March 17, 2021

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Well the college campaign has officially lasted longer in 2021 than it did in 2020. Canadians appear to be trying to making up for lost time with some great performances so far. Check out the best from the past week below.

Potter punches out 11 to earn conference Pitcher of the Week accolade

Jacob Potter (Victoria, BC) threw a complete game, nine inning shutout as Southeastern Oklahoma State beat in-state rival Northwestern Oklahoma State, 2-0. Potter, now 2-1, allowed six hits and struck out 11. It should come as no surprise that he was named Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week for his start.

Marks goes seven as Spartans improve to 11-0, earns Pitcher of the Week honours

Jordan Marks (Bright’s Grove, Ont.) tossed seven scoreless innings to lead the USC-Upstate Spartans to a 6-1 win in Game 1 of their series with Campbell. Marks allowed three hits, walked one and hit two batters in the outing. He punched out 10 as the Spartans improved to 11-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big South Conference action after the Friday win. The Spartans would go on to lose the next two games, however, to snap their winning streak at 11. The hard-throwing right-hander was named the Big South Conference Starting Pitcher of the Week.

Black propels Raiders to sweep of Youngstown State, named Hitter of the Week

Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) hit four home runs to help the Wright State Raiders to a convincing four-game sweep of Youngstown State. Black got the offence going with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first in a 12-2, Game 1 win. He finished the game 3-for-5 with solo home run, as well. He had a hit and a stolen base in a Game 2 win and followed it up with a 2-for-4 performance with a walk in Game 3. Game 4 was another big one, as the sophomore went 3-for-4 with another three-run home and solo shot. For his strong play he was named the Horizon League Hitter of the Week.

Turcotte tames Central Connecticut State

The Stony Brook Seawolves defence committed three errors in the first four innings behind Sam Turcotte (Toronto, Ont.) but it didn’t end up costing them as the right-hander was solid through 6 2/3 innings in a 4-3, Game 1 win over Central Connecticut State. Turcotte allowed three unearned runs on four hits, a hit batter and a walk. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound hurler struck out 10 Blue Devils.

Gauthier earns fourth win

Mathieu Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) worked into the eighth inning of No. 12 West Texas A&M’s 3-1 victory on Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday night. Gauthier allowed one run on five hits over 7 2/3 innings as the Buffs ran their record to 13-3 on the season, including a 10-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play. The senior also struck out 10 and improved his record to 4-2 with the win.

Busy week for Graverson and the Statesmen

As the week went on Soren Graverson (Calgary, Alta.) got stronger. Appearing in seven of William Penn’s eight games, Graverson went 8-for-20, walked three times and drove in 10. Five of his eight hits came in the final three games of the week.

Plaz paces Clarendon offence, Wakelyn with the complete game win

Clarendon College infielder Victor Plaz (Montreal, Que.) had a hit and three RBIs in his team’s 8-7, Game 1 loss to Ranger. Plaz then went 3-for-3 in a tight 3-2 win in Game 2 to even the series. In the final game of the three-game set he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs as Clarendon won the game 17-2, and the series.

Coming off the 8-7 loss in Game 1, Clarendon College handed the ball to Parker Wakelyn (Abbotsford, BC) in Game 2 of their series as they looked for a rebound. Wakelyn came through with a complete game, seven-inning effort in the 3-2 win. He allowed two runs on three hits and struck out seven in the tight affair.

Eckard provides long relief

If you looked at the line of Martin Eckard (Victoria, BC) from Indiana Tech’s 6-5, 11 inning loss to Olivet Nazarene, you would’ve thought the Canadian was the starter. Eckard came on in the fourth innings and spun seven brilliant innings for his team. Eckard gave up one run on three hits and a walk. He also struck out two in the tough loss.

Laukkanen picks up first win

Josh Laukkanen (Nanaimo, BC) allowed two runs over five innings to pick up his first win of the season as New Mexico State thumped Dixie State 19-2 in Game 3 of their series. Laukkanen scattered five hits, walked three and punched out five.

Caskenette continues strong season

Freshman Connor Caskenette (Duncan, BC) had six hits in four games for Cochise College. Caskenette started the week by going 2-for-4 in a 10-9 loss to Scottsdale. In the rematch, which Cochise took 20-3, he went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Next on tap was two games against Yavapai. After collecting a hit and earning a walk in a 7-6 loss, he capped off his week with a hit, a walk and two RBIs as Cochise again rebounded with a win. On the season Caskenette is hitting .390 over 18 games.

