Big Man On Campus Week XIII
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
College teams are getting closer to post-season play as the days go by. Canadians continue to put up sizzling numbers in pressure situations. Below are the best performances from the last week.

Thibideau spreads his wings for UNF
The University of North Florida took on national power No. 10 Florida to kickstart their week. Chris Thibideau (Dartmouth, NS) chipped in a hit in a tough 2-1 loss. The next game was also a tough result. The University of South Florida took down their northern neighbours 4-2 despite Thibideau going 2-for-4 with a RBI. It turned for the better for the Ospreys, however. They swept their three game series with Florida Gulf Coast University. Thibideau had six hits in the series including a 4-for-5 game in the finale that included a two-run home run.

Lewington with some serious relief
It was another midweek game to kick off the week for the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and another strong Southeastern Conference opponent. The Golden Lions took on the Ole Miss Rebels and were dropped 14-6. CJ Lewington (Calgary Alta.) tossed an inning of relief, allowing a hit and a run with two free passes. His next appearance came in Game 2 of their series with Texas Southern. This time, Lewington clearly did not want to hand over the ball. He came on in the third inning and threw 8 2/3 scoreless innings. He scattered three hits and three walks while striking out five.

Nistor with a save and a start
It didn’t take much for Chase Nistor (Regina, Sask.) to pick up his fourth save of the season for Taft College. He worked just 1/3 of an inning to close things out in an 11-8 win over West Hills Coalinga. He was then given the ball for a start against West Hills Coalinga and went seven strong allowing a single run on 10 hits and seven strikeouts. 

Young uses bat, legs for Old Dominion
Jared Young (Prince George, BC) did a little of this and a little of that for Old Dominion last week. The Monarchs were in tough with a series against No. 16 Southern Mississippi. In Game 1, a 10-2 loss, Young went 2-for-4. Young and his teammates got on the positive side of the box score in Game 2, evening the series with a 13-11 win. Young launched a two-run home run in that game. He was also hit by two pitches and used his legs to swipe a base. The rubber match went the way of the Monarchs 9-2 with Young going 3-for-4. He was also hit by a pitch to help complete the upset.

Quirion enters the column
Another new face appears this week. Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) had a strong showing for Clarendon College. In a 12-6 win over Seward County he went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. He legged out a double and hit a home run in the win. In a four-game set with Midland he raked six hits. They won the opener but went on to drop the final three games and the series.

UBC splits with Oregon Tech
The University of British Columbia dropped the season series to Oregon Tech 5-3 with a split in a four-game set last week.
Connor Noble (Vancouver, BC) got things off to a good start in Game 1. He threw a complete game scattering four hits over the nine innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) with a walk and five strikeouts. He improved his record to 7-0 as the Thunderbirds took the game 4-2 thanks to two runs in the bottom of the seventh to break the deadlock.
Niall Windeler (Toronto, Ont.) kept the good vibes going into Game 2. He tossed seven innings of one run baseball to pick up his fourth win of the season. He gave up eight hits with four punch outs. He did not issue a free pass in the 7-1 win.
The good starts continued in Game 3. Tyler Gillies (London, Ont.) also went seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. He walked one and strikeout seven but it wasn’t enough as Oregon Tech squeaked out a 5-4 victory.
Mitch Robinson (Surrey, BC) helped supply the offence for the Thunderbirds in the series. He pounded out six hits over the four games. His best game came in the Game 3 loss when he went 3-for-5 with a solo home run. He also stole a base in the 5-4 defeat.
The Game 3 loss snapped a seven game win streak for UBC.

Emond leads Herkimer to 8-0 week
Herkimer College had one of the better weeks in college baseball. The Generals went a perfect 8-0 and Justin Emond (Russell, Ont.) lead with his bat. He used nine hits, eight walks, six RBIs and a stolen base to help his team to the victories.

Horvath takes the mound twice
It started with two scoreless innings of relief and ended with a tough loss. Chris Horvath (Lakeshore, Ont.) allowed a hit and a walk in his two scoreless innings of relief in an 11-6 win over Hillsdale. His next appearance wouldn’t end so well on the scoreboard. He was solid over six innings, giving up six hits and three runs (two earned) with seven strikeouts and a walk in a 3-2 loss to Saginaw Valley. He was handed the loss despite the quality start. His record now stands at 5-3.

Slamko slams the door on Blackburn
Cole Slamko (Okotoks, Alta.) gave up one run over seven innings to pick up a complete game win for Spalding University. He allowed seven hits, struck out four and walked two in the 13-1 win over Blackburn. Spalding outscored Blackburn 32-2 in their series.

Winnipeg splits with Dickinson State
Things are looking up for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. They earned a series split with Dickinson State by winning the first two games last week. They had some solid individual performances to go along with it. 
Cole Paquin (Regina, Sask.) had back-to-back three hit games in the two wins. He launched a home run in the Game 1, 7-6 triumph. He added two doubles and a stolen base in the Game 2 win. Despite dropping Games 3 and 4 he had a hit and a pair of walks.
Wyatt Kemball (Winnipeg, Man.) had five hits, a walk and two RBIs in the series.

