Former Elmwood Giants' OF Dustin Braun (Landmark, Man.) of Central Washington, shown here with the Fort McMurray Giants. Photo: Robert Murray.

Feb 14, 2018

BMOC Week IV: Arruda, Berg, Johnson, Liu, Marklund

Big Man On Campus Week 4
By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Week 4 of the BMOC features more standout performances from across college baseball. As pitchers and catchers begin to report for Spring Training these players are heating up. Check out the highlights from the past week.

Willow named KCAC Player of the Week
Evan Willow (Victoria, BC) took home Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week honours after a monster series for McPherson College versus Oklahoma Panhandle State University. In Game 1 of their series he went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and four RBIs in the 10-0 win. He left the yard again in Game 2, this time a three-run shot. He ended the game going 3-for-4 with five RBIs. He had a hit, was hit by a pitch and drove in a run in a 9-5 Game 3 win. He worked a walk in the finale as McPherson completed the sweep with a 8-7 win.

One-time Ontario Blue Jays Nathan Arruda (Brampton, Ont.)

Arruda amazes with one-hitter
It was a good week for Canadians in the KCAC. Nathan Arruda (Toronto, Ont.) had it working for Tabor College in their 2-0 win over Colorado Christian. The righty threw a complete game, seven inning one-hitter to halt the Cougars in their tracks. He struck out ten en route to his first win of the season. Arruda was named Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance.

Sabrowski does it all
Cloud County Community College’s Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) showcased his talents by delivering on the mound and in the batters box. The T-Birds had a four game series with Fort Scott Community College and Sabrowski went right to work going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in a 6-5 loss. He followed it up with a 3-for-3 game with a double, a home run and two RBIs in a Game 2 win. As if producing offensively wasn’t enough, he took to the mound in Game 3. He picked up the win going five scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits and a pair of walks. He struck out nine in the 8-3 victory. Sabrowski was a one man wrecking crew in Game 3, also going 3-for-4 at the dish with a double and a RBI. He closed out the series with a hit in Game 4, an8-6 loss.

Fernandez-Beltran goes the distance
It was just the start to the series the St. Mary’s University Rattlers were looking for and it came from Canadian Fernando Fernandez-Beltran (Mercier, Que.). The Quebec native spun a complete-game gem in a 3-1 Rattler win over Tarleton State. He tossed all nine innings, scattering six hits, allowing just a single run with three walks and 10 strikeouts. He evened his record at 1-1.

UBC gets underway
The University of British Columbia began their campaign this past week with a four game set with California State East Bay in Hayward Calif. Niall Windeler (Toronto, Ont.) was handed the ball in the opener and worked 4 2/3 innings of one run baseball. He gave up three hits and three walks while striking out seven. The Thunderbirds dropped the contest 7-1.

Lichel Hirakawa-Kao (Vancouver, BC) didn’t start Game 1 but left a mark in Games 2, 3 and 4. In UBC’s only win of the series in Game 2, a 12-10 decision, Hirakawa-Kao went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. The Thunderbirds dropped Game 3 14-5 but Hirakawa-Kao blasted a two-run home run and worked a walk. After being moved to the leadoff spot in Game 4 he delivered a hit and a walk to close the series.

Mitch Robinson (Surrey, BC) had back-to-back two hit games to open the series. He also drove in a run in Game 1 and followed it up with 2 RBIs in Game 2. He then chipped in a hit in each of Games 3 and 4.

OF Christopher Acosta-Tapia (Deauville Laval, Que.) helped the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles to a weekend sweep.

Acosta-Tapia, Ortiz helps lead No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan
Christopher Acosta-Tapia (Deauville Laval, Que.) used three hits (four total on the week), three walks and two RBIs over four games to help the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles to a four-game sweep of Central Christian College.

Claudio Ortiz (Montreal, Que.) picked up the win in Game 2 by throwing five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, four walks and struck out three in the 2-1 win.

Swift leads Warriors to sweep
If there is one player who has showed no signs of slowing down it has been Austen Swift (Toronto, Ont.). He had a hit and walk in a 29-4 William Jessup win over Bethesda University of California. Next up was San Diego Christian for a three-game series. After walking twice in a 6-3 Game 1 win he went 3-for-4, was hit by a pitch and blasted three-run home run. He had two more hits, one of which was a triple and two RBIs in the finale. William Jessup improved to 13-3 on the year.

Fonseca’s fantastic so far in ’18
Cypress College’s Trevor Fonseca (West Vancouver, BC) continued his torrid start to the 2018 season with four more hits this past week. He also added two walks, two RBIs and a stolen base to his totals. Cypress took won 2-of-3 and Fonseca is hitting at a .565 clip so far this year.

Liu find a way to shine
The Davis and Elkin Senators may have been swept by King University but Johnny Liu (Mississauga, Ont.) was a bright spot. Liu hit .333 going 4-for-11 with a pair of RBIs. He hit .370 with a .453 on-base percentage, a .430 slugging percentage, drove in 15 RBIs and was hit by 10 pitches in 2017. The Senators will look for some better luck as they get ready for two games with Tusculum and two with Notre Dame College this week.

