BMOC Week 13: Bourassa, Jackson, Keys, LeBlanc, Palmiere, Tani

Shaun Logan (Calgary, Alta.) threw a complete game, seven-inning gem to lead Dubuque to a 2-1 win over NCAA Division III No. 20 Coe College. Photo: University of Dubuque Athletics

April 28, 2021

BMOC Week 13

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s gut check time for many teams around college baseball as they enter the final week of April. The postseason has started for some conferences and is right around the corner for others. As teams enter various stages of their late season schedules, Canadians will continue to be relied upon to produce. Let’s take a look at the top performers from the previous week.

Bourassa wins fourth straight start, named WCC Pitcher of the Week

The University of San Francisco’s Landen Bourassa (Lethbridge, Alta.) turned in one of the better starts in all of college baseball last week. Bourassa tossed a complete game, nine-inning shutout as the Dons disposed of Portland 5-0 in Game 1 of their series. He allowed three hits and punched out an incredible 16. For his strong start, he was named the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week and D1Baseball National Player of the Week.

Arbuthnot named NJCAA Region 3 Player of the Week

Carter Arbuthnot (Oshawa, Ont.) played in seven of eight games for Erie Community College and stockpiled 12 hits, including four home runs. Arbuthnot hit a two-run and a three-run shot in a 16-6, Game 3 win over Jamestown. In Game 4, he left the yard twice again, both two-run blasts in a 7-6 loss. Along with the hits, he walked three times and drove in 13 altogether. He was named NJCAA Region III Player of the Week thanks to his performance for the Kats.

Peters keeps on hitting

With four more hits in a weekend series with Valparaiso, Southern Illinois Saluki outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) now has 49 on the season. That number leads all Canadians in college baseball. Peters is hitting .358 with a .471 on-base percentage and a .511 slugging percentage through 38 games in 2021.

Logan logs complete game

Shaun Logan (Calgary, Alta.) threw a complete game, seven-inning gem to lead Dubuque to a 2-1 win over NCAA Division III No. 20 Coe College. Logan scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out four. The one run he did allow was unearned.

Ontario Blue Jays grad Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) allowed just one run on one hit and fanned 10 in a 5 2/3 inning relief appearance for Austin Peay. Photo: Austin Peay Athletics.

Gollert back in relief

Swingman Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) was back at it out of the Austin Peay bullpen. Gollert delivered 5 2/3 innings in the Governors 7-6, 12-inning Game 1 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The lefty gave up a run on one hit, walked a pair and struck out 10.

Marks wins his 7th

Having a true ace is a good feeling for a team, just ask the USC Upstate Spartans. Jordan Marks (Bright’s Grove, Ont.) was at it again in their series opener with Longwood. Marks spun eight innings in a 10-3 win. He scattered six hits, allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out 10. The hard-throwing right-hander is now 7-1 with a 1.57 ERA for the 26-9 Spartans.

Brunner pitches Barton to win over Pratt

Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) of Barton College has turned in some nice performances this season and his Game 1 start over Pratt last week was one of them. Brunner pitched five innings and gave up an unearned run on three hits in an 8-3 victory. He walked two and struck out six to earn the win, which improved his record to 5-2.

Tighe gets it done in the classroom

Let’s focus on the student aspect of the student-athlete, shall we? Ben Tighe (Okotoks, Alta.) of the College of Idaho recently garnered All-Cascade Collegiate Conference Academic Honours. The accolade is given to student-athletes in the conference who own a 3.20 GPA or better.

Chester chucks seven

Fynn Chester (Victoria, BC) flung seven innings and yielded one run to pick up the win for Salt Lake Community College in their 8-3, Game 1 win over Utah State Eastern. Chester surrendered four hits, walked one and struck out 12.

Okotoks Dawgs alum Derek Palmiere (Okotoks, Alta.) tossed a complete-game shutout to lead Williston State to an 8-0 win over Dakota College. Photo: Twitter

Palmiere pitches well

Derek Palmiere (Okotoks, Alta.) helped Williston State beat Dakota College at Bottineau by throwing a complete game shut in an 8-0 win. Palmiere limited the opposition to three hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six in the midweek contest.

