BMOC Week 5
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
Canadians were all over the box scores in college ball this past week. From pitching to hitting there were numerous impressive performances. Here is a list of who did what for their respective teams.

Stevenson improves to 2-0    
J.P. Stevenson (News Glasgow, PEI) picked up his second win of the season in Canisius College’s 6-1 win over New Jersey Institute of Technology. He surrendered one run over 6 1/3 innings of work. He scattered six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He has already matched his win total from 2016.

Whitbread shines, while Indiana State stumbles
If there was one bright spot in the Indiana State Sycamores 9-1 loss to Mississippi State it was Tyler Whitbread (Camlachie, Ont.). Whitbread tossed three scoreless innings against the Bulldogs while allowing two hits. He struck out three during his outing.

Sylvester gets win in season opener
It was a Canadian who picked up the win for the Minot State Beavers in their season opener against Minnesota Crookston. Jeremy Sylvester (Regina, Sask.) threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in the 3-2 win.

Schulz shines in season opener
Another Saskatchewan native got himself off to a good start in 2017 for the Minot State University Beavers. Jordan Schulz (Strasbourg, Sask.) went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double in his teams Game 1 win. He would stroke another double in Game 2 but the Beavers dropped that contest 5-4.

Renaud ramps it up
It was a slow start to the weekend for Laine Renaud (Hamilton, Ont.) of East Strousburg University but he certainly made up for it in the final two games of the week. After not contributing much offensively in the first two games, Renaud went off for a 3-for-4 day with a RBI in a 21-8 win over Philadelphia University. In their fourth game against Shepherd, Renaud notched another three hits and a RBI.

Wilson powers offence as Canisius wins 4
The Canisius College Golden Griffins brought home four wins over the weekend and Liam Wilson (Ayr, Ont.) played a big role in it all. In a Game 1, 8-4 win over Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, he went 2-for-4 while being hit by a pitch and knocking in two runs. Chicago State’s staff couldn’t slow Wilson down as he went 4-for-5 with a RBI in a 8-1 Griffs win.  He collected two hits and three walks over the final two games, both wins, one over NJIT and the other over IPFW.

Lumley brings the lumber
The opposition didn’t have any fun with the top of the Canisius College order over the weekend. After Liam Wilson was done doing his damage they had to deal with Jake Lumley (Windsor, Ont.). Lumley wasted little time getting his weekend rolling going 3-for-5 in an 8-4 win. He pounded out another three hits with a walk and a RBI in Game 2 against Chicago State. He had his third multi-hit game in Game 3, going 2-for-6 with a double. He closed his weekend with a double, a hit by pitch and two RBIs. Canisius now takes their act to Wilson, N.C. where the Rams of Fordham await.

Braun keeps bashing for Central Washington
Central Washington leaned on Dustin Braun (Landmark, Man.) and his bat to guide them to three of a possible four wins over the weekend against the Academy of Art. In Game 1, a 4-3 win, he went 3-for-4 with a double. He launched a solo home run in Game 2 en route to a 4-0 victory. He rounded out his weekend in Game 4 with a 2-for-3 game with a RBI.

Weirsma works his way on seven times
Trevor Weirsma (Vancouver, BC) reached base seven times over the past week in a three game series with Pitt-Johnstown. He had five hits and two walks to go along with three RBIs for Concord University. 

Canucks made them head for Hills
LF Ryan Humeniuk (Stonewall, Man.), C Zachary Fascia (Brampton, Ont.) and 1B Justin King (Okotoks, Alta.) paced the Indian Hills Falcons on their opening week end. Humeniuk homered, knocked in four runs, as Fascia went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, then took the gear off and gained the save in a 12-10 win over the Garden City Broncbusters. King added a double. LHP Jared Spearing (Winnipeg, Man.) started the opener pitching 3 1/3 innings allowing four runs -- two earned -- while walking three and fanning two. Fascia recorded the final three outs allowing one hit. 

Humeniuk had a pair of doubles and knocked in a run in a 13-5 win in Game 2 of the series, while Fascia doubled in a run. RHP Markus Gregson (Surrey BC) started and pitched three innings allowing one unearned run on one hit as he fanned two.  

