Big Man On Campus Week IX

By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
It was yet another exciting week in the world of college baseball. This week in the BMOC sees a number of feats from Canadian players. Check it all out below.

Sanford hits for the cycle
Let’s get the week started with one of the best performances of the week. Jake Sanford (Cole Harbour, NS) hit for the cycle in McCook Community Colleges 10-8 win over Hastings. He finished the game 4-for-4 with three RBIs. He had 10 hits on the week, two of which were home runs. 

Granton named American Midwest Conference Player of the Week
Brian Granton (Calgary, Alta.) accomplished something he has yet to do in his career with the William Woods University Owls. The junior was named American Midwest Conference Player of the Week for the first time for his performance in four games for the Owls. In their first, an 8-5 win over Columbia, he went 3-for-5. Next up was a three-game set with Hannibal-LaGrange. In Game 1 he went 4-for-4 but it wasn’t enough as William Woods dropped the contest 8-7. Granton continued to swing a hot stick in Game 2 going 3-for-5 again, this time with three RBIs as the Owls won 12-3. In rubber match Granton went 3-for-3 with two RBIs to lead his team to a 5-1 win and a 2-1 series victory. Granton is now hitting .356 on the year.

Moore flexes offensive muscle
Five home runs is a pretty good season total for a lot of players. Darcy Moore (Sharon, Ont.) did that in a doubleheader for Freed-Hardeman. In an 11-0 beating of William Baptist College Moore had three hits, all solo home runs. William Baptist continued to pitch to him in the back half of the doubleheader, which was clearly a mistake. Moore launched two more home runs in a 14-6 Lions victory. 

Tongue leads Otero in saves, appearances. Otero loaded with Canadian contributors
David Tongue (Kamloops, BC) currently leads Otero College is appearances and saves, adding an appearance last week. Tongue picked up the win in relief in Otero’s 3-2 win over McCook. He worked four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a pair of walks. He struck five to pick up his first win of the season. The former Okanagan Athletic is 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA and three saves over nine appearances in 2018.

Samuel Avila (Kamloops, BC) had a nice week, saving his best game for last. In Otero’s Game 3, 14-4 win over McCook, Avila went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. He had eight hits in total and drove in seven runs. He also stole a pair of bases to run his season total to 12.

McCoy Pearce (Kamloops, BC) also had his best game in the finale of the three-game set with McCook. Pearce went 3-for-3 with a RBI in the win and had seven hits in all on the week.

Smith picks up first collegiate win
Hulking 6’5, 230 pound Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) surrendered just three hits over 6 1/3 innings to pick up his first college win for the University of Hawaii Warriors. He gave up an unearned run and struck out four in the 6-1 win over Illinois State.

Onyshko has three scoreless appearances
Ben Onyshko (Winnipeg, Man) worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings over three games for Stetson. He tossed two innings and struck out four in the Hatters 8-4 loss to Army. He issued a walk over 2/3 of an inning in a 10-1, Game 1 win over Rhode Island. He was back out facing the Rams in Game 3 going two innings, giving up a hit and striking out two. Onyshko is having an impressive season as he is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA over nine appearances.

Morris mashes
Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC) certainly started off his week on the right foot. In Crowder Colleges opening game, a 13-9 win over Connors State, Morris reached five times. He went 3-for-4 with a pair of walks and a RBI in the win. He went 3-for-4 again in a 15-2 Game 1 win as the Roughriders began a series with MCC-Maple Woods. He added another two hits and a RBI in a 12-2 win in Game 2. After walking twice and driving in a run in a Game 3 win, he had two more hits and a walk as Crowder completed the sweep in Game 4.

Horanski hammers opposing pitching
It was an Atlantic Coast Conference battle in Atlanta, Georgia last week. Luke Horanski and his Virginia Tech Hokies dropped a three-game set 2-1 to the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Game 1 went the way of Georgia Tech 16-9 despite two hits, a walk and three RBIs from Horanski. Horanski went 2-for-5 with a RBI as the Hokies took Game 2, 10-8 to even the series. Georgia Tech took the finale 10-6 and the series in the next game. Horanski had a hit to close the series. Virginia Tech is just 17-33 all-time against Georgia Tech.

Mailloux helps Racers rebound
The Northwestern Ohio Racers dropped Game 1 of their series to Concordia and looked to Olivier Mailloux (Quebec City, Que.) to get them back on track in Game 2. He delivered with a complete game, seven inning victory. He scattered four hits, a walk and struck out five. Northwestern Ohio used the momentum from Mailloux’s start to take Game 3 and the series.