Schindel shines
Tyler Schindel (Victoria, BC) had a fine offensive week but it wasn’t enough as San Diego Christian stumbled and went 0-4 on the week. Schindel started his week with a double, a walk and stolen base in a 10-9 loss to Providence College. He had a hit in all three of the Hawks games against fellow Canadian Austen Swift and William Jessup, including a RBI and stolen base in Game 2 and a walk in Game 3 but it wasn’t enough as his team dropped all three games.

Forrmer Ontario Blue Jay Quinton Bent (Mississauga, Ont.)

Bent bashes for Southern Wesleyan
It all started with a home run and three RBIs versus Mars Hill for Quinton Bent (Mississauga, Ont.) and it turned into a stellar weekend for the Southern Wesleyan Warriors. In Game 1 of their series with Trinity Baptist Bent had a double and two RBIs in the 7-5 win. He swatted another two doubles and drove in two more in a 7-3 victory in Game 2. The Warriors completed the sweep behind two more doubles from Bent, two walks and a RBI.

Marklund, Scott help Bryan sweep
Brandon Marklund (North Vancouver, BC) picked up a save and a win and Tyler Scott (Calgary, Alta.) had five hits as Bryan College swept four games from Indiana University Kokomo. In a 3-0 Game 1 victory Maryland threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit and a walk, striking out one in picking up the save. He was back on the mound in Game 3, this time picking up the win. He threw a scoreless, hitless 1 1/3 innings and struck out three in the 9-8 victory.

Scott launched a home run in Game 1 and had two hits in both Games 2 and 3. He finished the week with a walk, three RBIs and a 1.008 OPS.

On the prowl for the Panthers
It was an ugly weekend for the Florida Tech Panthers as they went 0-3 against Wingate, Valdosta State and Flagler. Saying that, it wasn’t all bad if you are a Canadian baseball fan. Freshman Jake Newton (Oakville, Ont.) went 4-for-10 with a stolen base in the three games. Fellow Canadian teammate and Intercounty Baseball League Toronto Maple Leaf Zac Orchard (Cambridge, Ont.) went 4-for-11 with a walk and hit by pitch.

Saskaatoon Diamondbacks' Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) was 5-for-5 with a home run and eight RBIs in a doubleheader sweep. .

Machibroda makes the most of two games
Chattanooga State outscored Covenant College 24-0 in two games and it was Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) who supplied a lot of the offence. In their first game, an 8-0 win, Machibroda went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run and knocked four. He again drove in four runs in their second meeting and went 3-for-3 in a 16-0 thumping.

Wilkes the man for the Matadors
Arizona Western had themselves a nice week picking up four wins thanks in part to the bat of Robbie Wilkes (Regina, Sask.). Wilkes had a hit and a stolen base in a Game 1 win over Colorado Northwestern. Game 2 saw him get join via a walk, steal another base and also drive in a run. After a hit in a Game 3 win he went 2-for-3 with another stolen base to help his Matadors complete the sweep. Arizona Western is now 7-4 on the year.

Trogrlic-Iverson pitches Vaqueros to win over El Paso
Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Oakville, Ont.) continues to prove his hot start is no fluke. He most recent performance was saw him pick up his second win of the year in a 23-0 Central Arizona win over El Paso Community College. He threw five scoreless innings, scattering three hits and only a single walk. He struck out eight in the blowout. After three games he is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 14 innings and has recorded 21 strikeouts.

Victoria Mariners' Nick Seginowich (Victoria, BC) had four hit day for the Salt Lake City Bruins. Photo: Christian J. Stewart.

Seginowich an on-base machine for Salt Lake
It doesn’t always matter how you get on as long as you do. Nick Seginowich (Victoria, BC) went 4-for-8 including a triple with five walks, a hit by pitch and a stolen base for the Salt Lake Community College Bruins

Berg with three multi-hit games
Polk State won 2-of-3 and Danny Berg (Saskatoon, Sask.) had six hits. In their first against St. Johns River State College he went 2-for-3 with a walk. The Eagles dropped the contest, their only of the week 6-5. Berg also found himself on the mound in the game working a scoreless inning with a walk and two strikeouts. They got in the win column, also by a 6-5 score, in their next game against Seminole State College of Florida. Berg had himself another nice day at the dish going 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk and two RBIs. In their final game he went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk helping the Eagles to a 5-3 win over Lake Sumter State College.

Johnson goes eight strong
Losing 1-0 in 10 innings is tough to take. Ryan Johnson (Winnipeg, Man.) knows all about it through no fault of his own. He went eight scoreless innings, yielding just two hits and a walk while striking out seven for Lubbock Christian. Unfortunate for Johnson and his team it was Regis who took home the win.

Berner helps Graceland burn opposition
The only thing to that slowed down Matt Berner (Spruce Grove, Alta.) was a cancellation of Game 4 of their series with Ecclesia. His best game of the series was in a 6-3 Game 2 win where he went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a RBI. He also doubled in Games 1 and 3 as Graceland took 2 of a possible three wins in the series.

One-time Ontario Blue Jays Billy Brand (Burlington, Ont.) drove in five runs for Midland in a 6---for-11 week.