Southeastern shuts out Marshalltown in DH

When the other team doesn’t score, it’s usually a good day for your side. That was the case for Duncan McLaughlin (Dartmouth, NS) and the Southeastern Community College Blackhawks as they blanked Marshalltown in both ends of a doubleheader this past week. McLaughlin got the nod in the back half and worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-0 win. He conceded four hits, walked two and struck out six.

Thrower has six hits in final week

The regular season is in the books for Eric Thrower (Toronto, Ont.) and the Georgetown College Tigers. Thrower had six hits and six RBIs in the final week. The Tigers won three of a possible four to finish 30-16 overall.

Erie goes 4-4, Cote and Korosas stand out

A couple of Canadian Kats were critical to Erie Community College’s offensive output last week.

Cole Cote (Welland, Ont.) got in the lineup in six games and supplied six hits, two walks and four RBIs.

AJ Karosas (Mississauga, Ont.) hit home runs in back-to-back games against Genesee to open the week. The Kats split those two, winning 8-5 and losing 15-2.

Winnipeg South Chiefs alum Mason MacLeod (Winnipeg, Man.) tossed a three-hit shutout for Itasca. Photo: Winnipeg Free Press

MacLeod holds strong in 1-0 win

There wasn’t much room for error on the mound for Itasca’s Mason MacLeod. It clearly didn’t matter, however, as MacLeod dealt a complete game, seven-inning, three-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Mesabi Range. He walked two and struck out eight, while lowering his ERA to 2.25 over 36 innings.

Hlady loses despite strong relief effort

William Hlady (Dauphin, Man.) came out of the bullpen and threw five strong innings for Valley City State. Hlady gave up an unearned run on three hits and a walk. He punched out four but took the loss in a 7-6 decision against Mayville State.

Jackson improves strikeout numbers

Some things just go together, like Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.) and strikeouts. Jackson struck out another 13 in his complete game shutout win over Dakota State. He allowed two hits and walked one. On the season, he is 6-2 with a 1.45 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings pitched.

McKillican quiets No. 11 Middle Georgia State, Keller with multi-hit games

Armed with a mid-90’s fastball, Adam McKillican (Comox, BC) heaved five innings of one-run baseball to help No. 8 Georgia Gwinnett to an impressive 13-1 victory over No. 11 Middle Georgia State. McKillican allowed five hits, walked two and whiffed six in the start.

In the box, Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) went 2-for-3 with a walk and a RBI in the 13-1 win. Keller carried the momentum from that effort into a pair of games with Taccoa Falls. In the first, an 11-8 victory, he went 2-for-3 again, this time with a walk and two RBIs. He followed that up with another 2-for-3 game with a stolen in an 8-0 win to sweep the doubleheader.

Vauxhall Academy alum Damiano Palmegiano (Surrey, BC) had eight hits - including two home runs - in four games for the University of Arizona. Photo: Twitter

Make it nine in a row for Southern Nevada

University of Arizona commit Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) launched two home runs and collected eight hits in all as the No. 19 College of Southern Nevada swept a four-gamer from Colorado Northwestern. During a 10-3, Game 2 win, Palemgiani provided a 2-for-5 effort with a solo home run. His second came in a 15-12, Game 4 win to secure the sweep. He also walked three times, drove in eight and stole a base in the series.

Babcock goes 4-for-8

Jordan Babcock (Markham, Ont.) paced the Judson offence with four hits in their three-game series with Olivet Nazarene. Babcock also walked twice but Judson dropped 2-of-3.

Carinci comes up with six hits for Highland

Games 1 and 4 of Highland Community College’s series with Hesston were powered offensively by Justin Carinci (Toronto, Ont.). Carinci went 3-for-4 in the opener and 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the finale. In between, he stole a base in Game 2. Highland dropped the series 3-1.

Camacho-Soto knocks around Colby pitching

Williams Camacho-Soto (Burnaby, BC) opened Cloud County’s four-game series against Colby with a hit in their 8-1 loss. Game 2 went the way of the Thunderbirds, 16-7, with Camacho-Soto going 3-for-6 with a pair of RBIs. He swatted a solo home run and walked in a 5-4 loss in Game 3. Down 2-1 in the series, he went 2-for-4 in a 4-3 win to help his side earn the split.