Busy week for Dawson, pair of Canadians
James Mitchell (Vancouver, BC) went 9-for-19 over seven games for Dawson Community College. Mitchell drove in nine runs and posted a 1.249 OPS on the week. The Buccaneers played 11 games in total and went 10-1.

Joey Hagen (Dartmouth, NS) earned his first collegiate win in Dawson’s 2-1 win over the Carroll University JV’s. The freshman threw a complete game, seven innings and struck out eight. He scattered three hits and a walk to hold the opposition to a single run.

Impressive Royals
Canadians had some solid performances for the Douglas College Royals over their six games last week. Jay Kim (Abbotsford, BC) went 5-for-10 and stole two bases for the Royals, who went 2-4.

Braeden Miller (Surrey, BC) went 3-for-4 in back-to-back games against Carleton and Williston to close the week. He drove in a run in an 11-10 loss to Carelton and had two RBIs in a 13-3 win over Williston.

Matteo Porcellato (Port Coquitlam, BC) had himself a nice week hitting .666. In a 4-3 loss to Arizona Western he went 3-for-3 and stole a base. His next action came in a 7-4 win over Eastern Arizona where he had a hit, two walks, a RBI and a stolen base. He collected a hit in the next game, an 8-1 loss to Eastern Arizona. The Royals took on Carleton in their next game and Porcellato went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. In the final game of the week against Williston he went 2-for-4 with a RBI. Porcellato is hitting .500 (12-for-24) in 2018.

The impressive performances were not just limited to the batters box. Kyle Stubbins (Surrey, BC) made two appearances. His first came in the 4-3 loss to Arizona Western when he went two innings and allowed a run. He gave up two hits and struck out two in the nail biter. He picked up the win against Williston going five innings, scattering just as many hits. He allowed three runs -- one earned -- with a walk and 10 punch outs.

DeCooman doing his thing
Being a freshman in the Pac 12 is tough, contributing is even harder. Don’t tell Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC) that, though. He seems to be doing just fine. DeCooman worked 3 1/3 innings of relief for the University of Washington Huskies in their 5-4 loss to Illinois State. He allowed an unearned run but didn’t allow a hit in the loss. He did walk two but struck out four in Game 4 of the series. He was tasked with the start in his next appearance, coming against the Arizona Wildcats. He again went 3 1/3 and allowed a run on four hits. He walked three in the 7-1 Game 1 victory.

Boudreau with 13 hits in eight games
Brett Boudreau (St. Clements, Man.) went 13-for-24 over eight games for Lake Region State. His top performance came in a 13-0 win over Anoka-Ramsey Community College as he went 4-for-4 with five RBIs. Boudreau had seven RBIs on the week.

Rijo goes deep twice
Ryan Rijo (Barrie, Ont.) had 14 home runs and 79 RBIs in 2017. He contributed to his 2018 totals this past week for New Mexico Junior College. In a 14-6 win over Howard he went 2-for-4 with a home run, two walks, two RBIs and four runs scored. He had a hit in Games 1 and 2 of the Thunderbirds series with Odessa, including two RBIs in Game 1. In Game 3 he launched his second home run of the week, a solo shot. He went 3-for-3 with a walk in the 5-3 win. In the final game of the series, a 16-5 win, he had three more hits and two RBIs. Rijo is hitting .456 with five home runs and 22 RBIs so far this season.

Duo provides offence for Clarendon
Two Canadians were staples in the Clarendon College lineup. Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) had three, two-hit games en route to an 8-for-18 week. One of his hits was a solo home run in a 15-5 Game 2 win over Western Texas.

Tommy Reyes-Cruz (Montreal, Que.) was the other Canadian to have a strong showing. Reyes-Cruz has six hits, walked four times and drove in five runs. He also hit a home run in Game 2 of their series with Western Texas.

Hrynkiw continues to hit for Cowboys, Liddell pitches
It seems like Connors State never gets a day off. Tony Hrynkiw (Brampton, Ont.) and the Cowboys played six games and picked up four wins. Hrynkiw chipped in with eight hits, including two, three-hit games. He also swatted a home run as part of his three-hit game in an 8-4 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Jack Liddell (Mississauga, Ont.) picked up his second win as the Cowboys downed Ozark 12-4. He gave up four runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings. He struck out six in the win.

Stevenson picks up Griffs lone win
The Canisius Golden Griffins were staring at a sweep but J.P. Stevenson (New Glasgow, PEI) came to the rescue. Stevenson picked up the win in Game 3 of the Golden Griffins series with West Virginia. He logged seven innings and allowed seven hits. He gave up two of the three runs the Mountaineers scored and walked one. He struck out three and moved his record to 3-0 on the campaign.