Cuch punches back for Dickinson State
It wouldn’t be surprising if Jacob Cuch (Airdrie, Alta.) felt at home playing so many Canadians when his Dickinson State Blue Hawks took on the University of Winnipeg. He certainly didn’t take it easy on his fellow Canadians as he pounded out eight hits, including a 3-for-4 day in an 8-7 win in Game 4. He is hitting .429 with five home runs, 33 RBIs, 27 runs scored and a stolen base in 42 games played in 2017.

Strong performances in Douglas
Tristan Boire (Regina, Sask.) tossed seven innings, allowing four hits and a run for Douglas College last week. He struck out ten and walked four.
It was a good six innings on the mound for Ethan Fox (Campbell River, BC). He allowed an unearned run on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk.

Opposition has no answer for Blanch
It was 8 2/3 innings, four hits, two runs, five punch outs and five walks for David Blanch (Alliston, Ont.) in a 5-2 Defiance win over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Tofteland drives in Indiana State record 11
As you have probably already read on the Canadian Baseball Network website, Dane Tofteland (Grande Prairie, Alta.) knocked in an Indiana State record 11 runs in a 17-8 win over Northern Illinois. In the win he smashed three home runs, two of which were grand slams. The record was previously held by Brady Shoemaker who had 10 RBIs versus Illinois State on May 17th, 2008. Tofteland wasn’t done there though. He had three hits and two walks the rest of the week.

Bondarchuk, Langley bring it for Cloud County
Matt Bondarchuk (Edmonton, Alta.) had 10 hits for Cloud County Community College. He also stole two bases last week to bring his season total to 21.
Tauren Langley (Edmonton, Alta.) chipped in eight hits on the week for his team. He also had six RBIs and is hitting .333 this season with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 43 games.

Lloyd uses bat this week
He is known as a threat all over the diamond. Matt Lloyd (Okotoks, Alta.) can pitch and hit for the University of Indiana Hoosiers. This week he used his offensive skill set to help the Hoosiers to a 2-2 week, including a series win over Michigan. In a 7-5 loss to Butler he had two hits, two walks and a RBI. In the series opener with the Wolverines he stroked a double in a 1-0 win. He then reached five times in a Game 2, 12-9 win, with three hits, two walks and a RBI. Michigan took the final game of the series 12-5 but not before Lloyd had another hit.

Fritzke leads Benedictine
Reid Fritzke (Swift Current, Sask.) went 6-for-13 with a pair of home runs for Benedictine last week.

Handley’s hot despite Stony Brook being swept
It wasn’t a good week for the Stony Brook Seawolves as they were swept by Hartford. Toby Handley (Whitby, Ont.), however, had himself a nice week. In Game 1 he went 2-for-4 followed by a 3-for-6 performances in Game 2. He provided another two hits and two walks in the final game of the series. Stony Brook is 17-19 (5-7 America East) so far this year. Handley is currently second on the team in average with a .336 mark to go along with a .462 OBP, .560 SLG with two home runs and 24 RBIs. The team leader in average is barely ahead of him at .340.

Rijo making a name for himself
Ryan Rijo (Barrie, Ont.) had 11 hits for New Mexico Junior College last week. He went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and a home run in a win over Odessa. He ended his week with a 4-for-6 game with three home runs in a 27-0 win over Luna. He is currently hitting .414 with 13 home runs, 72 RBIs, 41 runs scored and three stolen bases in 47 games played this year.

Spearing spearheads victory
Jared Spearing (Winnipeg, Man.) went six scoreless innings for Indian Hills as they topped Iowa Western 2-1 in Game 3 of their series. He allowed four hits and struck out four, while walking two.

Hewitt, Hrynkiw with hits, hits and more hits
Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) and Tony Hrynkiw (Brampton, Ont.) combined for 22 hits for the 37-10 Connors State Cowboys last week. Hewitt owns a .441 average while Hrynkiw is hitting at a .424 clip this season.

Trogerlic-Iverson appears in three games
Central Arizona pitcher Nick Torgerlic-Iverson was well used last week. First, he tossed a scoreless 1/3 of an inning against Yavapai in a 3-1 loss. He got more work in his next outing as he went 3 2/3 innings allowing an unearned run. He gave up three hits and had three strikeouts in an 8-5 loss to Yavapai. He picked up the win in his final appearance of the week in a 3-2, 10 inning win over South Mountain. In that one, he went two innings, giving up a run on three hits. He struck out one and improved his record to 3-2.

FIT wins series over Saint Leo
It was a solid week for both Florida Tech and Daniel Szpik (Toronto, Ont.). The Panthers took 2-of-3 from conference foe Saint Leo while Szpik started it off with back-to-back two hit games. He finished it with a 4-for-6 performance with a two run home run. They take on Rollins in a Sunshine State Conference series this week.

Beaver belts out hits
Danny Beaver (Oakville, Ont.) was a pain for opposing pitchers. Notre Dame College went 4-2 on the week behind eight hits from Beaver, including a 4-for-4 showing in the first game of their week. He also scored four runs and stole a base in that game. He finished the week with four walks and four stolen bases, as well. It was surely an emotion week as they celebrated their seniors, which includes Beaver, in a game against William Jesuit.