Toronto Mets grad Tony Vavaroutsos (Toronto, Ont.) had four hits in three games for Shippensburg in their series against Manfield. Photo: Shippensburg Athletics

Vavaroutsos valuable for Shippensburg

Toronto Mets alumni Tony Vavaroutsos (Toronto, Ont.) got into Games 2, 3 and 4 of Shippensburg’s series with Manfield. Vavaroutsos had four hits, a walk and three RBIs as the Raiders won the second game and dropped the final two. Three of his four hits went for extra bases.

Inouye injects offence

Adam Inouye (Vancouver, BC) amassed five hits and was hit by a pitch for the Academy of Arts this past week. Inouye went 3-for-4 in Game 3 against Holy Names. After dropping Game 1, his squad would rally for three straight victories to win the series.

LeBlanc lays the lumber

Husson took on the University of Maine-Presque Isle in an unconventional five-game series last week and David LeBlanc’s bat played a crucial role. LeBlanc (Edmonton, Alta.) had a hit and a RBI in a 13-0 Game 1 win, then went 2-for-4 with a RBI in a 6-1, Game 2 win. In Game 3, he had a hit, a RBI and a stolen base in a 3-2 victory. His best showing came in a 10-0 win in Game 4 when he swung his way to a 4-for-4 performance with a RBI and a stolen base. Finally, he chipped in a hit in a 6-4, Game 5 win. That’s right, Husson took all five games, not a bad week if you ask the Eagles.

Irvine picks up the win

Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) pitched like he had a lead and that’s because he had a big one after his scoreless top of the first inning. Irvine threw five innings and allowed one run on five hits for Lassen as they smoked Redwoods 29-2. He walked one, struck out six and earned the win.

ABC alum Mathieu Massicotte (Quebec City, Que.) hurled a complete game for Sussex County to lead them to a 5-3 win. Photo: Jacques Lanciault

Massicotte rights the ship

Coming off a 14-0 loss to Camden County in Game 1 of a doubleheader, Sussex County was looking for a rebound when they gave the ball to Mathieu Massicotte (Quebec City, Que.) in the back half. Massicotte delivered by throwing a complete game in a 5-3 win. He surrendered three runs on five hits, with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Lussier secures fifth win

Jordan Lussier (Winnipeg, Man.) worked around eight hits and a walk to allow just two runs over six innings for Illinois State as they downed Evansville 6-3 in Game 2 of their series. Lussier punched out five and improved his record to 5-2 with the win.

Takamatsu tears up Missouri Western

Looking to start the week strong, Garrett Takamatsu (Burlington, Ont.) went 3-for-4 with a RBI in Central Oklahoma’s 6-4, Game 1 win over Missouri Western. After a hit and a stolen base in a 2-1 win in Game 2, Takamatsu completed the series with two hits, one of which was a two-run home run, and a walk. The Bronchos won the game 6-5 and swept the series.

Elliott extends an offensive hand

Jesse Elliott (Ajax, Ont.) pounded out four hits, walked one, drove in five, stole a base and was hit by a pitch as No. 18 University of Charleston swept Glenville State in a four-game set. With the wins the Golden Eagles are now 28-4.

Ontario Blue Jays grad Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) had eight hits in five games for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Photo: Oklahoma State Athletics

Hewitt has big week

The Cowboys of Oklahoma State had five games this past week, including a three-game series with No. 3 Texas. Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) was 3-for-4 with two walks and seven RBIs in the Cowboys 28-0 drubbing of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on Tuesday. Hewitt went 2-for-5 in another walloping of the Golden Lions the following night. In the series against Texas, he had three hits and a walk as his team dropped the series 2-1.

Loranger logs seven hits

Clayton Loranger (Edmonton, Alta.) was on fire in the batter’s box for Stephen F. Austin last weekend. Loranger amassed two hits, two walks and two RBIs as the Lumberjacks lost Game 1 of their four-game series with Central Arkansas by a 10-9 score. He legged out two triples and drove in a run in an 8-2 win in Game 2. Guess what he did in Game 3? That’s right, he had two more knocks in the 7-6 loss. To conclude the series, he had a hit in a 9-0, Game 4 loss.