King doubled, singled and homered plating six runs in a 21-11 romp over against Garden City. Humeniuk had three hits, including a double, scoring three runs and 1B Fascia singled in a run. Humeniuk had six hits and seven RBI, Fascia six hits and five RBIs and King had four hits and knocked in five. The Canucks have Indians Hills or coach Cam Walker (Winnipeg, Man) and assistant coach Steve Kletke (Altoona, Man.).

Some start for Barc
C Ty Barclay (Wyoming Ont.) had three hits as the Garden City Broncbusters fell 12-10 to the Indian Hills Falcons. RHP Danny Weagle (Brantford Ont.) pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing three runs on four hits and a walk. He fanned three in a 13-5 loss to Indian Hills. Barclay singled in 21-10 loss in the finale. 

Lahn leads Lock Haven
This past week started with a bang for Matt Lahn (Georgetown, Ont.). He hammered a two-run shot in Lock Haven’s 6-3 win over Chowan. He showed off his speed in Game 2 by stroking a triple while also being hit by a pitch. He went back to the power game in Game 3 by launching a three-run home run in a 10-9, Game 3 win. He finished the game with four RBIs. Lock Haven dropped the finale to split the series but Lahn had himself another good game going 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch and a RBI.

Osborne nationally recognized
The University of Tampa’s J.D. Osborne (Whitby, Ont.) garnered national attention for his performance two weeks ago. He was named National Hitter of the Week for hitting .615 with three home runs against No. 23 Southern Indiana.

Guzzo goes deep
Austin Guzzo (Brooklin, Ont.) hit a a two-run home run for the University of Iowa in one of their wins over Alabama State. 

Pop earns first win
St. Joseph’s wasn’t ready for the heat that Zach Pop was bringing. Pop worked 3 2/3 innings to pick up the win for the Kentucky Wildcats. He allowed two hits with four strikeouts and a walk. The win was his first of the season.

Freure standing out as a freshman
Being a freshman on a college ball team isn’t always easy. Despite being one of the new guys, opportunities can be slim. RJ Freure (Burlington, Ont.) has made sure to make the most of his opportunities with the University of Pittsburgh. Freure picked up his second win of the season by allowing just one hit over three innings of work in an 8-2 win over Siena. He struck out four and walked one in the outing and has yet to allow an earned run this season.

Another freshman pitches well
Speaking of freshman pitchers, how about Mathieu Gauthier (Candiac, Que.). He picked up his first win for North Carolina State against Austin Peay. He tossed three innings, allowing two hits and a run with three punch outs.

Ando has four hits, knocks in four for Michigan State
Royce Ando (Toronto, Ont.) powered the Michigan State Spartans to wins in 2-of-3 games against the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He went over the wall in a 5-4 Game 1 Spartan victory. He also legged out a double in the opener. In Game 2, a 22-16 slugfest, he had another pair of hits, one of which was a double, while knocking in three runs. Michigan State dropped the finale 4-1.

Slamko slams the door
Cole Slamko (Okotoks, Alta.) put Spalding University on his back for seven innings as his team earned a 7-3 win to complete the three game sweep of Penn State Behrend. Slamko scattered six hits, three runs (one earned) over his seven innings of work. He struck out five and walked three to pick up his first win of the season.

Kirkwood a doubles machine
Garrett Kirkwood (Calgary, Alta.) supplied a double in each of the first three games of the weekend for Colby Community College as they would take 3-of-4 against Lamar. When the dust settled he had six hits, a walk, four RBIs and two stolen bases over the four game set.

Granton supplies three multi-hit games
After going hitless in Game 1 against Lamar, Brian Granton (Calgary, Alta.) reeled off two hits in each of the last three games to finish the weekend on a positive note. In those six hits were a double and a triple with a stolen base and five RBIs. All five RBIs came in Colby’s Game 4, 10-1 win.

MacLaren with a double and home run
It was hard to keep up with his Colby Trojan teammates but Cole MacLaren (Morell, PEI) managed to hit a home run and a double in their series against Lamar. He also added four walks and three RBIs over the four games.