Glaude explodes in Game 3
After recording a two-run home run in Missouri Western State’s first game of the week and a hit each in Games 1 and 2 versus Nebraska Kearney, David Glaude (Quebec City, Que.) went off in the final game of the series. He went 4-for-5 with a walk, 8 RBIs, a stolen base, a triple and two home runs. One of which was a two-run shot, while the other was a three-run blast.

Lumley, Wilson continue to lead Griffs
The Canisius Golden Griffins won 3-of-4 games last week, including a conference sweep of Rider.
In a 14-6 loss to Buffalo, Jake Lumley (Windsor, Ont.) went 4-for-6, while Liam Wilson (Ayr, Ont.) had a pair of hits, a walk and a RBI. In the opener with Rider, a 4-3 win, Lumley tacked on two hits and a walk to Wilson’s RBI. Game 2 saw Lumley walk, while Wilson had three hits and a RBI in the 7-0 win. The Griffs again shutout Rider in Game 3 by a 9-0 margin. Lumley went 3-for-5 with a walk and a RBI and Wilson also went 3-for-5, stretching a double and a triple.
Canisius has midweek games with Youngstown State and Niagara before visiting Quinnipiac for another three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series.

Roehler helps Edgewood
Jonathan Roehler (Windsor, Ont.) had 10 hits as Edgewood College went 3-3 on the week. He also stole six bases, two each in three separate games.

Garon blasts home run
J.F. Garon (Terrebonne, Que.) went 3-for-3 in a 13-3 win over Illinois State in the opener of their series. He launched a two-run home run in the drubbing. He finished the week with six hits, including one in a midweek contest with Iowa. They ended up taking the series 2-1 against Illinois State.

Borges picks up first win
Despite some good starts, Nathan Borges (Brooklin, Ont.) entered the week without a win. That all changed as he got the ball in Northeastern’s 12-3 win over New York Institute of Technology. He worked six innings, giving up just three hits and a run. He struck out ten and walked only one.

Rock fans seven over eight
Kody Rock (Canora, Sask.) whiffed seven opposing hitters for Mayville State last week. He gave up two runs on four hits with a pair of walks.

Schroter solid for Angelo State
Angelo State turned to Kenton Schroter (Nanaimo, BC) three times last week. The first time was during a 10-1 win over St. Mary’s. Schroter went two scoreless innings with a punch out. He again worked two innings in Game 1 of their series with Eastern New Mexico. He allowed a run on three hits in the 7-2 loss. He was back out there in Game 4 for a scoreless 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout in the 11-7 loss. 

Graff-Rowe strokes, Mules win 4-of-4
Going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a stolen base, a double and a triple is a good start to a week. That’s how Justin Graff-Rowe (Waterloo, Ont.) got things going for the University of Central Missouri Mules in a 15-5 win over Southwest Baptist. In Game 1 of their series with Northeastern State, a 7-2 win, he went 3-for-4 with a RBI. He then went 3-for-3 again in a 15-3, Game 2 win. In that win he hit a two-run home run, was hit by a pitch and scored four runs. Game 3 ended in a 9-8 win for Central Missouri and Graff-Rowe went 2-for-4 with a hit by pitch and a RBI.

Webb with big week
Kristen Webb (Whitby, Ont.) of California University of Pennsylvania had 12 hits in eight games but only two of them were wins. His best game came in Game 2 of their series with Slippery Rock University where he went 4-for-4.

Gladu hits in bunches
Raphael Gladu (Trois Rivieres, Que.) had four multi-hit games for Louisiana Tech, including a 3-for-5 game against McNeese State to start the week. Game 2 of their series with University of Alabama Birmingham was arguably his best performance. He went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, a double and a triple. His other multi-hit games came against the University of Arkansas Little Rock and Game 3 against UAB.

MacDonald hits three home runs
Opposing pitchers had trouble keeping Riley MacDonald (North Vancouver, BC) in the yard. MacDonald hit three home runs in four games for Waldorf University. He went 3-for-4 with a home run in Game 2 versus Presentation College, 4-for-6 with a home run in Game 2 and had three hits in Game 4, with yet another home run.

Pepper with a start, two relief appearances
Jordan Pepper (Seaforth, Ont.) went three scoreless innings in an abbreviated start against Clarendon. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out two. He then appeared in relief against Dodge City, going 1 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, two runs (one earned), with a walk. In Game 3 of the series he went 1 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Howie hammers pitching
After working a walk in a 3-2 loss to Dayton, Eastern Kentucky University outfielder Nick Howie (Oakville, Ont.) stepped it up in Game 1 of their series with Eastern Illinois. He swatted a solo and a two-run home run in the 13-11 loss. He hit another home run, a solo shot, in Game 2 but EKU fell 16-5. He went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in a Game 3 loss. He is hitting .301 with 7 home runs so far in 2017.

There are impressive Canadian performances to look forward to every week. The races for the postseason continues to intensify with each passing game. Catch all the action right here with the BMOC.

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