Bourassa is back again
Landen Bourassa (Lethbridge, Alta.) has made quite a few appearances in the column recently with stellar performances on the mound and his latest was no different. Bourassa allowed just a single run over six innings in the University of San Francisco’s 7-6 win over Pacific. He scattered five hits, three walks and struck out three.

Curtis catapults in column
It was impossible to ignore Elliott Curtis (Waterloo, Ont.) and his strong week for Columbia State Community College. In an 11-1 win in Game 1 versus Joliet he had a hit, a walk and a RBI. In Game 3, a 20-19 barn burner he went 3-for-3 with a home run, a walk and six RBIs. The Chargers then took on Southwest Tennessee in a three game series. In Game 1 Curtis went 4-for-4 with four RBIs with a triple, a home run and a stolen base. They won the game by a convincing 13-2 score. He hit another home run, his third of the week, in a 15-5 Game 2 win. In the final game of the series, a 10-7 win, he drove in five runs and had two hits. Curtis, a Middle Tennessee State University transfer, is hitting .430 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs in 26 games played.

Diluca was dialed in
Lucas Diluca (Windsor, Ont.) had seven hits for Cayuga Community College. Diluca had a home run and seven RBIs in a 17-6 Game 2 win over Louisburg. He also walked four times and scored four runs in a 12-7 win in Game 4.

Gauthier an all-around threat
David Gauthier (Mont Sainte-Hilaire, Que.) continued to perform both on the mound and in the box. On the mound he got the ball in Game 1 of Trinidad State’s series with Miles Community College and he picked up his third win of the season. He worked seven innings a allowed two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out seven Pioneer hitters. In the box he has two hits and a RBI in Games 1 and 2. In Game 3, a 15-0 win, he had a hit and two RBIs. He had a hit and a walk in Game 4 and a walk and RBI in Game 5. Trinidad State went 5-1 in the series and are 22-4 overall.

Donnell keeps perfect record
It was Ben Donnell (Oakville, Ont.) taking the ball in Game 3 of Mid America Christian’s series with Dallas Christian. He pitched six innings, allowing an unearned run on six hits. He walked just one and struck out seven to improve his record to 4-0.

Sabrowski shoves for Cloud County
It wasn’t 18 strikeouts like the week before but it was still a good start for Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.). Sabrowski threw a complete game, seven innings in the T-Birds 6-1 Game 1 win over Pratt Community College. He allowed six hits, one run, walked three and struck out seven to pick up the win. Sabrowski has struck out 56 over 30 innings.

Sycamores sweep The Citadel
Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) was right in the middle of the action as his Indiana State Sycamores swept away The Citadel. In Game 1 he went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs. After a hit and a walk in Game 2 he went 2-for-4 in Game 3. The Sycamores take on Eastern Illinois in a midweek tilt before a three-game set with Xavier.

Lantigua guides No. 5 OKWU Eagles
The No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles scored 62 runs in four games. John Lantigua (Quebec City, Que.) went 8-for-17 with three home runs in the four contests. He had 10 RBIs as the Eagles win 3-of-4.

Canadian leads another No. 5
Justin Graff-Rowe (Waterloo, Ont.) was a spark for the Central Missouri Mules. In their first game, a 12-4 win over Rockhurst, he reached three times with two hits and a hit by pitch. The Mules dropped Game 1 of their series with Pittsburg State. Graff-Rowe had a hit, two walks, was hit by a pitch and drove in a run in the loss. They turned things around in Game 2 winning 13-9 behind a hit and two RBIs from Graff-Rowe. The Mules took the series with a 7-6 win and the Canadian chipped in with two hits.

Peluso pounds out five hits
It was a five hit week for Matthew Peluso (Woodbridge, Ont.) of the Newbury Nighthawks. He also had a walk and five RBIs in the seven games.

MacDonald has five hits for Waldorf
Riley MacDonald (North Vancouver, BC) went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk and a RBI in Game 3 of Waldorf’s series with Hastings College. The Warriors dropped Games 1 and 2 but won Games. When the series was over MacDonald had five hits, four walks, was hit by a pitch and drove in a run.

Moffat, NKU salvage win
It wasn’t a good start to the week for the University of Northern Kentucky Norse as they dropped Games 1 and 2 of their series with the University of Illinois Chicago. The Norse did manage to pick up a win in Game 3, however. Mike Moffat (Waterdown, Ont.) went 2-for-5 with a RBI in the 4-3 Game 1 loss. In Game 2, a 5-0 loss, he went 2-for-4. Game 3 went to extra innings and UNK scored five in the top of the 10th to pick up the win. Moffat went 2-for-4 with a walk and a RBI in that one. 

