BMOC XIX: Antchak, Bigras, Boyd, Gladu, Robson

1B Mitch Bigras (Sarnia, Ont.) had all the answers as Boston College advanced to the Super Regional. 

BMOC Week 19
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
The Junior College World Series is complete and there were plenty of Canadians taking part in the tournament. There were also 11 Canadians playing in NCAA Division I regionals. Three Canadians are moving onto the Super Regionals. The quest for national championships continues. See who was a standout for their team below.

Wood, San Jacinto lose in title game
It was a tough ending to the year for Max Wood (Vancouver, BC) and his San Jacinto teammates. The NJCAA Division I World Series would start well with a 8-7 win over Cowley County. In Game 2 against Cisco, a 13-9 win, Wood went 1-for-3 with a RBI. He would chip in with double as they throttled fellow Canadian Matt Lloyd (Okotoks, Alta.) and the Iowa Western Reivers 14-4. Wood would go 2-for-4 with a RBI in his teams first loss of the tournament, 13-3 to Chattahoochee Valley. San Jacinto would get the last laugh with Chattahoochee Valley however, downing them 8-1 in the semifinals. Wood had a hit and a RBI in that one. Yavapai would take down San Jacinto in the title game, 5-2. The game would be tied after seven when Yavapai struck for two in the eighth and one in the ninth. Wood finishes the year hitting .371 with seven home runs, 50 RBIs, 44 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 63 games played.

Yavapai wins JUCO D1 World Series
Yavapai would overcome a Game 2 loss and run the table on their way to their first national championship since 1993. They also had some Canadian content on their way to the crown. Eric Hegadoran (Victoria, BC) is a member of the Yavapai baseball team.

Bigras leads Boston College to Super Regional
The Boston College Eagles are soaring to a NCAA Division I Super Regional. Locked in a regional with Ole Miss, Tulane and Utah, Boston College would win all three games to book their ticket to the next round. Going in as the No. 3 seed they would see the two seed, Tulane, in Game 1. The Eagles would come away with a 7-2 victory in the opener behind a double from Mitch Bigras (Sarnia, Ont.). Utah would be the opponent in Game 2 and BC would walk away with a 4-3 win. Bigras would again have a hit on his way to a 1-for-2 day. It was a rematch with Tulane to see who would move on and again Boston College came out on top, this time by a 6-3 score. Bigras would add a hit, a walk and a RBI in the final. Boston College heads to Coral Gables, Fla. for a Super Regional date with Miami.

Boyd and the Wildcats win regional
It took Louis Boyd (North Vancouver, BC) and the Arizona Wildcats five games but it ended in celebration as they took home the Lafayette Regional. It would get off to a good start for both Boyd and the Wildcats as they would win their opener 7-3 over Sam Houston State. Boyd would go 2-for-4 with a RBI in Game 1. After their next game was postponed they would face the host Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. Arizona would drop their only game of the tournament to ULL, 10-3. Boyd would walk and score a run  in that one. He would the walk in their Game 3, 6-5 win over Sam Houston State. That win would get Arizona into the regional final. In the final they would have to beat Louisiana Lafayette twice and they did just that. In the first game Arizona came out on top 6-3 with Boyd coming through with a hit and two RBIs. In the winner take all final game Boyd would chip in with a hit as his Wildcats would take home the regional crown with a 3-1 victory. Arizona now heads to Starkville, Miss. for their super regional date with Mississippi State.

Robson, Bulldogs ready for Boyd, Wildcats
Three straight wins for the Mississippi Bulldogs on home soil now sends them back to … home soil. With their regional win the Bulldogs earned the right to host their Super Regional with Arizona. Jacob Robson would score a run in the Bulldogs first game of the Starkville Regional, a game MSU would win 9-5. It was a hit and a RBI in Game 2 for Robson as his Bulldogs took down Cal State Fullerton 4-1. He would save his best performance for Louisiana Tech in the final. Robson would go 3-for-4 against the other Bulldogs en route to 4-0 win. 

Louisiana Tech loses out in Starkville
A 42-20 record is nothing to be ashamed of but it was still not enough as the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs would bow out to Mississippi State in  the Starkville Regional final. Louisiana Tech would have to wait to get there regional started as they were initially postponed in their first game against Cal State Fullerton. That game would eventually be played the next day and it ended in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss. Raphael Gladu (Trois Riviere, Que.) would help his team respond by adding a hit in a 9-4 Game 2 victory over Southeast Missouri. That would pit them in a rematch with Cal State Fullerton and this time the Bulldogs would come out on the winning side of things with a 6-2 win. Gladu would move to the leadoff spot and have a hit and a RBI in the win. Unfortunately for Louisiana Tech their run would come to an end in the final against Mississippi State. The hosts would take the game 4-0 and move on. Mark Baughman (Calgary, Alta.) was also a member of Louisiana Tech.

Virginia upset at home
The defending national champions would host a regional and would see their season come to an end after a 1-2 tournament. They would win big in their opener over William & Mary. Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ont) would go 2-for-5 with a RBI in the 17-4 drubbing. East Carolina, the eventual regional champions, would best the Cavs 8-6 in their next game. Pinero would walk and score a run in that one. The Cavaliers season would come to an end with a 6-5 loss to William & Mary. Pinero would have a great day at the plate in his final game of the season, going 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. Pinero finishes the year hitting .340 with four home runs, 39 RBIs, a .441 OBP and a .500 SLG. He stole five bases and fielded at a .950 percentage.

Antchak chips in for ULL
The Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns would win their regional opener 5-3 over Princeton on their home turf this past week. They would then play three straight against the University of Arizona and unfortunately for ULL, they would lose 2-of-3. In the first one, a 10-3 win, Brad Antchak (Langley, BC) would go 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. He would pinch hit in the next game, a 6-3 loss, forcing a winner take all final. He would have a pinch hit in the third and final game but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats took the Lafayette Regional with a 3-1 win. Antchak finishes the year hitting .246 with a home run and twelve RBIs. He would also have a .343 OBP and a .336 SLG with five stolen bases to go along .954 Fld%. Antchak would get into 45 games, 34 starts.

Fernandez-Beltram makes a appearance in regional
Fernando Fernandez-Beltram (Mercier, Que.) would throw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning, allowing a hit, a walk with zero strikeouts in New Mexico’s 4-3 loss to Texas Tech in their regional this past week. New Mexico would then lose their next game against Dallas Baptist to be eliminated. They would win one game however, Game 1 by the score of 12-6 over Dallas Baptist.

McEachern named to All-Tournament team
As if winning the Division III National championship wasn’t enough, Carter McEachern took home another honour. He was also named to the All-Tournament team for the national championship. He finished the year hitting .347 with three home runs, 47 RBIs, a .410 OBP and a .505 SLG. He would also be a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts while fielding at a .933 clip in 51 games, all starts.

It may seem like the season is winding down but for some it is just starting to heat up. With the Super Regionals in Division I coming down the pipe there are three Canadians taking part. It will continue to be an exciting finish to the college baseball season. Will someone be off to the College World Series? Make sure to check back next week to see what happens.

If you know of someone deserving of a mention in this weekly column, please email Matt Betts @ mattbetts41@gmail.com.