March 10, 2021

BMOC Week 6

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

It was a magnificent start to March for many Canadians on the college baseball circuit. This past week featured some big performances worth highlighting.

Check out the best of the best from March 1 to 7 below.

Peters picked as Missouri Valley Player of the Week as Salukis stay hot

After four wins last week, the Southern Illinois Salukis ran their record to a perfect 11-0 in 2021.

Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) has been a key contributor this season. Peters started his week with a 2-for-3 game with a walk and a RBI in a 9-1 win over Western Illinois. Over the weekend the Salukis welcomed the University of Tennessee-Martin to Carbondale, Ill., for a three-game series. In the opener, a 14-7 win, Peters was 3-for-5 with a RBI and a stolen base. The sophomore outfielder followed his three-hit game by going 2-for-4 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base in a Game 2 win. To help his squad to the sweep, he went 3-for-3 with a three-run home run, a walk, four RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. His strong play earned him Missouri Valley Conference Player of the week honours.

Fascia named to Buster Posey Watch List

For the third consecutive year Purdue’s Zac Fascia (Brampton, Ont.) has been named to the Buster Posey Watch List. The award, previously known as the Johnny Bench Award, is given annually to the top catcher in Division I baseball. Through four games in 2021, Fascia is hitting .333. During the shortened 2020 season, he hit .255 with a .387 on-base percentage and a .426 slugging percentage in 14 games.

Babcock keeps Salukis win streak alive

Braden Babcock (Oshawa, Ont.) started and picked up the win for Southern Illinois against in-state foe Western Illinois. Over five innings, he allowed one run on four hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. He was once again called upon later in the week, this time out of the bullpen in Game 3 of their series with the University of Tennessee-Martin. In the 8-3 win, he tossed an inning and gave up a run on three hits. Of the three outs he recorded, two were via the strike out.

Deans downs Dayton

Oakland University’s Brandon Deans (Mississauga, Ont.) struck out 10 Dayton batters en route to a complete game, seven-inning victory in Game 3 of their series. Deans gave up an unearned run on four hits and three walks as the Golden Grizzlies snuck by the Flyers 2-1. For his performance he was named Oakland’s Student Athlete of the Week.

Potter picks up first win

Jacob Potter (Victoria, BC) threw a complete game, seven innings for Southeastern Oklahoma State in a shortened 16-1 victory. Potter allowed one run on four hits, while walking one and striking out five. The win evens his record at 1-1.

Hart has seven hits as William Penn split with Doane

It was a back and forth series between the William Penn Statesmen and Doane Tigers last week. Jameson Hart (Sarnia, Ont.) went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in an 11-2 William Penn series opening win. Hart collected another three hits in an 8-5, Game 2 loss. After going hitless in the Statesmen’s 4-1, Game 3 win, he finished the series with a hit in a 5-2, Game 4 loss.

Leitch leaves the yard twice

Marshall University finally got their season underway when they took on Morehead State in a three-game series. Ryan Leitch (Whitby, Ont.) chipped in a hit in a 3-1 Marshall win in Game 1. The win would be the only on for the Herd in the series as they dropped Game 2, 13-10, and Game 3, 6-2. In the high scoring Game 2 loss, Leitch launched a pair of two-run home runs. His Canadian teammate Peter Hutzel (Calgary, Alta.) hit a solo home run, as well in the defeat. To cap off the opening weekend, Leitch went 3-for-4.

Farid succeeds as Mississippi College falters

Mississippi College hasn’t been able to find their stride in 2021, and a three-game series with the NCAA Division II No. 21 West Florida Argonauts didn’t help. All three contests went the way of the Argos, but George Farid (Mississauga, Ont.) provided some highlights. In a 7-3, Game 1 loss, Farid pounded out a pair of hits. He chipped in a hit in Game 2, before going 3-for-4 in Game 3. Mississippi College slips to 3-9 overall and 0-7 in Gulf South Conference action. They’ll look to right the ship with a three game set versus Alabama at Huntsville this weekend.

