May 15, 2019

BMOC Week 16

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

The stakes are getting higher. As the season continues into the final weeks of the regular season for some or the postseason for others, many Canadians are doing well for their teams. Below is what you need to know regarding the past week of action.

Hicks named Player of the Year

Region XVI named their Player of the Year and it was a familiar face. Mineral Area Community College’s Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) was given the honour after hitting .440 in 49 games played. Hicks hit 14 homers, drove in 56 and stole nine bases this season. He went 3-for-7 with a home run, four walks and two RBIs last week.

Morello a champion

A perfect 4-0 record in the Mountain East Conference Tournament resulted in the University of Charleston being crowned champions. Gianfranco Morello (Toronto, Ont.) went 3-for-5 with a walk and two RBIs in Game 1 of the tournament, a 6-5 win over Fairmont State. The Golden Eagles took Game 2, 5-4 over Notre Dame College. Morello went 3-for-5, finished a home run shy of the cycle, drove in three and stole a base in the win. He hit a double in a 10-2 win over Shepherd in the next game. In the final against Notre Dame College, Morello had a hit, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base in a 9-8 win. Now the Atlantic Regional awaits and a date with Gannon University.

Pilots take flight

Owen Napieralski (Delta, BC) soared as the Louisiana State University Shreveport Pilots claimed the Red River Athletic Conference championship. Napieralski had a hit in a 7-6 win over LSU Alexandria. He had another hit in a 7-3 Pilots win over Our Lady of the Lakes University. Up next, in a 4-3 win over Jarvis Christian. Napieralski had a hit and a walk in that one. The Pilots then beat Jarvis Christian again 19-11 and Napieralski had a hit. He also drove in a run in the win. Once they are done celebrating the win they will turn their focus to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Opening Round and the No. 21 Bellevue Bruins.

Mystic win championship

The Bismarck State Mystics won the MON-DAK Conference Championship. The Mystics beat Miles Community 16-12 to win the title. In the game Jared Binsfeld (Saskatoon, Sask.) went 2-for-4 with a RBI. They then opened the Region XIII Tournament with a 10-0 win over Dawson Community College. Binsfeld had a hit and a walk in the blowout win. A rematch with Miles was on deck and Binsfeld went 2-for-4 but the Mystics lost 12-4. Against Dakota County Technical College in their next game, Binsfeld went 2-for-5 but his squad lost 6-4. Binsfeld hit .379 this season.

Ando is Big Ten’s best

Royce Ando (Mississauga, Ont.) had such a good week for the Michigan State Spartans he was recognized by the Big Ten Conference. Ando got his week started with a hit in a 7-0 loss to Michigan in an in-state midweek showdown. Valparaiso provided the next test in another midweek contest and Ando passed by going 2-for-3 with a walk in a 9-3 win. The Spartans headed into a three-game conference set with the National Collegiate Athletic Association No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes as the underdogs. That didn't faze Ando or his team as they took 2-of-3. In Game 1 Ando went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the only loss of the series. Game 2 saw him record a hit, two walks and a RBI in a 9-4 win. The rubber match went the way of the Spartans, 7-5, behind a 3-for-4 showing with a walk and two RBIs from Ando. The Big Ten Conference named Ando their Player of the Week.

Dray does it with the bat, Hawkins pitches Thunderbirds to win

In three games last week for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the California Pacific Conference Championship, Jordan Dray had six hits and six RBIs. In a 14-7, 11 inning loss to Antelope Valley to open the week Dray went 3-for-6 with four RBIs. After a hit in a loss to Marymount California he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in another loss to Antelope Valley. In the matchup with Marymount California there was little room for error. In a game the Thunderbirds would only score two, Garrett Hawkins (Biggar, Sask.) needed to be on his game. Hawkins responded by tossing a complete game, nine inning shutout. Hawkins allowed three hits, a walk and struck out five. The T-Birds qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Baseball Championship Opening Round.

Brash handed a no-decision

Matthew Brash (Kingston, Ont. — Canada`s first capital) pitched well but it wasn't enough for the Niagara Purple Eagles to walk away with a win. Over 7 1/3 innings against Siena, Brash gave up four hits, one run and two walks. He struck out seven in the 2-1 Game 2 loss.

