Big Man On Campus Week V
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network

The Division I season is underway. This weeks BMOC features some of the top D1 performances, including a National Player of the Week, along with plenty of other highlights from all levels of college ball. The top Canadian performers from the past week.

Freure named National Player of the Week

Why waste any time? One of the top players from last week’s action in the University of Pittsburgh’s RJ Freure (Burlington, Ont.) as he was named College Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week for a pair of appearances. His first came in a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Billikens. He worked 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and a run with a walk and four strikeouts. Canadian Jackson Wark (St. Albert, Alta.) got the start for St. Louis and picked up the win. Freure’s next action came in a 2-0 win over Oakland. He picked up the win tossing five innings of relief, allowing only two hits and striking out nine.

Morro mashes, named MAAC Player of the Week

It was a good debut weekend for Connor Morro (Cheltenham, Ont.) of the Canisius Golden Griffins. In the Griffs second game of the week, an 8-3 loss to Milwaukee, Morro went 2-for-3 with a walk and a RBI. Next up Canisius took down the Ohio State Buckeyes 5-4, which was helped by a 2-for-4 game with a triple and RBI from the Canadian. He closed out his first weekend in the gold and blue with a 3-for-4 showing with three RBIs and a stolen base. Morro was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week for his solid play.

Kennedy delivers the relief

Jared Kennedy (Calgary, Alta.) was summoned from the Canisius bullpen and tasked with holding the Ohio State Buckeyes in place. A tough task the freshman was up to as he went five scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, a pair of walks and punched out four Buckeye batters.

UBC takes down No. 8

The University of British Columbia used 20 hits to down No. 8 Hope International 13-4 in NAIA action. Brad Smith (Vancouver, BC) picked up the win going seven innings, allowing four hits and a run. He walked three and struck out four. He returned to the mound in Game 3 of the T-Birds series with California State Los Angeles. He worked 1 1/3 scoreless giving up a hit and a walk in the 8-4 loss.

Justin Orton (Essex, Ont.) went 4-for-6 with three RBIs in the win over Hope International. He had six hits the rest of the week, including a 4-for-4 game with a walk and a RBI in an 8-7, 10 inning, Game 2 loss to California State Los Angeles. He also walked five times and drove in five runs in the six games they played.

Lucas Soper (Vancouver, BC) went 2-for-6 with a RBI against Hope International which led to a big series against California State Los Angeles. In an 8-6, 12 inning, Game 1 win he went 3-for-5 with two walks. The T-Birds dropped Game 2, 8-7 in 10 innings, but Soper did his best to help bring home the win. He went 4-for-5 with a solo home run as part of a three run eighth inning that gave his team a 6-5 lead. He chipped in which a hit and a RBI in the finale, an 8-4 loss.

Trogrlic-Iverson continues torrid start

Simply put, Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Oakville, Ont.) has been one of the best pitchers to date in the NJCAA. The Central Arizona starter was handed a tough loss in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arizona Western College last week. Trogrlic-Iverson went 6 2/3 innings, scattering five hits and the only run of the game. He walked one and struck out seven as his record dropped to 2-1. The only run of the game was the first earned run he has given up in 2018. His ERA is currently a sparkling 0.44.

Swift among nation’s best

If Nick Trogrlic-Iverson is one of the best on the mound, Austen Swift (Toronto, Ont.) is one of the best in the box so far in 2018. In a 12-9 win for William Jessup over California State East Bay Swift went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a solo and a two-run shot. Swift also added a double in the win. Westmont College halted the Warriors and handed them a 10-5 loss in the opening game of their series. Swift had a hit, a walk and a RBI in the loss. They got back on track in Game 2 with a 14-4 win. Swift hammered a two-run home run on his way to two hits. Swift also walked twice. The Warriors took the series with a 3-1 Game 3 victory in which Swift earned a walk. Swift’s eight home runs, 30 RBIs and 30 runs scored in 2018 leads all of the NAIA. He also owns a .540 on-base percentages and a .819 slugging percentage in 20 games, all starts. The Warriors sit with a 16-4 record. The Warrior baseball team, which was only established in 2015, is currently ranked for the first time in program history at No. 20 in the Perfect Game NAIA national poll.

Hrynkiw has eight hits

Connors State went a perfect 9-0 in their opening week and Tony Hrynkiw (Brampton, Ont.) had eight hits in six games played. He also walked three times, drove in six runs and stole a base.