Black backs Raiders to sweep of Norse

After dropping a pair to No. 2 Vanderbilt, and being swept by No. 23 Alabama, the Wright State Raiders finally got in the win column as they did some sweeping of their own. The Raiders got rolling and took four straight from Northern Kentucky over the weekend. Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) stirred the offensive drink in Game 1 by going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a stolen base. Black then walked in Game 2 and had a hit, two walks, two RBIs and a stolen base in Game 3. He came up huge in Game 4, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base to help ensure the Raiders took all four games.

NEO goes 5-0

Teams who score 72 runs over five games tend to find success. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M leaned on three Canadians to help them score all those runs and go 5-0, which pushed their overall record to 10-2.

Jacob Ervin (Mississauga, Ont.) saw action in four games and had eight hits, walked once and drove in nine. In a 17-7, Game 1 win over Arkansas Baptist, Ervin swatted a pair of home runs. He closed out his week, and the series, going 4-for-5 with three doubles, a walk and three RBIs in a 24-11 win. On the season, the 6’1 outfielder has hit four home runs and driven in 17 in 11 games played.

Edouard Savoie (Saint Eustache, Que.) appeared in three of the five games. Savoie had six hits, walked three times, drove in seven and stole a base. His best game of the week, by far, came in the 24-11 win over Arkansas Baptist when he went 4-for-6 with four RBIs and five runs scored. He’s scored 13 runs in 18 just eight games played in 2021.

If you believe speed kills in college baseball, then Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.) is an assassin on the base paths. Over four games last week, Vallee swiped six bases, including four in a 10-2 Game 2 win over Arkansas Baptist. Not only did the freshman run all over the opposition, he also contributed eight hits, one of which was a home run, seven walks and seven RBIs. Through 11 games in 2021, he is hitting .462 with two home runs, 11 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.

Bourassa takes tough loss

Landen Bourassa (Lethbridge, Alta.) allowed three runs in seven innings for the San Francisco Dons in their Game 2 loss to Stanford. Bourassa, who took the loss, allowed nine hits and struck out two Cardinal hitters in the outing.

Cappe gets the better of old squad

In 2019 Brady Cappe (Waterford, Ont.) went 3-6 with a 5.92 ERA for the University of Pikeville. On Friday, Cappe toed the rubber against his old team as a member of Lindsey Wilson College. When the dust settled, it was Cappe and the Blue Raiders who came out on top, 12-5. The senior right-hander picked up the win by going seven strong innings, allowing five hits and four runs (three earned). He walked three and struck out six to pick up the win.

Porcellato plays well for Marian

Matteo Porcellato (Pitt Meadows, BC) started his week with a hit in Marian’s 8-1, Game 1 loss to Huntington. Marian got back in the series with a 4-2 win in Game 2. Porcellato went 2-for-2 with a walk and stolen base in the victory. In Game 3, a 10-3 loss, he went 2-for-4. Looking to salvage a split in the series, Porcellato went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and a RBI to help the Knights earn a 9-3 win.

Parsons pounds of nine hits

Jaden Parsons (Vernon, BC) had himself a great week for the Cloud County Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds thumped Cowley 12-3 in Game 1 of their four-game set behind three hits, a walk and two RBIs from Parsons. He stayed hot in an 8-4, Game 2 loss, going 2-for-4 with a RBI, a stolen base and a hit by pitch. In Game 3, a game the Thunderbirds won 9-8, he again collected a pair of hits and drove in two. The T-Birds dropped the finale 25-17 despite the Canadian infielder going 2-for-6 with three RBIs.