Arnold gets on for Camels

Freshman Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) appeared in the leadoff spot in all four games for the Campbell University Camels. Arnold accumulated eight hits, a walk, six RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by five pitches as the Camels went 2-2. The former Fieldhouse Pirate went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by two pitches in a 16-8 midweek victory over High Point.

Four games played, six hits for Barclay

Tyrus Barclay (Wyoming, Ont.) was penciled into the University of Mary lineup four times this past week. Barclay sparked the Marauders with six hits, two RBIs and was hit by a pitch as the Marauders went 3-2.

Chenier-Rondeau has strong series

The base running ability of Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Blainville, Que.) was on display as Cowley took on Labette in a pair of doubleheaders. Chenier-Rondeau was able to produce seven hits, four walks seven RBIs and two stolen bases as Cowley swept both double dips. Of his seven hits, two were doubles and one was a triple. The two, two-baggers came in a 21-0, Game 4 win that included four hits and six RBIs.

Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) had six hits in four games for Cal State Northridge in a series against Cal State Fullerton. Photo: Cal State Northridge Athletics

Clarke assembles notable four games

Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) had at least a hit in all four games Cal State Northridge played against Cal State Fullerton. All in all, Clarke had six hits, two walks, a RBI, a stolen base and a hit by pitch in the series split.

Thunderwolves take down Corning and Genesee

It was smooth sailing for the Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves last week as they went a perfect 6-0 with two wins over Corning and a four-game sweep of Genesee. Chris Tani (Oakville, Ont.) was right in the thick of it with 10 hits, four walks, nine RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. He was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and a RBI in a 7-2 win in Game 4 over Genesee to close things out.

Humeniuk can certainly hit

The best game of the week for Louisiana Monroe Warhawk Ryan Humeniuk (Stonewall, Man.) came in an 18-6 victory over Jackson State when he was able to go 3-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs, two stolen bases and a hit by pitch. Over all five games his team played, Humeniuk totaled seven hits, two walks, six RBIs, four stolen bags, and two hit by pitches.

Wakeham works his way on in series with Wright State

Jayden Wakeham (Victoria, BC) appeared in the first three games of Northern Kentucky’s four-game series with Wright State. Wakeham had four hits and a walk but unfortunately for the Norse, they were swept.

Jones, Landry lead Mineral Area to DH sweep

They had to wait until Sunday to play their first games of the week but that didn’t bother Mineral Area College and two of their Canadian talents.

Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) went 5-for-8 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base as the Cardinals took Game 1, 11-4 and Game 2, 12-3.

Nathan Landry (Quebec City, Que.) came out of the bullpen in the 11-4 victory and worked five innings. Landry allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and eight strike outs to improve to 4-2.

Mathieu Valle (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.) had six hits, a walk, two RBIs and three stolen bases in three games for the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen. Photo: Jacques Lanciault

Valle improves stolen base numbers

The speed Northeastern Oklahoma A&M’s Mathieu Valle (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.) possesses poses a constant threat. Last week in a three-game series with Connors State he chipped in six hits, a walk, two RBIs and three stolen bases as the Golden Norsemen won the series. Half of his hits were doubles and the three stolen bags runs his total to 32 in 31 games played.

Hart has five hits for William Penn

Jameson Hart (Sarnia, Ont.) started William Penn’s series with Peru State with a 3-for-3 game with a stolen base. In Game 3, Hart was 2-for-3 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. The Statesmen won the series three games to one.

Martins makes two games count

When you only play two games in a week, it can be hard to get in a rhythm. It didn’t seem to bother Jacob Martins (Richmond Hill, Ont.) of Canisius College though, as he had four hits, and two RBIs in a Sunday doubleheader sweep of Rider.

Keys K’s 16

Travis Keys (London, Ont.) struck out 16 and gave up an unearned run on five hits over seven innings for Aquinas College. He walked just two but his offence didn’t give him any support in a 4-0 loss to Michigan-Dearborn. The defeat drops his record to 4-2.