Cloud County Canadian trio put on a show.

Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.), Matt Bondarchuk (Edmonton, Alta.) and Tauren Langley (Edmonton, Alta.) were simply spectacular as the Cloud County T-Birds took 3-of-4 from Northeast Community College. The weekend was highlighted by their Game 2 performance. In the 18-2 drubbing all three Canadians hit home runs to power the T-Birds. On the weekend Sabrowski had six hits, three of which were home runs, one walk and eight RBIs. He is hitting .517 with a .571 on-base percentage and a hardly believable 1.034 slugging percentage in 2018. Bondarchuk had eight hits against Northeast with five RBIs. Langley meanwhile had seven hits, a walk and 10 RBIs. He also scored four runs in a 16-13 Game 1 win. Langley had a .538 average with a 2.032 OPS on the week.

Pompey prepared at Kentucky opens season

Tristan Pompey (Toronto, Ont.) was ready to show why he was selected a Preseason All-American when the University of Kentucky opened their season with four games in Spartanburg, SC. In their first game against Wofford the younger brother of Toronto Blue Jays Dalton Pompey went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. The Wildcats downed the Terriers 6-1. He followed that up with a hit, a hit by pitch and a RBI in a 6-5 win over the University of South Carolina Upstate. It was another hit, this time with a walk and another RBI in a 10-3 win over USC Upstate in their next game. He closed his week with a 4-for-4 game with three doubles and a walk. The Wildcats return to action with a midweek game with Xavier before playing three against Oakland.

Brettell battles for seven strong

The Chippewas of Central Michigan got exactly what they were looking for from Michael Brettell (Fonthill, Ont.) as he lead CMU to a 5-3 win over Stephen F. Austin. Brettell worked seven innings, surrendering six hits and just a single run. He struck out 10 to pick up his first win of the season.

Six hits in three games for Machibroda

Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) finished with six hits, three of which were home runs to lead Chattanooga State to a 3-1 record last week. He swatted his first home run in Game 1, a 2-0 win over West Georgia. His best game came in Game 4 when he went 4-for-4 with two home runs, a walk and seven RBIs.

Lofstrom lifts Southwest Baptist offence

It didn’t take much time for Trevor Lofstrom (West Kelowna, BC) to get comfortable for Southwest Baptist. He started things off in Game 1 of their series with Rockhurst going 4-for-4, being hit by a pitch and knocking in a pair of runs in the 10-7 loss. In a 14-5 Game 2 win he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Game 3 saw Southwest Baptist come away with an 8-7 win in a nail biter. He reached base twice, once by way of a walk and once by being hit by a pitch, he also drove in a run in the win.

Donnell dazzles

Mid America Christian picked up a big win over No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan last week. Ben Donnell (Oakville, Ont.) took the ball in the midweek game and pitched six innings, allowing just two hits and one run. He did walk six but also had six strikeouts.

McAffer picks up first save in Game 1

Will McAffer (North Vancouver, BC) picked up his first save of the season by working a scoreless inning in Game 1 of the season. The Green Wave downed Wright State 4-3 with McAffer giving up a hit, a walk and striking out one. He threw another scoreless inning in Game 3 with a walk and a strikeout in the 11-5 win.

Onyshko tosses zeros

Ben Onyshko (Winnipeg, Man.) made two appearances for the Stetson Hatters as they swept away Manhattan to open their season. In Game 1 Onyshko went 2 2/3 scoreless, hitless, innings. He struck out four and picked up the win in the 6-5 victory. He saw action again in Game 3, a 6-2 win. He didn’t allow a run again, this time over 1 2/3 innings. He gave up a hit and a walk and struck out three.

Clarendon calls on Canadians

It was a pair of Canadians powering the Clarendon College offence to help them to a 3-1 record this past week. Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) had five hits including two triples walked once and drove in a run for the Bulldogs. Tommy Reyes-Cruz (Montreal, Que.) didn’t play in Game 1 versus Lamar but made sure he wouldn’t be left out of the series again. He had a pair of hits in Game 2 with a RBI and a stolen base. He stroked another pair of hits and a RBI in Game 3 and went 4-for-4 with a RBI in Game 4.

Arruda takes loss against No. 9 Bellevue

It was a tough assignment and Nathan Arruda (Toronto, Ont.) battled for five strong innings against No. 5 Bellevue. He allowed three hits and two runs (one earned) with three walks and seven strikeouts. Unfortunately for Arruda and Tabor College he was handed the loss in the 5-1 decision.

