March 8, 2023

BMOC Week 6

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s a good time to be a baseball fan with a lot to look forward to.

The Major League Baseball season is just weeks away, the World Baseball Classic begins this week for Team Canada and college baseball is well underway. Before we look too far ahead at what’s to come, let’s take a look back at the top performances by Canadians on the college baseball circuit.

Gollert gives Golden Eagles six scoreless

Southpaw Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) spun six scoreless innings for Oral Roberts in their 4-2, 12 inning Game 2 loss to Stephen F. Austin. Gollert allowed just one hit, walked four and struck out eight.

Jones throws five

Hunter Jones (Edmonton, Alta.) threw five innings but it was three unearned runs that did in Ventura College in their 5-1 loss to Moorpark. Jones scattered four hits, walked three and punched out six but was handed the loss.

O’Halloran takes on No. 10

University of Michigan left-hander Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) fanned 10 over seven innings against No. 10 Texas Christian University in a 6-0 loss at the Schriners College Classic at Minute Maid Park. O’Halloran gave up three runs on five hits and issued a walk.

McGarry-Doyle laces four hits

Noel McGarry-Doyle (Vaughan, Ont.) went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and four RBI to lead Mid-America Christian to a 13-3 Game 1 win over Southwestern Christian. He then had a hit, a walk, drove in a run and stole a base in a 4-3 Game 2 win. The former Toronto Met worked a walk in a the finale of the three-game set but the Evangels couldn’t secure the sweep, dropping the contest 6-4.

Bach bangs out five hits

Jordan Bach (Delta, BC) had five hits, walked twice and drove in three for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in a pair of games against Rose State. He homered in a 12-3 Game 1 loss. The Norse bounced back to win Game 2, 13-6.

Zdunich hits three-run home run

In a pair of wins against Columbia International, Reinhardt’s Tucker Zdunich (High River, Alta.) collected five hits, walked and drove in six. He swatted a three-run home run in a 13-2 win in the first game.

Wilkinson continues to win

Left-hander Matt Wilkinson (Ladner, BC) picked up his fifth win of the season thanks to five innings of work in a 6-2 Central Arizona victory over Yavapai. Wilkinson allowed two runs on three hits, walked five but struck out 11. On the season, he’s now 5-0 with a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings. He has punched out 59.

George part of combined no-hitter

William Penn didn’t allow a hit in their 19-1, seven-inning win over Presentation and Nick George was on the mound for five of those innings. George walked one and struck out six to earn the win.

Brunner handed no-decision

Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) was solid for Emporia State in their 4-3 loss to Fort Hays State, tossing five innings and giving up two runs on four hits. The lefty walked one and struck out four for the Hornets.

Miller pitches into the seventh

Righty Jay Miller (Cornerbrook, Nfld.) lasted 6 2/3 innings in Game 2 of UNC Greensboro’s series with Rutgers. Miller yielded two runs on four hits with three strikeouts before exiting in the seventh. The Spartans would plate five in the bottom of the eighth for an 8-5 come-from-behind win.

Duffy gives Griffs a chance

Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) held West Virginia to two runs over 6 1/3 innings but it wasn’t enough as Canisius dropped the game 3-2. Duffy allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six.

Humenay supplies long relief

Duffy wasn’t the only Canadian to have success against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Justin Humenay (Montreal, Que.) hurled five innings of relief in Virginia Commonwealth University’s 8-5 loss. Humenay conceded two runs on three hits, while walking one and striking out three.

Weisner winds up Ottawa offence

Jonah Weisner (Mission, BC) had four two-hit games despite Ottawa University dropping all of their games last week. He closed out the week with his best day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run to open the scoring in a 15-5 Game 3 loss to Tabor.

Almond hits three home runs

Connors State’s Tanner Almond (Thornbury, Ont.) had a hit in each of the Cowboys’ five games. He homered in a 11-0 Game 1 win over Eastern Oklahoma State before going 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs in a 9-4 Game 3 victory.

Kush kickstarts Canisius offensively

Kyle Kush (Guelph, Ont.) enjoyed his three games at the Central Virginia Classic, producing four hits, a walk, two RBIs and a stolen base. The two runs he drove in came via a two-run home run in a 5-3 loss to William & Mary. Unfortunately, despite the strong performance from the Canuck, the Griffs went 0-3.

Ring grounds Eagles

Lefty Colby Ring (Langley, BC) threw six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits as the University of Antelope Valley defeated Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 11-3. Ring issued two walks and struck out three.

Leduc deals

Two first inning runs was all Frontier Community College righty Zach Leduc (Blainville, Que.) needed en route to a 2-1 win over Pensacola State College. LeDuc threw a complete game and gave up one run on four hits, while walking one and striking out 12 to pick up his second win of the season.

Whittle earns Bay College’s first win

Losers of four straight, Bay College sent Xavier Whittle (Etobicoke, Ont.) to the mound in the final game of their opening weekend and he turned in six strong innings to lead the team to a 6-2 victory over Penn State Hazelton. He surrendered an unearned run on two hits, issuing three walks and striking out two.

Messier masterful for Morton

Ludovic Messier (Boucherville, Que.) tossed a complete game, seven innings to lead Morton College to a 4-3 Game 1 win over Amarillo. The former Academie du Baseball Canada hurler allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits. He walked a pair and struck out four.

Gollert hits and runs

Freshman Taeg Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) keeps contributing for the Missouri State Bears. Last week, Gollert had six hits, six walks, four RBIs and two stolen bases. He hit a solo home run in the Bears’ 5-3 Game 1 win over Arkansas State and a two-run home run in a 6-4 Game 2 win. Two of his other hits were doubles, bringing his season total to eight. Eight is good for second in the NCAA.

Saldias shuts down No. 16 Central Methodist

Tasked with taking on NAIA No. 16 Central Methodist, Nico Saldias (Ajax, Ont.) brought some of his best stuff to the mound last weekend for Saint Xavier. Saldias held the Eagles to two runs over seven innings to pick up the complete game win. He worked around four hits and a walk in the convincing 7-2 victory. The Ontario Blue Jays grad fanned eight for good measure. For his efforts, he was named Chicagoland College Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Craw makes first start of the season

Game 3 of Lake Region State’s series with Hesston saw Riley Craw (Winnipeg, Man.) go six innings and allow two runs (one earned) on two hits. He walked one and struck out five in a 2-0 loss.

Cote comes through for Plainsmen

Josh Cote (Midland, Ont.) had a huge week for Northeastern Junior College that included eight hits, four home runs and 13 RBIs. Cote went 3-for-5 with three home runs and nine RBIs in a 22-18 Game 3 win over Lamar before hitting another home run and finishing 3-for-5 with three RBIs in a 24-13 Game 4 victory.

Bloor named AAC Pitcher of the Week

Kyle Bloor (Lethbridge, Alta.) was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week after throwing 4 1/3 innings for No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan. He recorded two saves as the Bulldogs went 3-1.

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Canadians continue to impress at all levels of college baseball and the Canadian Baseball Network has you covered with all the highlights each week.

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.

Be sure to follow Matt Betts at @Bettsy41 for extensive Canadian baseball coverage all season long.