March 24, 2021

BMOC Week 8

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Spring is officially upon us and what better way to welcome the new season than to highlight some top Canadian performances in college baseball. Some of the top performers this week you may recognize, while others are popping up on the scene for the first time this year. That’s what makes writing this column so interesting. Check out the players who stood out from the past week below.

Deans named Horizon League’s Pitcher of the Week

Brandon Deans (Mississauga, Ont.) improved to 3-0 on the year by tossing seven innings and giving up three runs (zero earned) for Oakland University in a Game 1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne. Deans gave up three hits and issued three walks as the Golden Grizzlies tripled up the Mastodons 9-3. The former Ontario Blue Jay also punched out 12. For his impressive outing he was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week.

Keys comes up with seven scoreless, named Pitcher of the Week

Travis Keys (London, Ont.) spun seven scoreless innings in Aquinas’ 6-0 blanking of Lourdes. Keys allowed five hits and a walk. As seems to be a theme with a lot of pitchers this week, the punch out numbers were high, as he struck out 11. His strong start earned him the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Lund wins first of the season

Lefty Jaryd Lund (London, Ont.) allowed two runs (one earned) over eight innings to pick up his first win of the season for Salem University. Lund scattered six hits, a trio of walks while striking out seven in the 11-2 victory over Mercyhurst.

Keller continues to pace Grizzly offence

Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) went 3-for-4 with a RBI in Georgia Gwinnett’s 14-0, Game 1 thumping of Pikeville. Keller followed up his three-hit game by going 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, a walk and four RBIs in a 9-6 win in Game 2. To help the Grizzlies to the sweep, he went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a stolen base in an 11-3 victory. On the year he leads the team with a .474 average.

Richardson fans 14

The Northern Kentucky Norse are not to be taken lightly lately. Looking for their sixth win in a row in Game 3 of their series with Milwaukee, manager Todd Asalon turned the ball over to Noah Richardson (Windsor, Ont.). Richardson made sure the winning streak stayed intact by cruising through seven innings and striking out 14 in the 11-1 victory (Watch his 14th strikeout of the day below). He surrendered one run on two hits and a pair of walks in the start.

Brunner strikes out 11

Barton Community College’s Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) recorded 18 outs in his start against Colby, with eleven of them coming by way of the strikeout. Brunner conceded a pair of runs on two hits and a pair of walks. Unfortunately for Barton, it wasn’t enough as they dropped the game 4-2.

Morris, Muleriders make quick work of opposition

The week started out well for the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas as they went on the road and beat the No. 17 University of Texas at Tyler Patriots. Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC) had a hit, two walks and a stolen base in the impressive midweek win. Next up on the slate was a three-game series with East Central. In Game 1, Morris had a hit, a walk and was hit by a pitch as the Muleriders won the game 5-1. Game 2, which ended in a 13-6 win, saw Morris go 2-for-5 with a RBI. He capped his week off with a 2-for-4 performance with a pair of RBIs in a 16-3 shellacking of the Tigers in Game 3.

Bedard with eight hits as Bulldogs sweep

It was a big weekend for Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.) as he propelled Southwestern Oklahoma State to a sweep. Bedard went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a stolen base in the Bulldogs 7-2, Game 1 win over Ouachita Baptist. He followed up his stellar first game with a hit in a Game 2 win. In the finale, he chipped in three hits, three RBIs and a stolen base in a 10-0 win.

Marks strong in Spartan loss

It was a pitcher’s duel in Spartanburg, South Carolina as Jordan Marks (Bright’s Grove, Ont.) took the mound for the USC Upstate Spartans against High Point. It was zeros across the board until Marks gave up one in the top of the seventh in a 3-1 Spartan loss. Marks’ final line was impressive, as he went 6 2/3 innings. He surrendered six hits, gave up the one run, walked two and struck out five. Over 32 2/3 innings this year, he owns a 2.20 ERA.

Turcotte takes tough luck loss

Sam Turcotte (Toronto, Ont.) threw six strong innings in Stony Brook’s 2-1 loss to Villanova. Turcotte gave up four hits, two runs and three walks. He struck out six as he fell to 1-1.

Gauthier, No. 10 West Texas A&M beat Oklahoma Christian

It was another strong start for Mathieu Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) as he led the No. 10 West Texas A&M Buffs to a 7-3 victory over Oklahoma Christian. Gauthier went on to allow three runs on five hits over seven innings of work. He walked one and struck out six to move his record to 5-2. So far in 2021, opponents are hitting .238 against the right hander.