Brand doesn’t back down
Billy Brand (Burlington, Ont.) used a home run, five RBIs and a 1.636 OPS to contribute to the Midland University offence this past week. He finished the week going 6-for-11.

Morris plays one, makes it count
It seems playing only one game a week isn’t messing up Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC) and his timing at the plate. After having a stellar single game the week he did it again last week going 4-for-4 with a walk in a 6-5, 10 innings win over Labette.

Thorp strikes out 10, takes loss
Dylan Thorp (North Vancouver, BC) struck out ten Texas College hitters but it wasn’t enough as his Bellevue Bruins dropped a 4-3 decision. Thorp went 5 1/3 innings, gave up 6 hits and four runs (one earned) with a walk.

Falbo flashes skill for Centre College
Centre College’s week started with a win but ended up dropping the three game series with LaGrange. Mason Falbo (Mississauga, Ont.) contributed four hits and four RBIs in the series for the Colonels.

Cunningham earns LSU Shreveport’s only win
It wasn’t a great week for the LSU Shreveport Pilots as they picked up just a single victory but that win was on the back of Hunter Cunningham (Mission, BC). The Canadian threw five innings, surrendering three hits and one run in the 11-5 win over Lyon College. He walked one and struck out five.

Saskatoon Giants' Brett Resch (Saskatoon, Sask.) had a five-hit weekend.

Southern Idaho takes 3-of-4
The Golden Eagles of Southern Idaho were soaring last week and rode the red hot bat of Brett Resch (Saskatoon, Sask.). He started the week with a 2-for-2 showing in a 6-4 win over Cochise College.. It was another two hits against Yavapai in the next game, a 7-6 win. In game 3 of their week the Saskatoon native swatted a hit. The Golden Eagles took down Okanagan 11-10 to close out the week.

Quirion pounds out eight hits
Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) was locked in for Clarendon this past week. In Game 1 of their series with Mountain View he had a 2-for-4 day with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a RBI. Clarendon won the game 6-3. Game 2 was another Clarendon win and Quirion went 2-for-4 again. He saved his best performance for last going 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in an 18-0 victory.

Braun steps up for CWU
Central Washington took on the Academy of Art last week and started the series off with a 5-1 win. Dustin Braun (Landmark, Man.) went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a RBI in that one. He used another two-hit game, including a solo home run and a walk to launch the Wildcats to a 4-0 win. The senior contributed a hit in each of Game 3 and 4 as his team took 3-of-4.

Oulton out duels opponent
Lefty Taran Oulton (St. Albert, Alta.) pitched the William Woods University Owls to victory over Baker last week. He went six innings, allowing seven hits, two runs (zero earned) with a walk and six strikeouts. Teammate Dany Paradis-Giroux (Lavis, Que.) also picked up a victory over Baker.

Field House Pirates LHP-1B Sean Kretz (Burlington, Ont.) pitched four scoreless for Glendale.

Kretz keeps hitters off balance
Sean Kretz (Burlington, Ont.) had a pair of good appearances for Glendale Community College. The first came against the College of the Desert where he went two scoreless innings giving up just one hit. He didn’t allow a free pass and struck out two in the 10-2 win. He was back at it against the Oxnard College Condors going another two scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out one in the 8-3 win.

Cappe caps two-game set with win
It was Brady Cappe (Brantford, Ont.) taking the ball for Lake Land College in the second game of a back-to-back with Roane State and he delivered a win. The Telephone City hurler threw 6 1/3 innings, scattering four hits and allowing one run. He walked four but struck out 12 to pick up his first win of the year.

Bishop bats .400
Alex Bishop (Calgary, Alta.) went 4-for-10 for the University of Texas at Tyler in a sweep of La Verne. He also walked once and drove in a run.

Sims helps St. Leo extinguish Flames
The St. Leo Lions weren’t about to get burnt by the Lee University Flames. Jake Sims (Guelph, Ont.) helps his team to a 2-1 series win with four hits, a hit by pitch and a RBI. His best game actually came in the only loss, a 12-4 Game 3 defeat where he went 2-for-4.

Prospects Acaademy's ReJean Bourget (Edmonton, Alta.) upped his average to .462.

Bourget hits .500
ReJean Bourget (Edmonton, Alta.) went 4-for-8 with a walk for Garden City Community College last week. It was a good week for the Broncbusters as they went 4-0 with a win over McCook and three more over Western Nebraska Community College. Bourget is now hitting .462 on the season.

Hofmann nails down two saves

Merced College went 2-1 on the week and handed the ball to Jaden Hofmann (Unity, Sask.) to close out both victories. In their first win against San Mateo, a 9-7 final, Hofmann threw 1 1/3 scoreless, walking two and striking out one. After dropping a 22-8 decision to Mission, Hofmann and his team got their revenge taking down Mission 6-5. Hofmann worked a scoreless 1/3 of an inning, striking out the only out he needed to pick up his second save of the week.

Canadians continue to help their teams with big time performances. Division I competition kicks off this week meaning even more names are surely to appear next week. Catch all the action right here in the BMOC.

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