Hrynkiw, Connors State explode for 23-2 win
It wasn’t a fun day at the office for Bacone College. Tony Hrynkiw (Brampton, Ont.) went 4-for-5 with a walk, a home run, a double and five RBIs in the 23-2 thumping. He added a hit and a walk the rest of the week against TSC Postgrad in a 4-3 loss.

Yates with more walks than hits
Everyone has heard it, “a walk is as good as a hit.” Dawson Yates (Kelowna, BC) took that to heart for Texas A&M Corpus Christi in their four games this past week. Yates had a hit and three walks in a 7-6 loss to Missouri. He then had a hit and another two walks in a 15-14 loss to Illinois. In Game 4 of the weekend he went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Texas A&M Corpus Christi now readies for a weekend series with UT Arlington.

Warkentin continues to rake
Matt Warkentin (Leamington, Ont.) is hitting .364 in 2017. He went 3-for-6 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs in an extra inning Johnson County win. He went 2-for-4 the next game and added a hit and a walk in the finale.

Lacroix with 13 hits
That’s right, Jonathan Lacroix (Montreal, Que.) had 13 hits for the Seminole State Trohans this past week. His best performance came in the first game as he went 4-for-4 with three RBIs. He also drove in nine runs and walked twice in the six games. His team won 5-of-6.

Turcotte with first collegiate start
The Stonybrook Seawolves gave the ball to Sam Turcotte (Toronto, Ont.) in Game 2 of their series with Presbyterian. Turcotte ended up tossing 4 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and a run with six strikeouts and a walk. It was Turcotte’s first start in college, good chance it will not  be his last.

Botnick picks up win
After throwing a scoreless inning for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds against Antelope Valley, Christian Botnick (Brampton, Ont.) picked up the win against the No. 1 Lewis Clark State Warriors. He worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the 6-3, 10 inning win.

Goodall tries to mirror Botnick
Aiden Goodall (Nanaimo, BC) also threw a scoreless inning against Antelope Valley for UBC. He followed it up by tossing a pair of scoreless innings against Lewis-Clark State. He allowed three hits and had a pair of strikeouts.

Another two scoreless
Two scoreless innings was a theme for UBC relievers this past week. Patrick Van Den Brink (Surrey, BC) got in on the action with a clean inning in the 6-3, 10 inning win over Lewis-Clark State. He then threw two scoreless with a pair of strikeouts in a 20-14 win over those same Warriors.

Noble outing
He may not have picked up the win but Connor Noble (Vancouver, BC) played a big role in UBC’s extra inning win over Lewis-Clark State. He tossed six scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits with five strikeouts and three walks. 

Rupnik leads team in average
Paul Rupnik (Newmarket, Ont.) is having himself a fine year at Newman University and this past week was no different. He started it out with a hit, two walks and a RBI in a 13-10 win over Upper Iowa. In Game 2 he had two hits, two walks and two RBIs. After another two hits in Game 3, he had his best game in the finale, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Rupnik leads Newman in average with an even .500 mark.

Wacker lives up to name
The headline was a little too easy, but it’s true. Travis Wacker (Frisco, Tex.) who moved to Canada as he headed into grade eight had a good weekend for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. First up was the Arizona State Sun Devils. Wacker went 3-for-4 with two walks and three RBIs in the 18-4 midweek win. In their weekend series with Texas State, Wacker had four hits and three walks to go along with five RBIs. The Cowboys took 2-of-3 and are 4-3 on the year.

Koroneos with six hits
In Game 1 against East. Mennonite Zachary Koroneos (Toronto, Ont.) of Penn State Harrisburg left the yard and had two hits in the 12-6 win. In Game 2, he again had two hits and this time walked and drove in two. In their third game he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Baldinelli big for St. Bonaventure
Jared Baldinelli’s (Niagara Falls, Ont.) best game of the week came in the second, an 8-7 win over Dartmouth. In that one he went 3-for-4 with a RBI. In the Bonnies third game and second against Dartmouth he chipped in with a hit. He also had a hit and two walks against Eastern Michigan to open the weeks play.

