Elliott: Hall, Davis, Willow, Wacker, Warken headed to NCAA schools updated
SS Adam Hall (London, Ont.) of the Great Lake Canadians and the Canadian Junior National Team is headed to the Texas A&M Aggies.
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Rarely if ever have Canadians done so well in November during the early signing period.
The number of players signing scholarship commitments to leave high school and attend NCAA Division 1 schools is unlike any other November we can remember.
We simply have not seen numbers of this magnitude head south of the border to this type of schools. These players will head off to school next September and either play in the spring of 2017 or the spring after that.
With the Letter of Intent signed commitment players (whether they are draft eligible in 2017 or 2018) have an option in their pockets heading into the draft.
Let’s start with ...
The Texas A&M Aggies (49-16), who had the fourth highest RPI in the spring after Coastal Carolina Chantileers won at Omaha, and are hoping for a Canuck blue chipper for next fall ... in
SS Adam Hall (London, Ont.) of Great Lake Canadians is acclaimed as the top high schooler heading into the draft and is ranked 31st of the top 500 Canadians in North America heading into the draft
And C-3B Noah Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays for the fall of 2018. Both are the tip of the ice berg of talent with coach Greg Hamilton’s Canadian Junior National Team.
OF Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays is off to the 19th ranked Vanderbilt Commodroes (43-19) who had the 16th best RPI. He is 154th in PG's latest set of rankings.
INF Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) of the Victoria Mariners is off to the University of California Santa Barbara Gauchos (43-20-1) who were 18th in RPI. He is listed 178th according to Perfect Game's top 500 High Schoolers in North America.
C Travis Wacker (Oakville, Ont.) who graduated from the Field House Pirates, went to the Grayson College Vikings and is transferring to Oklahoma State Cowboys (43-22) who had the 21st highest RPI.
That concludes players going to teams in the top 25. And now headed through the rankings:
31. Louisiana Tech (42-20)
C-1B Cole Warken (Regina, Sask.) who attended the Martin Academy,enrolled to play for the Polk State Eagles is headed to the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs.
32. Tulane (41-21).
RHP Will McAffer (North Vancouver, BC) former North Shore Twin is currently at Central Arizona College but he has signed his National Letter of Intent to pitch for the Tulane University Green Wave.
52. Washington (33-23).
Then, come a pair of right-hander headed for the 21st-ranked Washington Huskies in LHP Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC) or the North Shore Twins ...
And RHP David Rhodes, (White Rock, BC) Seattle Select, University of Washington.
65. Alabama (32-26).
C Jake Sims, (Guelph, Ont.) Ontario Terrier is transferring from Roane State to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
67. Oklahoma (30-27-1).
RHP Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) Ontario Terriers, who is a 2018 draft, has signed to become an Oklahoma Sooners.
68. California (32-21).
OF Austen Swift (Etobicoke, Ont.) is transferring to the University of California-Berkeley. Swift hit .353 with nine doubles, two triples, 10 homers and 27 RBIs scoring 38 times in 52 games for the Blinn Buccaneers. He was 12-for-13 stealing bases.
77. Lamar (35-19)
RHP Kristjan Storrie (Langley, BC) pitched for the Langley Blaze, is currently with the Galveston College Whitecaps and now will head to the mound for the Lamar University Cardinals.
82. Old Dominion (32-24).
INF Jared Young hit .400 for the Connors State Cowboys and is transferring to Old Dominion Monachs.
85. Pittsburgh (25-26)
C Cole MacLaren (Morell, PEI) now with the Colby College Trojans had signed to join the University of Pittsburgh Panthers.
103. Austin Peay (34-23)
LHP Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays is bound for the Austin Peay University Governors.
110. Liberty (31-28).
RHP Noah Skirrow (Stoney Brook, Ont.) of the Tri-State Arsenel Prime will pitch for the Liberty Flames. He is listed 337th on PG's top 500 high schoolers.
119. Arkansas State (29-29)
SS Andrew Leggo (Waterloo, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays is headed to the Arkansas State University Red Wolves.
120. Cincinnati (26-30-1).
INF Dondrae Bremner (Toronto Ont.) of the Toronto Mets has decided on the Cincinnati Bearcats. He is ranked 325th among the top 500 PG high schoolers in North America.
128. Texas (25-32).-
RHP Landon Leach, who impressed at the Perfect Game World Wood Bat championships last month in Jupiter, Fla. for the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team has a school.
