BMOC Week V: Arnold, McGill, Miller, Takacs, Taylor
University of Calgary Dinos alum Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta) had 15 strikeouts in seven innings in his start for the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders. Photo: Lindsey Wilson Athletics
March 1, 2023
BMOC Week 5
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
Quality pitching performances and timely hitting highlighted another strong week for Canadians in college baseball. Check out the top performances from Feb. 20 to 26 below.
Achen outstanding against No. 15 Cumberlands
Fifteen of the 21 outs Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.) recorded for Lindsey Wilson against No. 15 Cumberlands came by way of the strikeout. Over seven innings, Achen allowed three runs on four hits and walked two to pick up the win in a 5-4 Blue Raiders victory.
Taylor is terrific
Colton Taylor (Amherstburg, Ont.) was locked in all game long in Texas A&M Kingsville’s Game 2 win over Cameron. Taylor threw a complete game shutout in a 4-0 blanking. He conceded two hits, walked three and struck out eight.
Gurr goes six, earns win
Seth Gurr (Coaldale, Alta.) lasted six innings in his midweek start against Panola. He worked around three hits and surrendered one run in the 4-1 win. He walked two and punched out five.
Brunner strong in Game 1 loss
Lefty Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) yielded one run on four hits over five innings but was handed a no-decision in Emporia State’s 2-1 Game 1 loss to Northeastern State. Brunner walked a pair and struck out five in the outing.
Toronto Mets alum Marshall Leishman (Huntsville, Ont.) gave up just one run on four hits, while striking out 12, in seven innings in his Opening Day start for Ashland University. Photo: Ashland University Athletics
Leishman wins Opening Day start
Ashland University got their season underway this past week and it was Marshall Leishman (Huntsville, Ont.) who made the Opening Day start. Leishman was up to the task, going seven innings and giving up one run on four hits in an 8-1 victory over Concord. He walked one and struck out 12 en route to picking up the win.
UBC splits with Bushnell
The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds earned wins in Game’s 1 and 4 of their series with Bushnell to finish with a four-game split.
On the mound it was the brothers, Sean Heppner (Point Roberts, Wash.) and Ryan Heppner (Point Roberts, Wash.) who picked up the wins. Sean worked six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in a 6-4 Game 1 victory. He issued two walks and struck out seven.
Ryan took the ball in Game 4 and delivered 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 win. He surrendered two runs on seven hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
On the offensive side of things, Aaron Marsh (Nanaimo, BC) and Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) played well.
Marsh finished the series with seven hits, including three solo home runs in Game’s 1, 3 and 4. The second year infielder walked twice and drove in four.
McGill meanwhile put up eight hits with two RBIs and a stolen a base. He went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a RBI in the Game 4 win.
Cerkownyk launches four more long balls
Brady Cerkownyk (Toronto, Ont.) had his power on full display yet again for Connors State. In five games, Cerkownyk hit four home runs and collected 10 knocks in all. He swatted a two-run home run and a three-run home run in a 16-6 win over Arkansas Tech. The freshman catcher also walked three times and drove in 13. So far in 2023, he has hit 11 home runs and driven in 43 in 14 games.
Great Lake Canadians alum Tyler Hinrikus (Waterloo, Ont.), shown here with the IBL’s Kitchener Panthers, had nine hits and was named the FCSAA D2 Player of the Week. Photo: Twitter
Hinrikus hit three out
Tyler Hinrikus (Waterloo, Ont.) hit three home runs, walked and drove in 12 to power the St. John’s River State College offence. He closed out the week with nine hits. For his efforts, Hinrikus has been named the FCSAA D2 Player of the Week.
Laurie hits pair of solo shots
There were no shortage of home runs coming off the bats of Canadians. Glenville State’s Zach Laurie (Peterborough, Ont.) got in on the fun with two solo shots in three games. He went 2-for-4 with a home run in a 7-1 loss to Pitt-Johnstown and 3-for-4 with a walk and home run in an 8-7 victory over D’Youville.
Luther leads No. 5 Bellevue to series sweep
Brendan Luther (Mississauga, Ont.) started his week with a 3-for-5 game with a two-run home run as No. 5 Bellevue downed Briar Cliff 9-3 in their series opener. Luther had a hit in a 7-6 Game 2 win before collecting a hit and working a walk in a 4-3 Game 3 victory.
Takacs picks up win No. 2
Make it two wins in as many starts for Sacramento State’s Noah Takacs (Victoria, BC). The junior right-hander held the University of St. Thomas scoreless over seven innings. He allowed one hit, walked two and struck out seven in a 2-0 win.
