied with a man on second after a lead-off walk. Oregon bunted the runner over, the next hitter was hit by a pitch and next came a game-winning double -- only the second hit of the game for the Ducks.

DH Daniel Telford (Newmarket, Ont.) led off the second with a single, was bunted to second and scored on a single through the middle.

Telford opened the fourth with his second consecutive single up the middle, was bunted to second and scored on successive ground balls for a 2-0 lead.

SS Daniel Marra (Toronto, Ont.) had three hits as South Dakota was eliminated with a heartbreaking 4-3 13-inning loss before 1,037 fans.

RP Shane Kraemer (Vancouver, BC) took the loss coming on in the 13th. The first hitter reached on an error and stole second. After a passed ball and a walk, a reliever came on and yielded a run-scoring fly ball, as RP Chad Hodges (Medicine Hat, Alta.) pitched a scoreless inning.

Moore worked 3 2/3 innings allowing one run on three hits as he fanned five. Moore came on in the ninth with two men aboard and struck out two consecutive hitters.

Touched for a run with two out in the 10th, Moore watched the Jackrabbits score and leave a runner on third, pitched a scoreless 11th after a lead-off double and a 1-2-3 12th.

 

* * *

On the season ... Telford, who earned All-Midwest Region Second Team honours, hit .410 with nine doubles, three triples, six homers and 36 RBIs in 42 games ... Marra batted .274 with seven doubles and 24 RBIs in 55 games. Varga hit .190 with a homer and seven RBIs in 13 games.

On the mound ... Moore, who earned All-Midwest Region First Team honours, was 0-2 with 13 saves and a 1.99 ERA as he walked 14 and struck out 38 in 31 1/3 innings ... Kraemer was 4-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 15 games, making six starts, as he walked 16 and fanned 39 in 42 2/3 innings 13 games ... Hodges was 3-2 with two saves with a 4.76 ERA in 16 games, making two starts. He walked 15 and fanned 18 in 28 1/3 innings in 15 games.

 

* * *

RF Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.) singled as the Bryant Bulldogs beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in the opener of the Manhattan, Kan. regional at Tointon Stadium in front of 2,107 fans. The Bulldogs broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth and went on to score three for its first-ever Division I NCAA tournament win -- not only the Bulldogs baseball, but Bryant Athletics.

Mountford, named Northeast Conference tournament MVP and to the all-tournament team (10-for-19, six RBIs, with four doubles and a triple), singled for Bryant in a 7-1 loss to the Kansas State xx in front of 2,563 fans. Kansas State broke a 1-1 tie with a four-run sixth.

Mountford started the game with a single up the middle and moved around to third on a single through the right side. A sharp one hopper up the middle ricocheted off the foot K-State starter to the first baseman for the second out, but it was still enough, to score Mountford from third to tie the 1-1.

He then had two hits as Bryant was eliminated with a 12-3 loss to Arkansas in front of 2,467 fans.

The loss ended one of the most historic, seasons in Bulldogs (45-18-1) history, as Bryant set a school record and a Northeast Conference record for wins and became the first team in school history to win an NCAA Division I tournament game.

 

* * *

On the Bryant season ... Mountford hit .317 with 17 doubles, three triples, three homers and 22 RBIs while going 16-for-18 stealing bases. He scored 50 runs in 53 games.

 

* * *

CF Sasha LaGarde (Pierrefonds, Que.) was 2-for-4 with a double as the Mercer Bears fell 9-4 to the South Alabama Jaguars at the Starkville, Regional before 6,686 fans at Dudy Noble Field.

Lagarde doubled in a run as Mercer was edged 6-5 in 11 innings by the Central Arkansas Bears in front of 6.922 fans.

A former Chipola College stalwart, walked and scored in the third, doubled in a run and scored in the seventh, was hit by a pitch and scored in the ninth,

 

* * *

On the season ... Lagarde hit .309 with nine doubles, a triple, seven homers and 34 RBIs in 61 games.

 

* * *

RP Andrew MacDonald (Toronto, Ont.) picked up the win as the Elon Phoenix beat North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks 10-7 before 3,243 fans at the NCAA Charlottesville regional.

MacDonald pitched 3 1/3 scoreless allowing two hits and two walks, while fanning one.

He entered in the sixth with two runners aboard, allowed a run-scoring single to tie the score 7-7 and then esaped by getting a pop up.

MacDonald worked a 1-2-3 seventh getting two ground balls and a fly ball.

Then, in the eighth he had back-to-back ground ball outs and after a walk struck out the next hitting swinging.

The lefty had a nervy ninth despite back to back ground ball outs to open the inning. He allowed a single and a walk bringing the tying run to the plate. After falling behind 3-1, MacDonald retired the final out on a grounder.

MacDonald upped his record to 5-1 with the win.

The Virginia Cavaliers edged Elon 2-0 before 4,434 fans.