McWillie earns win over Barton

Tyler McWillie (Waltrous, Sask.) threw six innings of one hit baseball for Colby Community College last week in a win over Barton. McWillie gave up just one run, walked four and struck out six to pick up his first victory of the season.

Chester cruises through six

It was a Canadian taking the ball for Salt Lake Community College in Game 1 of their four-game set with Utah State Eastern. Fynn Chester (Victoria, BC) got the series off to a good start by allowing an unearned run in six innings as his team waltzed to a 10-1 win. He scattered four hits, walked two and struck out eight along the way. Salt Lake would go on to win the series three games to one.

Logan locked in for Dubuque

Despite eight solid innings of work, Shaun Logan (Calgary, Alta.) was handed a no-decision in his start against Wartburg. Logan limited his opponents to four hits, three runs and a walk. He struck out three in the game. Dubuque did go on to win the game 4-3 in 11 innings.

Scott scoops five hits

Tyler Scott (Calgary, Alta.) contributed five hits for Bryan College as they outscored Bluefield 24-10 in a three-game sweep. Scott put together a 3-for-4 effort in a big 12-1 win in Game 2. He also walked and stole a base in the series.

Bahnuk throws up zeros in walk off win

It took 11 innings for Southwestern Christian University to pick up a Game 1 win last week. Jordan Bahnuk (Woodstock, Ont.) tossed four scoreless innings of relief from innings 8-11 as the Eagles beat SAGU 12-11. Bahnuk allowed just one run and one walk in the outing. He also struck out five to pick up the win.

James gives offence a jolt

Hunter James (Stratford, Ont.) may have only played in two games Northwestern Ohio’s three games last week, but he went a combined 4-for-5 for the Racers. During a 10-9 loss to Wright State-Lake, James went 2-for-3. In their next game, a 3-2 win over Lawrence Tech, he went 2-for-2 with a double, a triple and three RBIs.

Henry wins Game 3 for Albany

With their series with Savannah State on the line after splitting Games 1 and 2, the University of Albany was hoping Jonathan Henry (Whitby, Ont.) could come up with a quality start in Game 3. Henry did just that as he gave up one run over five innings in a 15-4 win. He allowed three hits, three walks and struck out five.

Jackson improves to 4-2

Bellevue received a complete game, seven inning start from Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta) this past weekend. The opposition managed just one run on five hits and a pair of walks against the senior right-hander. Jackson struck out 13 to up his record to 4-2 on the campaign.

Avila, Cratty’s offence helps Southwest Baptist split, Van Every shows versatility on the mound

A pair of Canadian infielders played well for Southwest Baptist last week, while a pitcher had two good appearances.

Sam Avila (Kamloops, B.C.) had two hits, two walks and a RBI in a pair of midweek wins over Maryville. On the weekend, Avila tripled in the Bearcats 7-5 series opening loss to McKendree. Avila went 2-for-3 with a RBI and was hit by a pitch as his team dropped Game 2 by a 4-1 score. Looking to get in the win column in Game 3, Avila supplied a 2-for-4 effort with a walk and two RBIs in an 18-11 win. The Bearcats would earn the split with a 10-6 win in Game 4 with the assistance of a hit, two RBIs and a hit by pitch from the former Okanagan Athletic.

Rhys Cratty (Langley, BC) got warmed up with two hits, a walk and a RBI in the midweek miniseries with Maryville. Cratty then had a hit in Game 1 against McKendree. After a hitless Game 2, Cratty went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a walk and three RBIs in his team’s Game 3 win. He rounded out the series with another 3-for-5 game, while also driving in a run.

Starting, relief, it doesn’t seem to matter to Cole Van Every (West Kelowna, BC). Van Every pitched a clean 2/3 of an inning to pick up the win for Southwest Baptist as they walked off Maryville 4-2 in a midweek contest. Later on in the week, he would get the start in Game 2 of their series with McKendree. Van Every threw 6 1/3 innings in the 4-1 loss. He allowed four hits, four runs (three earned) and walked a pair. The Kelowna High grad struck out eight, bringing his season total to 17 in 13 innings.

Two Canadians help Raiders romp over UIC

Since dropping their first five games, the Wright State Raiders have rattled off 12 straight victories. Both Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) and Konner Piotto (Abbotsford, BC) had a lot to do with the Raiders streak and the four wins over the weekend.