Thibideau’s a terror for opposition
Chris Thibideau (Dartmouth, NS) had nine hits for the University of North Florida in four games over the last week. Two of those hits were two-run home runs. His best overall game came in Game 3 against Northeastern. In the UNF 17-6 win he went 4-for-6 with one of the two-run shots. He also collected two doubles and drove in five. He leads UNF in average, hitting at a .400 clip. He also has three home runs and 12 RBIs in eight games. The Osprey have a midweek game against Savannah State and a weekend series with Penn coming up.

Martin leads UBC attack
It started with a home run and ended with an epic comeback. Vinny Martin (Pender Island, BC) had a solo home run and a double in a 7-5 loss to Antelope Valley. It was another disappointing result for UBC against William Jessup but Martin went 2-for-3 with a walk in the 7-3 loss. Next up was national power and No. 1 Lewis-Clark State. In the opener, a 6-3, 12 inning win, Martin chipped in with a hit and a RBI. He went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in UBC’s Game 2, 3-1 loss. Game 3 was a doozy. UBC scored nine in the 5th and another six in the sixth to come back and stun the Warriors with a 20-14 win. Martin went 3-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs in the thrilling victory.

Robinson on nine times
Mitch Robinson (Surrey, BC) was also instrumental in UBC’s success. He reached nine times in the T-Birds five games. He had seven hits, two walks and six RBIs to help spark the offence.

Garon goes deep three times
JF Garon (Terrebonne, Que.) is off to a torrid start for the Bradley University Braves. He hit a two-run home run and worked a walk in Game 1 of Bradley’s series with Tennessee Tech, a 13-7 loss. He worked a walk in a Game 2 win and then went 3-for-5 with a walk and a pair of home runs in a 16-14, Game 3 loss. He drove in five and scored four times in the final game of the series. So far in 2017 Garon has five home runs in 24 at bats, spanning six games.

Follett shows consistency
Nick Follett (Etobicoke, Ont.) reached in every game for the College of the Desert this past week. He had seven hits, a walk and three RBIs. 

Willow with big games
Game 1 was kind to Evan Willow (Victoria, BC) as he went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in MacPherson College’s 5-3 loss to Evangel. He had a hit in a 13-4, Game 2 loss. He registered a hit, a walk and two RBIs in the third game, also a loss. The week wasn’t as good for his team as they lost four games.

Procopio pitches NU to win
Daniel Procopio (Toronto, Ont.) gave up one hit over six innings as the Niagara Purple Eagles dumped the Norfolk State Spartans 4-0 in Game 2 of their series. Procopio improved his record to 1-1 on the year.

Brash helps NU finish sweep
Matthew Brash (Kingston, Ont.) got the ball for Niagara with a chance to complete the sweep of Norfolk State. He delivered with five innings of three hit baseball. He allowed an unearned run, struck out six and walked four in the 6-1 win. He is now 2-0 on the young season.

Burns is a regular
It appears Taylor Burns (St. Albert, Alta.) will be appearing a lot in this seasons weekly BMOC. He’s already a household name in the column and it’s only week five. He pitched Central Missouri to a 5-2 win over Fort Hays State during their Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association series opener. He spun seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits with six strikeouts and four walks. He holds a 2-0 record for the Mules.

Burgmann off to good start
Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) threw 3 2/3 innings for the Washington Huskies in their Game 4, 6-5 loss to St. Mary’s. Burgmann allowed four hits, two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts and two walks. He has a 2.25 ERA so far in the young season.

Mailloux wins for Monroe
The ball was handed to Oliver Mailloux (Quebec City, Que.) in Monroe College’s season opener. He got the job done with five innings of work allowing just one hit and an unearned run. He struck out five and walked two.

Szpik hits second home run
Daniel Szpik (Toronto, Ont.) hit his second home run of the year, a three-run shot, in Florida Tech’s 10-2 win over Albany State. He also doubled in the weekend opener. He had a knock, a walk and a stolen base in a 6-1 loss to North Georgia in Game 2 of the weekend. In the third game against Quincy, he hit a double and walked. He is hitting .271 on the year with two home runs, 14 RBIs and three stolen bases.

Canadian college baseball players are heating up with each passing week. Do not miss any of the action. Check back each week to see a recap of the top performances.

If you know of someone who is deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com