Follett the face of Desert offence
Nick Follett (Toronto, Ont.) had a hit in a 13-2 College of the Desert loss of Southwestern. In Game 2 of their series he went 3-for-4 with a RBI as the Roadrunners picked up the win. In the finale, a 7-6 win, he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a stolen base.

Machibroda has six hits, eight walks
Reaching fourteen times usually constitutes a strong week and that was the case for Chattanooga State’s Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.). In a 13-3 win over Clark State Machibroda walked three times and recorded an RBI. They then picked up another win over Clark State and Machibroda had a pair of home runs, a walk and three RBIs in the 5-1 decision. In Game 1 of their series with Cleveland State, Machibroda went 2-for-3 with a walk. He had two hits, two walks, two RBIs and two runs scored in a 12-5 Games 2 win. He walked in Game 3, an 11-3 loss. Chattanooga State is 17-7 so far this year.

Bells wins first, Esau explodes
Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) got all the offence he needed to pick up his first career college victory. Bells through a complete game, five innings for Frank Phillips as they downed Luna 11-1 in Game 3 of their series. Bells allowed a run, a pair of hits and two walks with six strikeout for the Plainsmen.

Brett Esau (Meadow Lake, Sask.) pounded out nine hits and walked four times for the Plainsmen. He hit a home run in a 12-3 Game 1 victory over Luna. In Game 4 he went 5-for-5 with three doubles, a home run and eight RBIs.

Thorp wins in relief, makes a start
Dylan Thorp (North Vancouver, BC) tossed four scoreless innings of relief, allowing one run and picked up the win in a 6-2 Bellevue victory over Midland. He struck out seven and evened his record to 2-2. His next appearance was a start in Game 4 of the Bruins series with York. Thorp went 5 2/3 innings, surrendering four hits, three runs, two walks and struck out seven.

Fernandez-Beltran begins sweep for Rattlers
The St. Mary’s University Rattlers swept away Texas A&M International and it was Fernando Fernandez-Beltran who got things going. Fernandez-Beltran tossed a complete game shutout and picked up his seventh win in Game 1. He scattered five hits, walked two and struck out six hitters to improve his record to 7-0.

Rousseau reaches six times
J.P. Rousseau (Montreal, Que.) helped stir the Mid America Christian offence and lead them to a four game sweep of Missouri Valley College. Rousseau walked in Game 1 and went 3-for-4 with a RBI in Game 2. He had another two hits in a 7-1 Game 4 win.

Komonosky comes up big
Ben Komonosky (Saskatoon, Sask.) had 10 hits for North Iowa Area last week. He had two, three-hit games, including a home run in each for the Trojans.

Dimitroff continues to hit despite team struggles
The East Central University Tigers may be just 2-22 on the year but Bryce Dimitroff (Hamilton, Ont.) has been magnificent. He collected two hits and a walk in a 17-3 loss to Oklahoma Baptist to open the week. In Game 1 of the Tigers series with Ouachita, a 16-2 loss, Dimitroff had a pair of hits. Dimitroff and ECU picked up their second win of the season in Game 2, dropping Ouachita 11-10. Dimitroff went 4-for-6 with a double in the win. The Tigers dropped the finale and the series.

Marauders swept but Barlas has six hits
It was a tough weekend as a team for the University of Mary Marauders but Darius Barlas was certainly a bright spot. In Game 1 of their series with Wayne State College Barlas went 2-for-3. He stroked a double in Game 2 and went 3-for-3 with a stolen base and RBI in Game 3. The Marauders were swept in the four-game set.

Binsfeld uses bat for Bismarck
The Mystics of Bismarck State went 4-1 with the help of Jared Binsfeld (Saskatoon, Sask.). Binsfeld had five hits, a walk and drove in six in the five games.

Lewis with four hit game
Isaac Lewis (Windsor, Ont.) went 4-for-4 with a stolen base in St. Lawrence University’s 4-3 loss to the college of Old Westbury. He also legged out a triple, walked and drove in a run in an earlier game against Augustana College.