Sanford, Zeggil hammer opposing pitching

McCook Community College took 2-of-3 from Labette and it was Jake Sanford (Dartmouth, NS) and Tanner Zeggil (Stayner, Ont.) doing a lot of the damage. Sanford went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in a Game 1 win. Zeggil worked a walk in that one. Game 2 saw McCook come away with a 7-4 win with Sanford going 2-for-4 with a RBI and Zeggil going 3-for-4. Game 3 was the only game McCook lost in the series but their Canadians stayed hot. Sanford went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two walks, while driving in two. Zeggil matched his Game 2 production with another 3-for-4 day. That’s 15 hits between the two in the series.

Bent among conference leader board

Quinton Bent (Mississauga, Ont.) is proving to be one of the dominant forces in the Conference Carolinas. He added to his totals last week with in Southern Wesleyan’s games over the last week. In a game against Anderson Bent went 2-for-5 with a solo home run. He continued his strong play in their series with Virginia-Wise. He launched another solo shot in Game 1, a 12-8 win. The Warriors dropped Game 2 but Bent still managed a 2-for-3 game with three RBIs. He finished it off with a hit and two walks. Bent currently sits second in the conference in RBIs with 19 and fourth in home runs with 4.

Horanski hits for Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies started the season 1-2 with losses to Coastal Carolina and No. 17 South Alabama before picking up a win against Oklahoma. Luke Horanski (Dugald, Man.) had a hit and a walk against Coastal Carolina and then went 3-for-5 with three RBIs against the Jaguars of South Alabama. In his teams only win he had a hit, a walk and a RBI.

Dressler deals Roadrunners to win

The University of Texas San Antonio offence scored 11 runs in their Game 2 win over San Francisco. Little did they know Steven Dressler (Burlington, Ont.) would work 6 2/3 scoreless innings en route to a 11-1 win. Dressler gave up three hits and four walks with three punch outs to improve to 1-0. It’s a big week for the Roadrunners as they will play a midweek game with Abilene Christian before playing host to national power No. 3 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders disposed of the Maine Black Bears with a four game sweep. They outscored the Black Bears 49-14 in the series.

Oulton, Paradis-Giroux give William Woods two W’s

Taran Oulton (St. Albert, Alta.) went seven scoreless, scattering seven hits as William Woods downed William Penn 2-0. Oulton struck out four and lowered his ERA to 0.95.
Dany Paradis-Giroux (Levis, Que.) tossed six scoreless innings in his start. He walked five and struck out seven in a 6-0 win over Graceland. It was the final game of the Joplin Tournament. Paradis-Giroux owns a 1.53 ERA in 2018.

Tough luck loss to Johnson

A 1.20 ERA and an 0-1 record don’t really seem to fit together. Those are the numbers Ryan Johnson (Winnipeg, Man.) owns after taking the loss in Game 1 of Lubbock Christians series with Angelo State. Johnson went seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) with eight strikeouts.

.500 average for Mercier, a hit and win for Stovman

Brett Mercier (Lutes Mountain, Man.) went 3-for-5 in Indian River State’s first game of the week and 2-for-5 in their third game to finish the week 5-for-10.

Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge, BC) collected a hit, a walk and stole a base for Indian River State College in a 7-6 win over South Florida College. The next game, also against South Florida College he picked up his second win of the year on the mound. He went 4 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, two runs with a walk and three strikeouts in an 8-2 win.

Braun with one, two and three hits

Central Washington dropped Game 1 and 2 of their series with Corban University. Dustin Braun (Landmark, Man.) had a hit in Game 1 and a walk and RBI in Game 2. He really got things going when his team got in the win column in Game 3 by going 2-for-4. Braun went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as his Wildcats earned a split in the four-game series.

Crowder has crowded schedule

Drew Reilly (Cambridge, Ont.) had six hits, five walks, five RBIs and two stolen bases as Crowder College went 5-1 on the week. Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC) meanwhile pounded out 10 hits, four walks and seven RBIs. Morris’ week was highlighted by a two home run game in a 2-1 win over Seminole State (OK) and a three double game in Game 4 against Des Moines Area Community College.

Dickerson with four hits in opening series

Youngstown state dropped 2-of-3 to Belmont but Drew Dickerson (Port Hope, Ont.) had four hits in the series. He also worked three walks.