Lussier dominates

Jordan Lussier (Winnipeg, Man.) threw a complete game, seven innings as Illinois State dropped Missouri 10-1 in Game 2 of their four-game set. Lussier allowed one run on four hits, walked one and struck out one to improve to 2-1.

Morris steps up for Muleriders

It was a solid start to the week for Southern Arkansas’s Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC). Morris finished a triple shy of the cycle and finished a 11-10 win over Texas A&M Texarkana by going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk, four RBIs and two stolen bases. He carried that momentum into the Muleriders weekend series with Ouachita Baptist. In Game 1, a 3-2 win he went 2-for-4 with a RBI. In a 7-3, Game 2 loss, he launched a solo shot and added a walk. During the rubber match, a game the Muleriders would win 5-2, the Alabama transfer had another hit, a walk and a RBI.

Run support lacks and Lund loses

Jaryd Lund (London, Ont.) fell to 0-3 on the season despite tossing seven innings for Salem University. Lund allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits while issuing three walks in the 7-0 loss to Seton Hill. He also struck out four Seton Hill hitters.

Cerantola strong in as Bulldogs down Eastern Michigan

In his third appearance of the year, Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont) worked five strong innings as the Mississippi State Bulldogs beat Eastern Michigan 4-1. Cerantola allowed just one hit, the one run and struck out five.

Salukis’ streak comes to an end

The Southern Illinois Salukis’ winning streak to start the season was halted at 13 games because of a 7-3, Game 4 loss to Evansville but they did take the first three. The Salukis won Game 1 of the series by a 14-5 margin with the help of a 2-for-4 game with three RBIs from Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.). Peters then pounded a double in a Game 2 win. In a 9-4 win in Game 3, he went 2-for-4 with a walk and stolen base. During the series finale loss, Peters had another hit. The Salukis are now 13-1.

Chartier with five hits

Eric Chartier (Newmarket, Ont.) had a hit, a walk and a stolen base in the University of Charleston’s Game 1 loss to Asbury. The next game, Chartier chipped in two hits, two walks and a RBI in a game Charleston would win 10-3. He finished the series going 2-for-3, but his team would drop Game 3, and the series.

Keller continues stellar season

The Grizzles of Georgia Gwinnett swept a four-game set with Cleary and Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) once again played a big role for the winners. Keller went 2-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases as the Grizzles took Game 1 by a 13-6 score. In a 13-0 drubbing in Game 2, Keller went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and a RBI. He legged out another triple in Game 3 and finished that game with two hits and a walk. The Grizzlies would again score 13 runs en route to a Game 4 win and the sweep. The senior went 2-for-3 with another triple, a walk and two RBIs. On the season he is hitting .443 with five home runs and 27 RBIs.

Fishbaum, Fountain fantastic for Cleary

Over the course of six games for Cleary University, Jesse Fishbaum (Toronto, Ont.) compiled 10 hits and four RBIs from March 8 to March 14. Fishbaum had two hits in three of their games and three hits in another. It started with a 2-for-3 game with a RBI in an 8-0 win over Aquinas. The Cougars were then swept in a four-game series at Georgia Gwinnett. Fishbaum went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs in the Game 1 loss. After going 2-for-3 in Game 2, he went 3-for-5 in Game 3. He closed out the series with a hit and a RBI.

Colton Fountain (Stratford, Ont.) went 4-for-10, walked twice and drove in two in four games for the Cougars. In the 8-0 win over Aquinas, he was 2-for-2 with a double, a triple and a RBI.

Cappe comes up with stellar start

Brady Cappe (Waterford, Ont.) worked around 10 hits and a pair of walks over seven innings to back Lindsey Wilson College to a 12-3 win over Shawnee State. Cappe surrendered three runs (two earned) and struck out three on the way to the victory.

Vincelli-Simard with six hits for Sacramento State

It was a good week for Martin Vincelli-Simard (Boisbriand, Que.) and the Sacramento State Hornets as they took three-of-four from Tarleton State. Vincelli-Simard went 2-for-4 in a 6-0, Game 1 win. After getting a breather in his Game 2 win, he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in the Hornets only loss in the series in Game 3. With a chance to win the series, the sophomore infielder had a hit and two RBIs. The Hornets went on to win the game in convincing fashion, 20-5.