Bedard backs Southwestern Oklahoma State to a 4-1 week

There was no easing into the week for the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs, as they got started with a midweek tilt against NCAA Division II No. 23 Central Oklahoma. Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.) had a hit two RBIs, stole two bases and was hit by a pitch as the Bulldogs downed their ranked in-state rival 5-4. It was another intrastate matchup over the weekend as Bedard and his team clashed with Oklahoma Baptist in a three-game series. Bedard went 3-for-4 with a RBI, three stolen bases and was hit by a pitch in a 6-5 Game 1 win. In a 15-1, Game 2 win, he went 3-for-4 with a RBI, two more stolen bases and another hit by pitch. During a 12-9 loss in Game 3, he went 2-for-4 with four stolen bases and yet another hit by pitch. In case you couldn’t keep track, the senior outfielder swiped 11 bases in four games.

Inouye was locked in

It’s not very often a player can crack this column with only two games played, but Adam Inouye (Vancouver, BC) did it thanks to a strong showing in his team’s season opening doubleheader. Inouye went 3-for-6 with two RBIs as the Academy of Art’s downed Fresno Pacific 12-0 in Game 1. In the back half of their doubleheader, Inouye went 4-for-4.

Foresters split with Marian

Make it back-to-back weeks in the BMOC for Huntington’s Daniel Lichty (Denfield, Ont.). Lichty kick started his week by launching a two-run home run and chipping in three RBIs in Huntington’s Game 1 win over Marian. Despite dropping Game 2, Lichty went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. His best effort came in a Game 3 win, when he went 3-for-4 with another three RBIs. In the finale, he had a hit and a stolen base, but the Forester’s dropped the contest to settle on a series split.

Grizzlies go 2-2

A couple of NAIA Georgia juggernauts squared off last week as Georgia Gwinnett took on No. 22 Middle Georgia State in a four-gamer. Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) had a hit for Georgia Gwinnett in a 4-2, Game 1 loss. Keller helped fuel the offence in Game 2, going 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs in a 9-3 win. He then went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs as the Grizzles took Game 3 by a convincing 12-1 score. With a chance to win the series in Game 4, Keller swatted a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give his side a 1-0 lead. He finished the game 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs, but it wouldn’t be enough as Middle Georgia State took the game 11-5.

Bells takes the ball in rubber match

Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) scattered four hits and three runs (one earned) over five innings for St. Mary’s University in their 9-6, Game 3 win over Texas A&M International. After splitting the first two games of the series, Bells walked three and punched out four in the victory. Trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth, the Rattlers plated four to come back and win the game, and the series.

Jackson tosses complete game shutout

Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.) allowed just two hits over seven innings to earn a complete game victory in Bellevue’s 4-0 blanking of Warner. Jackson issued three free passes and struck out five to improve to 2-2.

O’Halloran makes Michigan debut

Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) made his first appearance for the Michigan Wolverines in a 7-0, Game 3 win over Iowa. O’Halloran threw two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and walking one. The son of former big leaguer Greg O’Halloran also struck out a pair of Hawkeyes.

DiLuca has five-hit game

In five games last week Eastern Illinois’ Lucas DiLuca (Lasalle, Ont.) collected eight hits, four walks and four RBIs. Five of those hits came in Game 3 of their weekend series with Kansas State. In that 14-7 win, DiLuca went 5-for-6 with three RBIs.

DeLuca delivers five hits

It was opening weekend for Payton DeLuca (Ladner, BC) and the Mayville State Comets. DeLuca got his season started with a triple and a RBI in a Game 1 win over Hastings College. The Comets would win Game 2 by a 5-0 score and DeLuca went 2-for-4 with a RBI in that one. With the sweep on the line in Game 3, he went 2-for-3 with a walk. Unfortunately for the Comets, Hastings pulled out the victory in the finale.

Takamatsu shines for No. 23 Central Oklahoma

Garrett Takamatsu (Burlington, Ont.) provided NCAA Division II Central Oklahoma with six hits in four games this past week. He also walked once, drove in two and was hit by three pitches as the Bronchos went 2-2.