Premier Sports Academy alum Jay Miller (Cornerbrook, Nfld.) tossed seven scoreless innings and earned the win in his start for the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Photo: Premier Sports Academy
Miller moves to .500
Jay Miller (Cornerbrook, Nfld.) earned the only win for the University of North Carolina Greensboro in their series with Notre Dame. Miller tossed seven scoreless innings in a 12-0 Game 2 victory. He scattered three hits, walked three batters and punched out four.
Gravel helps Weatherford to sweep
With three wins already in the books, Alexis Gravel (Repentigny, Que.) toed the rubber in Weatherford College’s Game 4 contest against Amarillo. Gravel threw five scoreless innings and gave up three hits in a 7-1 win. He walked two and struck out 10 on the way to earning the victory.
Duffy delivers Griffs first win
Aaron Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) got the start in Canisius’ second game of the season against Merrimack and went five innings, allowing a pair of runs on five hits. The younger Duffy brother walked four and struck out five to gather the win in the 11-4 victory.
Forno fans six
Two runs on four hits over five innings was the outing Williston State received from Brady Forno against Midland University. Forno walked one and struck out six. The Tetons dropped the contest 8-7.
O’Halloran hands Titans loss
Former Terrier Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) was victorious for the second time this season after throwing 6 1/3 innings and giving up two runs on four hits in Michigan’s 9-5 Game 1 win over Cal State Fullerton. The lefty walked two and struck out seven.
Mendham mashes
David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) hit a pair of home runs last week, including a two-run shot to provide the only offence in Oklahoma State’s 2-0 midweek win over California Baptist. In all, he had seven hits and three RBIs. His other long ball came in an 11-1 win over Loyola Marymount to clinch the three-game weekend series.
Wakeham rakes as Northern Kentucky goes 4-0
The Norse of Northern Kentucky are off and running to a 6-1 start and Jayden Wakeham (Victoria, BC) is a key reason for that. In four games last week, all wins, he collected six hits and six RBIs. He launched a two-run walk-off home run in a 9-7, 10 inning Game 2 win over Western Michigan. In the finale of the series, a 27-4 drubbing of the Broncos, he swatted another two-run home run.
Arnold on the mend
Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) took a positive step forward this past week in showing he’s fully recovered from an ankle injury that cost him most of the second half of the season in 2022. Arnold had seven hits and eight RBIs as Campbell swept Butler. During a 25-6 Game 2 thumping, he went 3-for-7 with a three-run home run and a triple. He closed out the three-game set with a 3-for-5 game with a solo home run.
Team Ontario Astros alum Shane Nixon (Markham, Ont.) had five hits - including two home runs - and three RBIs in three games for Valley City State. Photo: Valley City State Athletics
Five knocks for Nixon
The scoreboard wasn’t kind to Valley City State in their opening weekend series against Mount Marty as they were swept in a three-game series, but Shane Nixon (Markham, Ont.) provided a bright spot. Nixon had five hits and three RBIs. He left the yard for a solo shot in a 7-1 Game 1 loss and again, this time for a two-run home run, in a 9-3 Game 3 defeat.
Fluet fires zeros
Josh Fluet (White Rock, BC) spun six scoreless innings to help Texas Southern down Arlington Baptist 13-2. He scattered five hits, walked one and struck out seven.
Howard hurls five scoreless
Toronto Mets grad Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.) threw five scoreless innings to pick up the win in Chipola’s 10-4 victory over Calhoun. The righty allowed three hits, issued three walks and struck out a pair.
Crompton helps Reivers complete sweep
Cooper Crompton (Langley, BC) got the ball in Game 3 of Iowa Western’s series with Dodge City and turned in five innings of one run baseball. He worked around four hits and three walks to earn his second win of the season. Of the 15 outs recorded, eight were strikeouts. The Reivers swept the four-game set.
Victoria Eagles alum Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) tossed a seven-inning complete game for Arkansas at Monticello, allowing only two runs on six hits, while fanning six, in a 5-2 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State. Photo: Arkansas at Monticello Athletics
Irvine handles Southeastern Oklahoma State
A complete game seven-inning outing from Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) backed Arkansas at Monticello to a 5-2 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State. Irvine gave up two runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out six.
Di Clemente hits for the cycle, named conference Player of the Week
No. 25 Keiser received a stellar three-game performance from Kenny Di Clemente (Oakville, Ont.). His best day at the plate came in a 23-1 Game 2 win over Michigan-Dearborn when he hit for the cycle and drove in four. When the series ended he had collected nine hits, a walk, eight RBIs and was hit by a pitch in the sweep. His strong play earned him the Sun Conference Player of the Week.
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It may still be cold in much of Canada but the college baseball season is heating up. Stay caught up with all the action right here in the BMOC.
Do you know of a player deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column? Email Matt Betts at mattbetts@canadianbaseballnetwork.com. Please note that our week runs Monday to Sunday.
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