Black had a pair of walks in a 7-5, Game 1 win over the University of Illinois at Chicago. Game 2 saw him go 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in a 12-4 win. He had a hit, a walk and a RBI in when the Raiders blanked the Flames 7-0 in Game 3. During the finale, a 12-5 win, he went 2-for-5 with a two-run shot.

Piotto contributed a hit in Game 1 and went 3-for-4 in Game 2. Piotto was given Game 3 off and came back in Game 4 with a hit and a walk.

Farrell an offensive rock for Rockhurst

In a tough week for Rockhurst University, Devon Farrell (Saskatoon, Sask.) found a way to play well. Farrell went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the Hawks dropped Game 1 of their four-game set with Maryville. He had another two hits, going 2-for-4 in a 10-2, Game 2 loss. The Hawks shook up their lineup and moved the junior infielder to the leadoff spot for Games 3 and 4. He had his best game of the series after that when he went 3-for-5 with a RBI in a Game 3 loss. Still in the leadoff spot in Game 4, he had a hit in another loss.

Husson gets season underway

Division III Husson University started their season with a tough test in No. 11 Southern Maine. Although they were swept in a four-game series, Chris Ewanik (Spruce Grove, Alta.) was a pain in the pitcher’s side. Ewanik got his season started in style by going 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs in a lopsided 16-6 loss. Game 2 was much closer, but Husson still fell 5-2. Ewanik had a hit and a RBI in that defeat. He went hitless in blowout loss in Game 3, but came back to go 2-for-4 in another 5-2 loss in Game 4.

Salukis sweep away Herd

Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) has been a key player for the No. 27 Southern Illinois Salukis all year and this past weekend was no different. On Friday, Peters walked three times and drove in a run for the Salukis as they downed Marshall 10-4 in Game 1 of a three-game series. His best day at the dish came on Saturday when he was 3-for-4 with three more RBIs in a 7-2 win. He came up with a hit, a walk and a RBI in a 2-0 blanking in Game 3. The hit in the third game extended his on-base streak to 16 games. The Salukis also ran their record to 17-1 with the wins.

Jean hangs tough against No. 1 Arkansas

Sunday marked the third consecutive start with a series on the line for Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) of the No. 22 Alabama Crimson Tide. Jean went five innings and gave up one run in the Tide’s Game 3 loss to No. 1 Arkansas. Jean gave up only three hits, walked two and punched out a pair in front of 5,735 at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.

DeCooman reliable in Trojans win

Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC) gave the Arkansas Little Rock Trojans 5 1/3 innings in a 7-4 win in Game 3 of their series with Texas State. DeCooman scattered five hits, allowed two runs, walked one and struck out three. The win also secured the sweep of the three-game series.

Galveston duo deliver solid starts, one provides the offence

Galveston College received a couple of good outings from two Canadians this past week.

Kurt Dillon (Toronto, Ont.) gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits over five innings in a 5-4 loss to Coastal Bend. Dillon walked four and struck out eight for the Whitecaps.

Lukas Frers (Langley, BC) was the other Canadian to toe the rubber for the Whitecaps. Frers allowed one run over five innings in a 15-1 blowout win against Spartan. He scattered five hits, and struck out eight in the shortened complete game effort.

On the offensive side, Brandon Nicoll (Langley, BC) brought his bat. Nicoll had eight hits, three walks, eight RBIs and three stolen bases in total. One of his hits was a home run in a 12-4 win over Spartan. The Whitecaps went 3-3 on the week.

Will Penn pair does offensive damage

Soren Graverson (Calgary, Alta.) and Jameson Hart (Sarnia, Ont.) both went 5-for-11 for the William Penn Statesmen in a four-game sweep of Grand View.

Two of Graverson’s five hits left the ballpark, a two-run shot in Game 1 and a three-run blast in Game 2. He worked a pair of walks, drove in six and was hit by a pitch in the series.

Aside from the hits, Hart walked once, had three RBIs and was hit by a pitch.

Wood wallops opposing pitching

It was a tough first game of the week for Tyler Wood (Winnipeg, Man.) as he went hitless in 6-3 McPherson loss to Ottawa University, but did he ever make up for it after that. Wood chipped in 10 hits, including a home run in a 13-6, Game 2 win over Avila. That wasn’t all as he walked twice, had nine RBIs and three stolen bases in McPherson’s remaining five games. McPherson went 5-1 to improve to 21-2 on the campaign.

Edmands ends week well

Dylan Edmands (Regina, Sask.) had five hits in four games for Arizona Western. In a 24-3 thumping of Glendale, Edmands went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. He worked three walks on the week, as well.

