March 22, 2023

BMOC Week 8

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Several Canadians stole the show for their respective schools this past week. Let’s take a look at who stood out on the college baseball scene.

Achen shuts out Pikeville, named conference Pitcher of the Week

Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.) threw a complete game, seven-inning shutout to lead Lindsey Wilson to a 2-0 win over Pikeville. Achen gave up one hit, walked two and struck six. His performance garnered him Mid-South Conference Pitcher of the Week honours.

O’Halloran fans 12

For the second straight start University of Michigan left-hander Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) struck out 12. The former Terrier threw six innings and allowed an unearned run on three hits and four walks as the Wolverines downed Bradley 8-4 to open their three-game series. It’s the third start in a row that O’Halloran has struck out double digit hitters.

Irvine goes eight in Weevils win

Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) was masterful in the University of Arkansas Monticello’s 11-7 Game 1 victory over Oklahoma Baptist. Irvine worked eight innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked three and punched out 10.

Tough luck loss for Murchison

West Valley College received a strong start from Eric Murchison (Stouffville, Ont.) as he surrendered one run on six hits over six innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Vikings dropped their opener against San Francisco 2-0. Murchison walked three and struck out three in the outing.

Crowell comes through as Reinhardt runs the table

Infielder Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) had quite the week for Reinhardt. Crowell amassed seven hits, including three, two-hit games, a walk and five RBIs as the Eagles went 4-0. He swatted a two-run home run to open the scoring in a 7-1 Game 3 win over Johnson.

MacLean strong as Sussex County cruises

Tanner MacLean (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) turned in six scoreless innings as the Sussex County Skylanders scored 11 runs en route to a victory over North Central Missouri. Opposing hitters managed one hit, walked once and struck out 12 times against MacLean on the day.

He was back on the mound and turned in two scoreless innings of relief in a 4-0 victory over Community College of Rhode Island. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

Taylor takes care of opposing offence

Junior right-hander Colton Taylor (Amherstburg, Ont.) lasted into the sixth inning, throwing 5 1/3 innings and allowing one run on three hits as Texas A&M Kingsville defeated Arkansas-Fort Smith 2-1. Taylor walked two and struck out six.

Jones drives Dayton offence

Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) collected seven hits atop the Dayton Flyers lineup. Jones went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and was hit by a pitch in an 11-5 win over Akron. In Game 1 of their series with Ohio State, a 7-2 loss, Jones hit a two-run home run. After Game 2 was postponed, he was 4-for-5 with a RBI in a 12-8 Game 3 loss.

UBC swept

It was a tough week for the University of British Columbia as they dropped all four games to the College of Idaho. Despite the losses, Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) had a good series at the plate putting together four hits in three games. He also drove in a run and was hit by a pitch.

Knight wins in relief, Jones K’s 8

Coming out of the bullpen, Logan Knight (London, Ont.) tossed five innings and gave up an unearned run on three hits as Ventura College beat Oxnard 8-5. He struck out five.

Ventura then got six scoreless innings from the Hunter Jones (Edmonton, Alta.) but it wasn’t meant to be as they were defeated 2-1 at the hands of Santa Barbara. Jones yielded two hits, walked three and struck out eight.

Howard pitches well twice for Chipola

Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.) made two starts for Chipola this past week. His first came in a 4-3 win over Tallahassee when he went seven innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with two walks and eight punch outs.

If you just looked at his pitching performance in his second start against Gulf Coast State, you’d think it was a low scoring contest. That’s because Howard conceded an unearned run on three hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out two, but Chipola dropped the game 10-9 in 10 innings

Gollert, Golden Eagles roll

Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont) conceded two runs on two hits in five innings of work to pick up his third win as Oral Roberts thumped St. Thomas 21-2. The former Ontario Blue Jay walked three and struck out five.

Tucker takes care of Saint Anselm

Saint Rose put up eight runs and starter Chase Tucker (St. John’s, Nfld.) held Saint Anselm to one over seven innings in an 8-1 Game 1 victory. Tucker scattered five hits, walked two and struck out eight to pick up the win.

Vincelli-Simard hits slam

Vauxhall Academy grad Martin Vincelli-Simard (St. Therese, Que.) had eight hits and nine RBIs in four games for the Sacramento State Hornets. The senior hit a solo home run in a 9-6 Game 1 loss to Grand Canyon. Not done flexing his offensive muscle in the series, he hit a grand slam to put a 13-8 Game 2 victory out of reach.

Graham goes 6 1/3 but handed loss

Nicholas Graham (Abbotsford, BC) threw 6 1/3 innings but Faulkner dropped Game 3 of their series with Talladega College, 7-1. Graham gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, while walking two and striking out five.

Atamanchuk helps Park to sweep

Shaun Atamanchuk (Beaumont, Alta.) earned the win for Park University in their 11-2 Game 2 triumph over Providence Christian. Atamanchuk spun six innings, allowing one hit and two unearned runs. He worked around six walks and struck out four. Park would go on to sweep the three-game series.

Heilker’s long relief helps Antelope Valley

A strong relief appearance from Willem Heilker (Vancouver, BC) led Antelope Valley College to a 7-5 Game 3 win over Citrus. Heilker lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up one run on six hits with three walks and four strike outs. The win secured the two games to one series victory for the Marauders.

Grant with four-hit game

Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run, a walk and four RBIs as No. 14 Bellevue downed Viterbo 11-8. Before that performance, he had a hit and RBI in an 8-0 midweek win over Dakota Wesleyan.

Gunderson gives Hutchinson plenty at the plate, Giesbrecht secures sweep

Offence wasn’t an issue for Hutchinson in their four-game series with Pratt as they scored 51 runs in a four-game sweep. Cody Gunderson (St. Malo, Man.) started his week with a hit, a walk and a RBI in an 11-9 Game 1 win. During Game 2, a 16-12 victory, Gunderson hit a home run, walked and drove in two. Game 3, a contest in which Hutchinson won 11-4, saw him go 2-for-3. Not done there, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in a 13-3 Game 4 victory.

On the mound, it was Ethan Geisbrecht (Altona, Man.) who got the start in Game 4 and he delivered a complete game, seven-inning performance. He scattered nine hits and allowed three runs in a 13-3 win. He fanned six in the outing.

Kush pitches into the sixth in win

Kyle Kush (Guelph, Ont.) tossed 5 2/3 innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits as Austin Peay secured a 2-1 series win over North Florida with a 4-2 Game 3 win. Kush walked four and struck out two to improve to 2-1.

Farquharson fires five scoreless

The Mayville State pitching staff was excellent as the Comets shutout Presentation 8-0. Kaito Farquharson (Saltcoats, Sask.) worked five innings and allowed one hit. He tiptoed around six walks and struck out four.

McInnes on the mound in relief

Five innings of relief is what Ty McInnes (Langley, BC) supplied Long Island University in their 6-3 loss to Maryland Eastern Shore. McInnes held the opposition to two runs on three hits. He issued a walk and punched out five.

Abram earns wins No. 2 and 3

Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) entered the week 1-0 and exited 3-0. Abram tossed three scoreless innings and struck out six as No. 12 Oklahoma State beat Dallas Baptist 20-4 in a midweek showdown.

His next start came in Game 2 of the Cowboys series with No. 22 Texas Tech. Abram allowed one run on six hits over six innings in a 9-4 victory. The former Terriers hurler issued three walks and punched out six.

Gomm goes deep three times

Austin Gomm (Georgetown, Ont.) had seven hits, including three home runs and drove in eight in four games played for Parkland College.

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Each week hundreds of Canadians take to the field at various levels of college baseball. Keep 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.

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