Johnson loses for first time despite strong effort

After finishing the regular season 35-13 the Lubbock Christian Chaparrals couldn't convert it into conference tournament success. Ryan Johnson (Winnipeg, Man.) threw seven innings, scattered four hits and three runs (two earned) in a 3-2 loss to St. Edward’s in Game 1 of the Heartland Conference Tournament. Johnson punched out 10 but lost for the first time, seeing his record drop to 13-1 overall this season. St. Edward’s scored one in the top of the eighth to steal the lead and they would hold on for the victory. The Chaparrals lost Game 2, as well, ending their tournament in bitter disappointment.

Colby success a true Canadian effort

Colby Community College needed to win a best-of-three Region VI playoff series with Coffeyville to move onto the National Junior College Athletic Association Central District Tournament Opening Round. Four Canadians powered the Trojans to a 2-1 series victory. Matt Coutney (Edmonton, Alta.) launched a home run in Game 1 and finished 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and two RBIs in a 13-1 victory. In Game 2 he went 3-for-4 with two more walks, two more RBIs and a stolen base despite losing the game 17-14. During the deciding Game 3, Coutney had a 2-for-4 game with two home runs, a walk, five RBIs and five runs scored as the Trojans scored 22 times on route to a 22-12 win. Blake Gallagher (Fredericton, NB) also got the offence going with a hit in Game 1, two hits in Game 2 and four hits in Game 3. In the Game 1 win he also walked. After hitting a home run in the Game 2 loss he went deep twice, drove in four and scored four times in the series clinching Game 3 win. Logan Hofmann (Muenster, Sask.) got the start in Game 1 and cruised to a complete game, seven inning win. Hofmann allowed three hits, the one run and a walk. He struck out 10 to get the series started on a high. Tucker Zdunich (High River, Alta.) walked twice in Game 1 before going 4-for-5 with a home run, a walk and three doubles in the Game 2 loss. Zdunich smashed two home runs on the way to a 4-for-4 game with three RBIs in Game 3. In case you couldn't keep track, Coutney, Gallagher and Zdunich all hit two home runs to close out the series.

Buckle and Hart hit for Indian Hills

Declan Buckle (Cornerbrook, NL) and Jameson Hart (Sarnia, Ont.) both brought their offensive game to the table for Indian Hills in the Region XI Tournament. Buckle went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and Hart pounded out a hit and walked in a 7-3 win over Marshalltown to open play. Iowa Western got the better of Indian Hills in the next game, pounding them 12-2. Even though the loss was lopsided Buckle went 2-for-2 and Hart had a hit and a walk. Marshalltown got their revenge in the next game by beating Buckle, Hart and Indian Hills 10-5. Buckle went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the loss, while Hart went 2-for-5 to wrap up the schedule.

Columbus State beat out

The Cougars of Columbus State just couldn't get going in the Peach Belt Tournament. They lost Game 1, 3-1 to the University of South Carolina Aiken. Garrett Kirkwood (Calgary, Alta.) walked and had a RBI in the opening loss. Kirkwood went 3-for-5 with a RBI and a stolen base but his team dropped a 9-7 decision to Francis Marion in the next contest. He had a hit in a 4-0 win over Flagler in Game 3 but it wasn't enough to move on.

Eifler’s solid effort not rewarded

Over seven innings Jared Eifler (Calgary, Alta.) kept the Douglas College Royals in the ball game but they eventually lost 5-4. Eifler scattered five hits, four runs (two earned), walked one and struck out 10 in the game.

Leduc stumps State Fair

Xavier Leduc (Boucherville, Que.) surrendered six hits and three runs (one earned) over six innings to help Crowder to a 9-4 win over State Fair in postseason play. Leduc walked four and punched out eight to improve to 4-0. Crowder went on to win the Region XVI Tournament and will face Connors State to kick off the next round.