Moxham solid in South Dakota State debut

Things looked positive for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits through five innings in their game against Austin Peay. Brady Moxham (Oakville, Man.) worked five innings, giving up four hits and a walk. He struck out eight before giving way to the bullpen. Unfortunately for SDSU it fell apart shortly after his exit as Austin Peay scored six runs in the sixth and went on to a 9-3 win.

Barclay reaches base nine times, Douglas wins twice

Tyrus Barclay (Wyoming, Ont.) had five hits and four walks last week for Garden City Community College. He also drove in a run and stole a base as GCCC went 3-3.

Jacob Douglas (Georgetown, Ont.) picked up two wins on the mound for the Broncbusters. His first came in a 9-3 win over Western Nebraska when he worked five innings, giving up four hits and two runs (one earned). He walked one and struck out six. In his second win he threw a complete game (seven innings), allowing seven hits and four runs with two walks. He struck out four and is now 2-1 on the year.

Wepf wins for Beavers

Lucas Wepf (Georgetown, Ont.) picked up his first win of the season as his Pratt Community College Beavers downs Hesston College 10-0. Wept went two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out four. He returned to the rubber in Game 4 of his teams series with Iowa Lakes Community College. His Beavers lost the contest but he went 4 1/3 innings inning giving up two runs. He walked six and struck out seven

Cienfuegos on fire for Raiders

The Northwest Florida State Raiders went 3-1 on the week and improved their overall record to 10-3. Miguel Cienfuegos (Laval, Que.) went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the Raiders 7-1 win over Lurleen B. Wallace to open the week. He smacked three hits, worked five walks and drove in three runs in a 2-1 series win over Motlow State. The Laval native is hitting .429 with two home runs and 13 RBIs so far in 2018.

Carrington a catalyst for Rangers

Greg Carrington (Scarborough, Ont.) started his week with two multi-hit games including an RBI in Northwestern Oklahoma State’s first game of the week, a 14-13 loss to Northeastern State University, and a stolen base in Game 1 of their series with Harding. He finished his week with a hit and a walk in Game 3 versus Harding.

Cunningham picks up win

Hunter Cunningham (Mission, BC) earned the win for LSU Shreveport in their 9-5 victory over Baker. Cunningham scattered seven hits, five runs (one earned) and struck out four.

Schnarr makes two appearances

Frontier Community College used 2 2/3 innings from Brady Schnarr (Waterloo, Ont.) to help them defeat William Baptist College JVs 14-2. Schnarr allowed two hits and two runs (zero earned) with five strikeouts. He then picked up the win against Lawson State, a game Frontier Community College won 3-2. He worked four innings, allowing three hits and a run (unearned) with five more strikeouts.

Hillier picks up Indiana Tech’s only win

It was a battle of ranked NAIA teams as Brandon Hillier (Orangeville, Ont.) and No. 22 Indiana Tech took on No. 13 Tennessee Wesleyan. Hillier picked up his teams only win by going 6 2/3 innings. He gave up five hits and two runs with three walks. He struck out 10 and is now 1-2 on the season.

Follett full of hits

Nick Follett (Toronto, Ont.) was a key contributor for the College of the Desert in the batters box. In their first game, a 14-3 loss to Cypress, he hit a solo home run and walked. They lost again in their second game by a 22-9 score against Chaffrey but the Canadian went 2-for-3. The Roadrunners picked up a win over Citrus 11-9. Follett went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI in that contest. Their final game of the week was an ugly one as they were dropped 22-0 by Orange Coast. Follett had a hit, a walk and a stolen base in the ugly affair.

Clay catches fire

It was hard for the opposition to keep Matthew Clay (Port Moody, BC) off the bases. Clay used six hits, five walks, two RBIs and a stolen base to help Monterey Peninsula to a 2-2 week.

Renaud bats .400

It started with a pinch hit and ended with a 2-for-5 game for Laine Renaud (Hamilton, Ont.) of East Stroudburg University. All-in-all he went 4-for-10 with a pair of RBIs.

Rempel rakes three hits

Tanner Rempel (Abbotsford, BC) had three hits in No. 4 Colorado Mesa’s series with No. 15 Dixie State. In Game 4 of the series he went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI. He is hitting .357 so far this season for the Mavericks.

Another week of college baseball is in the books. Teams are getting into full swing with plenty of Canadian content. Check back next week for more memorable performances.

If you know someone who is deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com early in the week. (Our week runs Monday-to-Sunday.)