Sycamores sweep FIU

Coming off a split at NCAA Division I No. 16 Tennessee, the Max Wright Indiana State Sycamores headed to Miami, Florida for a three-game series with Florida International. Wright had a hit, two walks and two RBIs in a 13-2 thumping of the Panthers in Game 1. He launched a solo home run and finished 2-for-3 with three walks in their Game 2 win. The redshirt senior had a hit, two walks and was hit by a pitch as the Sycamores secured the sweep with a 7-2 win in Game 3.

Jean helps Alabama rebound

After splitting the first two games of their series with College of Charleston, including a 1-0 loss in Game 2, the No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide turned the ball over to Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) with the series on the line. Jean cruised through five scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. The lefty walked two and struck out four as the Tide thumped the Cougars 21-3 to win the series.

Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.) supplied all the offence the Tide would need when he hit a grand slam during a 10 run third inning.

Reyes homers in series finale

Matt Reyes (Vancouver, BC) went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in Game 4 if Graceland University’s series with Presentation College. Reyes finished the series with seven hits, four walks and two RBIs. Those numbers helped Graceland win the series three games to one

Dillon strikes out nine over six

Galveston College freshman Kurt Dillon (Cornwall, Ont.) worked six innings in a 5-4 loss to Wharton College. Dillon allowed two hits, three runs (one earned), walked three and struck out nine in the outing. Despite the strong effort, he was handed a no-decision thanks to Wharton County scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a 4-1 Whitecap lead and earn the walk off victory.

Mineral Area mashers

Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) and Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) led Mineral Area to a three-game sweep of AU Rich Mountain. Hicks had two hits in all three games, walked once and drove in a pair. Jones contributed four hits, a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. One of Jones’ four hits was a solo home run in a 12-2, Game 3 win.

Cust one of few bright spots for Colby

The Trojans of Colby Community College dropped all five of their contests last week. Brayden Cust (Sherwood Park, Alta.) played well despite the losses by collecting seven hits, two walks, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Cust had his best game in a 13-4 loss to Crowder when he went 3-for-3 with a walk and a RBI.

Five hits in three games for Boucher

Pier-Olivier Boucher (St. Joseph du Beauce, Que.) played in three of Indian Hill’s four games against State Fair last week. Boucher had five hits, two walks, six RBIs and two stolen bases to help his team to a sweep. In a 24-2 thumping in Game 2, he went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and four runs scored.

Fazzari has four hits to help Parkland to series win

St. Ignatius High School grad Nick Fazzari (Thunder Bay, Ont.) pitched in four hits, three walks and three RBIs as Parkland College took three of four from Jefferson. In a 16-4, Game 2 win, Fazzari went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.

Gauthier a tough luck loser

It was a battle of Division II ranked opponents in Texas over the weekend. Mathieu Gauthier (Montreal, Que.) worked seven strong innings for No. 17 West Texas A&M in a 3-2 loss to No. 11 Texas at Tyler. Gauthier, who took the loss, surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits. He walked six, but countered the free passes by punching out nine.

Chester picks up win

Fynn Chester (Victoria, BC) allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits over seven innings of work to pick up the win for Salt Lake Community College in Game 1 of their series with Colorado Northwestern. The former Victoria Eagle standout walked one and struck out six in the outing.

Schaper-Kotter comes through in East Central series win

During East Central University’s three-game set with in-state opponent Northwestern Oklahoma State, Colton Schaper-Kotter (Vernon, BC) had five hits. In a 14-9, Game 2 win he went 2-for-3 with three walks.

McWhirter works his way on base

Jacob McWhirter (Guelph, Ont.) got on base in every game State Fair played last week. McWhirter collected four hits, walked four times and stole a base. State Fair dropped all five games and now stand at 5-6 on the year.

It was a year ago this week that the 2020 college baseball season went on hold. Although the virus remains, there is a brighter outlook for the remainder of the 2021. Check back here next week to read all about the top Canadian performers in college baseball.

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