MacDonald was called upon with the Phoenix trailing UNC Wilmington 4-3 pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh allowing two hits as Elon rallied for a 6-4 win before 3,184 fans.

Virginia eliminated Elon 11-4 to advance in front of 3,792 fans capping a run that began in the Southern Conference Tournament, ended in the final round of the Charlotteville Regional, as Elon won seven of its final nine finishing with a 34-30 record.

The maroon and gold reached the regional final for the first time in its six NCAA Tournament appearances.

 

* * *

On the season ... MacDonald had a 5-1 record with four saves and a 2.09 ERA. He walked 20 and struck out 33 in 51 2/3 innings appearing in 23 games, making two starts.

 

* * *

Brendan Hendriks (Cochrane, Alta.) had a pinch-hit single for the San Francisco Dons, who were eliminated with a 6-1 loss to the Oregon Ducks before 1,208 fans at the Eugene NCAA regional at PK Park. Hendriks hit a 1-1 pitch for a single to centre.

San Francisco lost its opener 3-2 to the Rice Owls before 1,003 fans.

Next, San Fransico edged the South Dakota Jackrabbits 4-3 in 11 innings before 1,037 fans.

 

* * *

On the season ... for the Diamond Dons, Henricks hit .184 with four doubles and eight RBIs in 51 games.

 

* * *

C Brent Mitchell (Paris, Ont.) caught the final innings as the South Alabama Jaguars beat the Mercer Bears 9-4 in the opening round of the NCAA Starkville Regional at Dudy Noble Field before 6,686 fans.

Next, South Alabama dropped a 6-2 decision to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in front of 11,124 fans.

Mitchell caught as South Alabama fell 3-0 to the Central Arkansas Bears in front of 6,711 fans.

 

* * *

On the season ... Mitchell hit .281, with a double, two homers and eight RBIs in 44 games.

 

* * *

The Illinois Fighting Illini scored a 6-4 win over Georgia Tech in the opener of the Nashville Regional before 2,555 fans at Hawkins Field in Nashville.

The Vanderbilt Commodores defeated Illinois 10-4 before 3,279 fans.

Georgia Tech then eliminated Illinois with a 6-3 win in front of 2,536 fans.

 

* * *

On the season ... C Kelly Norris-Jones (Victoria, BC) hit .167 with two doubles and four RBIs in 23 games.

 

* * *

Canadians in the NCAA field of 64 on the Road to Omaha and the College World Series

Position players Avg. HRs RBIs

C Michael Booth, Lakeshore, Ont. Canisius .247, 0, 11

C Brooklyn Foster, Langley, B.C. Canisius .360, 2, 31

INF Kyle Hann, Oakville, Mississippi State .219, 0, 1

INF Brendan Hendriks, Cochrane, Alta. San Francisco .184, 0, 8

OF Michael Krische, Langley, B.C. Canisius .252, 0, 19

 

OF Sasha LaGarde, Pierrefonds, Que., Mercer .309, 7, 34

INF Daniel Marra, Toronto, South Dakota State .274, 0, 24

C Brent Mitchell, Paris, Ont. South Alabama .281, 2, 8

RF Jordan Mountford, Guelph, Bryant .317, 3, 22

C Kelly Norris-Jones, Victoria, B.C. Indiana .167, 0, 4

 

INF Connor Panas, Toronto, Canisius .321, 1, 18

OF Jacob Robson, Windsor, Ont. Mississippi State .206, 0 16

OF Brett Siddall, Windsor, Ont. Canisius .318, 1, 29

OF Daniel Telford, Newmarket, South Dakota State .410, 6, 36

INF Jose Torralba, Mississauga, Ont. Canisius .273, 1, 23

 

INF Jordan Varga, Port Coquitlam, B.C., South Dakota State .190, 1, 7

OF Shane Zimmer, St. Albert, Alta. Canisius .222, 1, 14

 

 

Pitchers

RHP Jon Fitzsimmons, London, Ont. Canisius 4-0, 1.16, 10 saves

RP Chad Hodges, Medicine Hat, Alta., South Dakota State 3-2, 4.76, 2 saves

LHP Ryan Kellogg, Whitby, Arizona State, 11-1, 3.15

LHP Shane Kraemer, Vancouver, South Dakota State 4-3, 4.43

RP, Andrew MacDonald Toronto, Ont., Elon, 5-1, 2.09, four saves.

 

RHP Billy Martin, Mississauga, Canisius 0-1, 12.71

RHP Zak Miller, Surrey, B.C., Arizona State 4-0, 4.85

RHP J.D. Moore, Mississauga, Ont., South Dakota State 0-2, 1.99, 14 saves

RHP Iannick Remmillard, Valleyfield, Que. Canisius 2-0, 3.71

RHP Jason Rubenstein, Thornhill, Canisius 1-0, 5.48

 

RHP Tyler Soucie, Cambridge, Ont., Canisius 1-0, 3.72

RHP Devon Stewart, Maple Ridge, B.C. Canisius 5-6, 5.65