Rankin nabs five knocks

Missouri Valley may have been swept by MidAmerica Nazarene, but Spencer Rankin (Richmond, BC) mustered five hits and seven RBIs. Rankin hit a home run in a 10-7 loss in Game 1.

North Shore Twins grad Ben Columbus belted three home runs for Wharton County in their series against Alvin. Photo: Twitter

Columbus hits three round trippers

Ben Columbus (North Vancouver, BC) hit three home runs for Wharton County in their series with Alvin, which they lost 3-1. Columbus garnered six hits, three walks, six RBIs and stole two bases when all was said and done.

Morris steers Southern Arkansas offence

A big reason Southern Arkansas was able to go 3-1 last week was because of the smooth swing of Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC). Morris collected himself 11 hits, including two home runs, three walks, seven RBIs and a stolen base. He was a perfect 4-for-4 with a three-run home run, two walks, four RBIs and a stolen base in a midweek 20-17 loss to the University of Texas at Tyler. His other deep fly, a solo shot, came in a 3-for-5 effort in a 13-2, Game 3 win over Southern Nazarene.

Demchenko deals in lopsided win

Zach Demchenko (Okotoks, Alta.) went the distance as Friends University beat up on the University of Saint Mary’s 17-2 in Game 3 of their series. Over his seven innings, Demchenko scattered six hits and two runs. He walked one and struck out nine for the Falcons.

Fazzari catches fire

Nicholas Fazzari (Thunder Bay, Ont.) figured out the opposing pitchers last week. Fazzari had seven hits, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base as Parkland College went 5-1.

St. Albert Cardinals alum Will Gardner (St. Albert, Alta.) had six hits for Garden City Community College in their series against Dodge City Community College. Photo: NCSA

Gardner goes yard twice for Garden City

Garden City and Dodge City went shot for shot in Game 1 of their series and Will Gardner (St. Albert, Alta.) was instrumental in the outcome. Gardner was 3-for-3 with two home runs and a pair of walks in a 15-14 victory. The rest of the series he contributed three hits, a walk and a RBI.

Sterritt steps up for Lakeland

Benjamin Sterritt (Caledon East, Ont.) of Lakeland College went 2-for-4 in both ends of a doubleheader split with Owen. Sterritt also drove in a run in the second game.

Potter a top student-athlete

Another Canadian excelling in the classroom is right handed pitcher Jacob Potter (Victoria, BC). Potter was recently named a Top Scholar-Athlete at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. On the mound for the Savage Storm, he has thrown 47 1/3 innings.

Dorman drives in five

Wyatt Dorman (Nanaimo, BC) drove in five runs for Napa Valley as they took two of three from Mendocino. Dorman collected four hits, walked twice and stole a base.

Lichty light up Spring Arbor

There was only two games on Huntington's schedule but Daniel Lichty (Denfield, Ont.) managed four hits. Lichty stroked three knocks, including a two-run home run, a walk, three total RBIs and two stolen bases in a 10-8, Game 1 win over Spring Arbor in the first game of a doubleheader. He was back on the attack with a double and a stolen base in a 4-2 loss in Game 2.

O'Toole improves to 8-0

Evan O'Toole allowed an unearned run on just two hits over five innings of work in Iowa Western's 6-2, Game 3 win over Des Moines Area. O'Toole walked two, punched out eight and lowered his ERA to 1.21 during the start. He is now a perfect 8-0.

Geekie a star in tough series for Emporia State

If the Emporia State Hornets are looking for a positive after being swept in a three-game series by Northeastern State, look no further than Noah Geekie (Strathclair, Man.). Geekie had a hit in the first two games before exploding for a 3-for-4 Game 3 with a RBI, a stolen base and a hit by pitch.

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Bring on those May flowers. Plenty of Canadians have been blooming since the beginning of the season and will look to for weeks to come. Don’t miss any of the action, check back here each week until the end of the college baseball season to read about the top performers from north of the 49th parallel.

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

Looking for even more coverage of Canadians in college baseball? Follow Matt Betts on Twitter at @Bettsy41.