BMOC: Fagnan, Pinero anchor of CWS champs

SS Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ont.) hit .308 with six home runs and 29 RBIs, with an .827 OPS. 

BMOC 17
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Natwork

Daniel Pinero did what every college player dreams about before every season. It did not start out well but it ended exactly how he imagined, a dog pile. 

Pinero was not the only Canadian in Omaha over the last week. 

Lets take a look at how Canadians did in Nebraska in the final BMOC issue of 2015:
    
Pinero captures National Title:
It started off well for Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ont.) and the Virginia Cavaliers in Game 1 of their College World Series run. It was the Razorbacks of Arkansas who posed the first test and it was one the Cavs would pass. Virginia would take the game 5-3 and Pinero would have a monster day going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Virginia then would squeak by another SEC powerhouse, edging Florida 1-0. Pinero would go 1-for-3 with a walk in that contest. They would then have another date with Florida and the Gators would take a bite out of the Cavaliers, taking a 10-5 decision. Pinero, however would do his best going 2-for-4 while scoring a run. With the season on the line, it was Florida again. This time Virginia would take down the Gators 5-4 to book their ticket to the best-of-3 College World Series final. Pinero would collect another pair of hits, going 2-for-3 with another run scored. This set up a rematch and a chance for revenge by the Virginia Cavaliers as they would see Vanderbilt in the final. Game 1 would go the way of the Commodores 5-1 and would put Virginia’s back against the wall. Pinero would be quiet with the bat but would earn a walk in the loss. Game 2 would see them keep their season alive with a 3-0 victory, Pinero would again earn a walk. This would set up a winner take all final, something Virginia surely had been thinking about since last year’s heartbreak. Virginia would complete the comeback with a 4-2 win to capture the College World Series, the first in program history. Pinero would go 1-for-3 in the decisive game. Virginia finished the year 44-24 while Pinero would finish hitting .308 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, 60 runs scored, .409 OBP, .419 SLG, nine stolen bases while having a .933 fielding percentage over 67 games, all starts.

Fagnan, TCU close but so far:
It was a week filled with SEC opponents for the TCU Horned Frogs. First up was LSU, a game Jeremie Fagnan (Calgary, AB) and his teammates would take 10-3. Fagnan would score a run and an RBI. They would then drop a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Vanderbilt. Fagnan would record a hit, going 1-for-4. They would then see the Tigers again with their season on the line, and would beat them yet again by an 8-4 score. Fagnan would have his best game of the College World Series going 2-for-4. Vanderbilt would end the Horned Frogs season, beating them 7-1. The TCU’s Canadian first baseman would go 1-for-4 again. The Horned Frogs finished the season with a 51-15 record while Fagnan ended his season hitting .265 with four home runs, 26 RBIs, 29 runs scored, .353 OBP, .373 SLG, 10 stolen bases while having a sparkling .998 fielding percentage.

Congratulations to all Canadians in college baseball this season.