BMOC I 2018: Schindel, Swift

BMOC Week 1

By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network

It sure is nice to be back. 

Major League Baseball teams don’t report to Spring Training until next month but there is baseball currently being played. Two Canadians got their college baseball seasons underway this past week. Check out how they performed below.

No slow start for Swift

Austen Swift (Toronto, Ont.) was ready to go when the first pitch of 2018 was thrown. He went 7-for-15 during the opening weekend for William Jessup University as they split their four game series with Corban University. In Game 1 Swift had a hit and a pair of RBIs in an 8-3 win. Game 2 was his best game of the series as he went 4-for-4 with another two RBIs and three runs scored in the Warriors second win. Corbin bounced back to win Games 3 and 4 but Swift managed to go 2-for-5 with a RBI in Game 3 and walked three times in the finale.

Playing for the Lincoln Potters last summer he earned Great West League second team honours hitting .310 on the season with four home runs and 11 doubles. Swift drove home 39 runners and scored 33 times. He played in the All Star game, where he also powered one out of Nettleton Stadium in Chico.

Coming up: The Warriors are preparing for a four game series with Oregon Institute of Technology this weekend.

Schindel, San Diego Christian undefeated early

Okay, so they’re only three games in but the San Diego Christian College Hawks must be happy with their 3-0 start. They took down Providence Christian College 4-3 in Game 1 of their series to get things going in 2018. Tyler Schindel (Victoria, BC) chipped in with a hit, two walks and a RBI in the win. Schindel had another hit and walk in Game 2, a 10-5 Hawks win. The sweep was complete following an 8-0 Hawks win in Game 3.

Get ready: San Diego Christian is set to face four opponents this week, including a rematch with Providence Christian College. They will also take on Benedictine University at Mesa, Arizona Christian and Marymount California University to continue a busy start to 2018.

The BMOC is back and will only heat up as the days pass. It may not feel like spring in many parts of the country but college baseball has started and soon will be in full force. Check back each week to see the top performances from Canadian players.

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