DiLuca has five hits

In an 18-6 Eastern Illinois win against Tennessee Tech to open their three-game series, Lucas DiLuca (Windsor, Ont.) had a hit and walked twice. DiLuca then collected a hit in a 9-8 loss in Game 2. He posted a 3-for-4 game in Game 3, but it wasn’t enough as Tennessee Tech walked away with a 9-1 win and the series.

Boucher has three multi-hit games

Pier-Olivier Boucher (Pointe-Levy, Que.) had a good week for Indian Hills. Boucher had a hit in a 2-1, Game 1 win over Iowa Lakes. He started a string of three straight two-hit games after that with a 2-for-4 performance with a double and two walks in a 10-3, Game 2 win. The freshman went 2-for-4 with another double and a RBI in a big 13-1 victory in Game 3. He finished his week going 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and five RBIs as his team won the finale 15-5. The four victories moved Indian Hills to a perfect 9-0.

Bells wins his third

Left-hander Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) allowed two runs in six innings for St. Mary’s in Game 3 of their series with St. Edward’s. Bells surrendered four hits, walked three and struck out four in the 4-3 win. He is now 3-0 in his senior season.

Cunningham comes through for Pilots

Hunter Cunningham (Mission, BC) had the opportunity to pitch LSU Shreveport to a series win over Texas A&M Texarkana and he did just that by tossing six innings of two-hit baseball in an 8-3 win in Game 4. Cunningham gave up one run, walked one and punched out 10 to seal the series.

Achen allows one run

One hour and thirty eight minutes after first pitch, Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.) recorded the last out for Lindsey Wilson in their Game 2 win over Campbellsville. Achen worked all seven innings and allowed one run on five hits in the 2-1 win. The 6-foot-3 right-hander walked three and struck out six to improve his record to 2-0.

Napieralski drives in five for No. 6 LSU Shreveport

Owen Napieralski (Delta, BC) got into four of LSU Shreveport’s five games and had five hits, a walk, six RBIs and a stolen base. He hit a home run in the final game, an 8-3, Game 4 win over Texas A&M Texarkana.

Gardner gets on in six straight

Opposing pitchers couldn’t keep Will Gardner (St. Albert, Alta.) off the bases in six games last week as he collected eight hits, walked twice and drove in three for Garden City Community College. The Broncbusters ended up going 3-3.

Benson brings the bat

Owen Benson went 4-for-10 in five games played for the Redhawks of Lake Michigan Community College. Benson combined his hits with a walk, three RBIs and three stolen bases.

Boies, Ervin hit two home runs each

Both Emile Boies (Levis, Que.) and Jacob Ervin (Mississauga, Ont.) had a pair of home runs last week as Northeastern Oklahoma A&M went 3-2

Boies had eight hits, two walks and three RBIs for the Norsemen. His two home runs came in a 13-8 loss to Connors State to close out a three-game set.

Ervin hit a home run in a Game 1 loss to Connors State and left the yard again in Game 3.

O’Toole takes home third win

Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, NS) improved to 3-0 for the Iowa Western Reivers by throwing 5 2/3 innings and giving up one run in an 11-1 win over Ellsworth in Game 3 of their series. O’Toole allowed five hits, worked around four walks and struck out seven.

Lamar’s Klepper evens record

All three runs Colby Klepper (Stony Plain, Alta.) gave up in his in his Game 3 start against McCook were unearned. Klepper gave up just a pair of hits but walked six over five innings. He punched out 10 to improve to 3-3. The win would be the only one Lamar would get in the four-game set.

Heroux holds opposition at bay

Carson Heroux (Thunder Bay, Ont.) picked up his first win of the season by working seven innings and giving up three runs on five hits for Lake Region State. Heroux walked three and struck out nine in the 9-3 victory over the Midland University JV’s.

Ireland hangs tough

It looked like the game was going to get out of hand for Thomas Ireland (Regina, Sask.) as he gave up two runs in each of the first two innings in Polk State’s game with Hillsborough Community College last Monday. But Ireland would stick with it and tossed six innings in a 6-5 win. The lefty surrendered seven hits and the four runs for the Eagles. He walked three and struck out five in what was his tenth appearance in 2021.

***

It was another impressive set of games for many Canadians. From coast-to-coast-to-coast, this country is thoroughly represented in the college game. Don’t forget the top performances are recapped each week right here in the BMOC column.

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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