Mclaughlin goes the distance

Duncan McLaughlin (Dartmouth, NS) closed out the week with a complete game, seven-inning shutout win for Southeastern. McLaughlin allowed three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in the 12-0 blowout of Southwest Tennessee Community College.

Jackson beats Brewton-Parker

Bellevue’s Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.) makes another appearance in this column thanks to seven strong innings in an 8-1 win over Brewton-Parker. Jackson gave up an unearned on four hits and two walks. He struck out an impressive 12 and improved his record to 3-2 in 2021.

Demchenko downs Bethany

Zach Demchenko (Saskatoon, Sask.) tossed six innings and allowed one earned run as Friends University picked up a 4-3 win over Bethany. Demchenko surrendered two hits, walked two and struck out four.

Bedard comes up with big Game 3

Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.) and the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs tangled with the Northwest Nazarene in a three-game series last week. Bedard had a hit and a stolen base in a 14-3, Game 1 win. The Bulldogs ended up dropped Game 2 by an 8-2 score. In the loss, Bedard managed a hit, a RBI and was hit by a pitch. With the series on the line in Game 3, he went 5-for-6 with three RBIs, five runs scored and a stolen base in a 21-5 win.

Marcano has five hits

After getting the first of five games last week off, Anthony Marcano (Montreal, Que.) chipped in five hits, three walks and a pair of RBIs as Campbellsville went 3-1 with him in the lineup. The Tigers dropped the one game Marcano didn’t play in, finishing the week 3-2.

Ireland earns fourth victory

In a Monday showdown with the State College of Florida, Polk State’s Thomas Ireland (Regina, Sask.) worked six innings and gave up one run to help the Eagles to a 3-1 win. Ireland scattered five hits and four walks, while punching out nine. He is now 4-1 on the year.

Gore gets the better of Georgetown

Madonna was looking to salvage a win in their three-game set with Georgetown when they handed the ball to Daniel Gore (Tecumseh, Ont.) in Game 3. Gore gave up two unearned runs on three hits over six innings. Gore struck out 4 opposing hitter as the Crusaders escaped the three-gamer with a win.

Willow with a 4-for-10 weekend

The Gauchos of the University of California Santa Barbara outscored the San Francisco Dons 30-13 in a three-game sweep. Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) went 4-for-10 for the victors. In a 15-3 win in Game 2, Willow went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Keys makes two starts

Travis Keys (London, Ont.) started two games last week for Aquinas. The first was in an 8-3 win over Lawrence Tech where he threw five innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He struggled with control, walking five, but also struck out six to pick up the win. His second start came in a 5-4 loss to St. Ambrose. The southpaw lasted six innings, allowing five hits and two runs (one earned), while walking two and striking out eight.

Jean wins rubber match, again

For the second straight week the No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide turned to Antoine Jean to help win them a Game 3 and a series. Jean delivered six innings as the Tide downed Stetson 9-4 to win the series. The lefty allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts. The Tide offence helped him out by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the third.

Dillon goes six in Galveston’s walk off win

Kurt Dillon (Toronto, Ont.) tossed six innings for the Galveston Whitecaps in a 4-3 win over Alvin. Dillon surrendered four hits and three runs (one earned) in the outing. He walked one and struck out three, but exited with the game tied 3-3. The Whitecaps would push one across in the bottom of the seventh for the walk off win. It was just their second win of the season.

Hurford hurls six innings

In a 7-2 Western Nebraska win over Miles, Dawson Hurford (Victoria, BC) went six innings and gave up two unearned runs on just three hits. Hurford issued a pair of free passes and struck out six.

Magill collects eight hits as Monroe opens 4-0

Evan Magill (Ajax, Ont.) and the Monroe Community College Tribunes finally got their season underway last week. Magill had eight hits, two walks and six RBIs as the Tribunes went 4-0. Of his eight hits, four were doubles and two were triples. He went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a triple in a 21-11 win over SUNY Adirondack.

Beauregard having a fine season

A three-run home run and five RBIs in Cloud County’s 21-16 win over the Kansas Wesleyan JV’s added to the strong numbers Kayden Beauregard (Abbotsford, BC) is putting up this season. Beauregard is hitting .391 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, a .462 on-base percentage and a .739 slugging percentage in 2021.

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It was another week filled with stellar Canadian performances around the diamond. Who knows what the next seven days’ worth of games will bring. Make sure to check back to read all about the exciting action from around the college baseball circuit.

Do you know someone deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column? Please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com. Please note our week runs Monday-Sunday.

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