Wark allows one run

The offence came to play for the St. Louis Billikens and Jackson Wark (St. Albert, Alta.) slowed the opposition on the mound. Wark worked five innings and gave up two hits in a 17-3 Game 3 Billiken win over George Mason. Wark allowed a run, walked two and struck out five as his team completed the sweep.

Schlosser, Beavers bow out to defending champs

It was quite the run for the Minot State Beavers in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament as they played six games in four days. Wyatt Schlosser (Saskatoon, Sask.) had 10 hits, five walks, five RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by two pitches as the Beavers went 4-2. Schlosser went 3-for-3 and hit a two-run home run in a 9-3 loss to Augustana in Game 2 of the tournament. Augusta would later beat Minot State again to eliminate the Beavers. Augustana won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2018.

Burgmann upends Utes

Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) picked up win No. 4 on the season as he lasted 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 Washington win over the University of Utah. Burgmann allowed four hits, one run and struck out nine.

Mandryk goes eight strong

Southeastern Illinois was swept by Lincoln Trail in a three-game series. Keaton Mandryk (Kelowna, BC) did his best to pick his team up a win with eight innings of three run (two earned) baseball in a 6-5 Game 3 loss. Mandryk gave up six hits, three walks and struck out six.

Scoreless seven for Skirrow

Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) tossed seven scoreless innings for Liberty as they cruised to an 11-0 win. Skirrow surrendered three hits, issued four walks and struck out seven to beat Lipscomb. Skirrow owns a 3.54 ERA over 68 2/3 innings as the Flames are 35-16.

Quirion with five hits

Lamar may have been swept by Gonzaga but Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) had himself a nice series in the box. Quirion went 2-for-4 in Game 1. He had a hit in Game 2 and went 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch in the finale.

Sechopoulos stellar in win

Ari Sechopoulos (Windsor, Ont.) had a huge game for the College of Charleston against Charleston Southern. Sechopoulos went 4-for-5, doubled twice and hit a solo home run in a 9-2 win. He added another RBI and a hit by pitch later in the week.

Feuerstake leads Mineral Area

His teammate Liam Hicks may have been named Region XVI Player of the Year but Caleb Feuerstake (Waterdown, Ont.) is no slouch himself. Feuerstake contributed six hits, two walks and three RBIs in three games last week. He homered in a 7-4 win over Jefferson.

Jaco jolts Cameron

Hayden Jaco (Coquitlam, BC) was right in the middle of the action as Cameron took part in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. In the opener against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Jaco went 2-for-3 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base as his team won 9-0. Cameron then upset the Division II No. 1 team Angelo State 12-3. Jaco went 2-for-4 with a walk and a RBI in the big win. The Aggies lost their next contest 11-1 to West Texas A&M University. Jaco made it interesting early, launching a solo home run in the top of the second to tie the score 1-1. He finished the game 2-for-4 but Cameron was eliminated.

Machibroda gets on base

The College of Central Florida went 1-2 in the Region VIII Tournament. They won the first game 12-2 over Broward behind a hit, three walks and two RBIs from Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.). Machibroda had a hit and a walk in a 9-2 loss to Northwest Florida State in his teams next game. Against Miami Dade in Game 3 he went 3-for-6 with a RBI in a tight 12-11 loss. Machibroda drove in 73 in 52 games played in 2019.

Patry pushes State College of Florida

Remi Patry (Gatineau, Que.) had a hit and two RBIs in the State College of Florida’s 15-6 loss to Northwest Florida State. In back-to-back wins in the Region VIII Tournament, Paltry kept hitting. He had a hit in an 8-1 win over Broward. The Canadian then went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs in an 8-2 victory over Sante Fe College.

Black backs Raiders

Wright State’s Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) had eight hits, three walks, eight RBIs and three stolen base in four games last week. Black had two 3-for-4 games, one in a 5-0 Game 1 win over Northern Kentucky and another in a 9-1 Game 3 win. In the Game 3 win he drove in five runs. The Raiders are led behind the bench by Alex Sogard, brother of Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Eric Sogard.

Excitement is in the air. Many teams are locked in and anticipating big games. Remember to check back weekly and read the BMOC to learn all about the top Canadian performers.

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