MacDonald was ready for Red Wolves
Kyle MacDonald (Mississauga, Ont.) had a hit in Arkansas State’s 9-8, 11 inning midweek win over Souther Illinois. The Red Wolves were then swept by Coastal Carolina but MacDonald swung a hot bat. In Game 1, a 3-1 loss, he went 2-for-3 with a RBI. He followed that up with a 3-for-4 game with two doubles and four RBIs in a 26-14 Game 2 loss. He hit another double in Game 3 to close out his week. The Red Wolves have a pair of midweek games with Missouri before battling the University of Louisiana Monroe in a three-game series.

Depiero wins for Indian Hills
DJ Depiero (Thunder Bay, Ont.) tossed five scoreless innings to lead Indian Hills to a 11-6 win over MCC-Maple Woods. He allowed just one hit, walked three and punched out five to move his record to 2-1.

Nason earns wins
Matthew Nason (Saint John, NB) went five scoreless innings to lead St. Charles to a 5-1 win in Game 3 of their series with Three Rivers. He allowed two hits and three walks while striking out six to push his record back over .500 at 2-1.

Diaz wins twice
With his two wins last week for the Iowa Western Reivers, Indigo Diaz (Vancouver, BC) now holds a 5-0 record. His first appearance, the one he didn’t pick up a win in, came in a 6-2 win over Iowa Central. He threw two scoreless, hitless innings and struck out four in the win. In Game 2 of the Reivers series with North Iowa Area he picked up his fourth win of the season with a scoreless inning of work in the 5-4 victory. He won his fifth game of the campaign in Game 3 by going 5 1/3 scoreless, allowing three hits and two walks. He struck out nine over the course of his start. Diaz is now 5-0 with a 2.82 ERA.

Blake has a hit in every game
Ben Blake (Surrey, BC) had a hit in every game he played in for Southwestern College. He had eight hits over the five games, including a pair of hits in three of the contests.

Baker provides offensive backup
After a hit in Games 1 and 3 of Siena Heights series with Cleary, Brenden Baker (Red Deer, Alta.) went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in a Game 4 loss.

Tevlin helps Purple Eagles to split
Joseph Tevlin (Toronto, Ont.) saw the bulk of the work behind the plate for the Niagara Purple Eagles against Michigan State. Revlon started three of the four games and chipped in two hits and a walk. The Purple Eagles split the series with the Spartans.

Farid on fire of East Central
George Farid (Mississauga, Ont.) had a hit in each of East Central Community College’s six games last week. In their first game, a 9-6 loss to Panola College, Farid hit a solo home run and walked.  He had another hit and a walk in a 17-3 loss to Panola. Southeastern Community College provided the opposition in the Warriors next two games. In the first, Farid went 3-for-6 with three doubles and two RBIs. In the second he hit another solo shot. The Warriors closed out their week with two games against Coahoma, both wins. In the first win Farid went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in the final game of the week.

Sanderson with double digit hits
He didn’t have a hit in Games 1 or 2 of the week but Ryan Sanderson (Cow Bay, NS) made the most of the next six games. Sanderson had 10 hits in those six games including a two-hit and two, three-hit performances. One of his hits was a home run in an 8-4 win over CCNY. In that game he went 3-for-3 and also chipped in a pair of doubles.

Oulton outstanding again
It is becoming a weekly occurrence. Taran Oulton (St. Albert, Alta.) takes the mound and shuts down opposing hitter. This time it was during a 8-5 William Woods win over Columbia. Oulton went 8 1/3 innings and allowed five runs (two earned) to pick up the win. He worked around eight hits and a pair of walks to lead the Owls. He struck out seven and currently holds a 1.49 ERA, leading the team in that category.

Williams excites
There is a lot to like about Malik Williams (Toronto, Ont.) of Johnson County Community College. Take last week for example. In a 7-5 win over Heston he went 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. In Game 1 of their series with Independence he hit a home run to lead his team to an 8-7 victory. In Game 2, a 21-5 triumph, he went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a RBI. He then went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI in a 2-1 Game 3 win. They completed the sweep with a 7-4, a game Williams walked and had an RBI.

Szabo gets only win for Young Harris
Young Harris College won one game against Francis Marion and Mat Szabo (Sarnia, Ont.) had a lot to do with it. Szabo allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings in the 7-4 win. He allowed five hits, walked one and strikeout five to earn his third win of the season.

Hofmann hands Seward County loss
Logan Hofmann allowed just an unearned run over six innings as Colby Community College downed Seward County 12-1. Hofmann allowed six hits and walked one while striking out 12 Saints hitters.

What an exciting week it was. Canadians have been key cogs for their college teams and the coming weeks should feature more of the same. All the action will be recapped right here in the BMOC.

If you know someone who is deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com. Please note out week runs Monday-Sunday.