Leach (Pickering, Ont.) ranked as Canada’s best high school pitcher headed into the June draft, verbally committed to pitching for the University of Texas Longhorns. He will pitch for coach Chris Kemlo’s Toronto Mets, as well as Greg Hamilton’s Canadian Junior National Team. He is ranked 95th in PG’s top 500.
131. Missouri (26-30).
OF Zach Diewert (Chemainus, BC) is with the Polk State Eagles and has signed to play for the Missouri Tigers.
137. Cal-State Northridge (33-22).
LHP Wesley Moore (Surrey, BC) of the Vauxhall Academy Jets has signed with the Cal-State Northbridge Matadors.
141, San Francisco (22-34).
RHP Landen Bourassa (Lethbridge, Alta.) of the Lane Community College Titans is off to the University of San Francisco Dons.
148. Auburn (23-33)
INF Edouard Julien (Québec City Que.) is heading to Josh Donaldson’s school Auburn University Tigers.
171. Sacramento State (30-28).
3B-C Steven Moretto (Burnaby, BC) of the North Shore Twins is headed south to the Sacramento State University Hornets.
173. Hawaii (23-30).
A pair head to the Islands. RHP North Shore Twins Sam Shoemaker (West Vancouver, BC) committed to the University of Hawaii Rainbows, a rising team in the Big West conference whose 2016 recruiting class was ranked 37th in the nation.
And Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) of the Chilliwack Cougars will join him.
196. Canisius (32-27).
INF Jacob Martins (Richmond Hill, Ont.) of the Ontario Terriers is headed to the Canisius College Golden Griffins to play for coach Mike McRae (Niagara Falls, Ont.).
OF Connor Sparks (Saskatoon, Sask.) has also committed to Canisius.
And so has OF Michael Ssemanda (Hamilton, Ont.) of the Ontario Royals.
211. Albany (23-30).
LHP Ben Brown (Richmond Hill, Ont.) of the Toronto Mets, is off to pitch for the University at Albany Great Danes.
220. Central Michigan (24-37)
LHP Garrett Nicholson (Sydney Mines, NS) from the Vauxhall Academy Jets is off to play for the Central Michigan University Chippewas.
223. South Carolina Upstate (22-30)
RHP Jordan Marks (Brights Grove, Ont.) of the Great Lake Canadians, is off to University of South Carolina Upstate. His brother RHP Jesse Marks (Brights Grove, Ont. is a sophomore at Adrian College.
249. Hofstra (15-37).
LHP Jack Anderson (Waterloo, Ont.) a former Ontario Terrier will soon be off to pitch for the Hofstra Pride.
264. Niagara (16-37-1).
RHP Cameron Dyck (Oakville, Ont.) of the Etobicoke Rangers is off to the Niagara Purple Eagles.
RHP Ben Erwin (Spruce Grove, Alta.) who pitched for the Spruce Grove White Sox, Team Alberta and currently the Vauxhall Academy Jets is headed East.
And so is 3B-RHP Evan Kiser (Mono, Ont.) of the Ontario Royals is also headed to Niagara
275. Purdue (10-44).
INF Owen Jansen (Oakville, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays is headed to the mid west to become a Purdue Boilermaker in the fall of 2018.
Are we missing any NCAA commits?
And as for recent JUCO signings
RHP William Sierra (Montreal, Que.) has committed to Chipola Junior College the same place as Russell Martin, Adam Loewen, Jose Bautista, Buck Showalter, along with Quebec players Ivan Naccarata, Éric Bernier, Jonathan Gilbert, Brian Bardis, Jonathan Paquet, Sasha Lagarde, Marc Bourgeois attended.
LHP Kyle Ross (Langley, BC) of Doug Mathieson and Jamie Bodoly’s Langley Blaze is off to Galveston.
RHP Austin Skelhorn (Aurora, Ont.) of Matt Baird’s Field House Pirates if to Galveston too.
C Mitch Osborne (Whitby, Ont.) committed to Polk State, winners of three consecutive Suncoast Conference championships and five of the last six years.
After playing for the Whitby Chiefs, Osborne play for the Mississauga Tigers bantam 15u, which won the 2014 Canadian nationals. For the past two years, he has played with the Toronto Mets and this year led his team in batting average, runs batted in and doubles.
OF Clayton Keyes (Calgary, Alta.) Okotoks Dawgs hopes to join the Central Arizona Vaqueros. He is listed 390th on the PG's top 500 list.
And hard-throwing RHP Austin Brown (Powell River, BC) of Okanagan Athletics is heading to Odessa College Wranglers