Okotoks Dawgs alum Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) belted his 56th home run for Reinhardt University to set a new school record. Photo: Reinhardt University Athletics

April 14, 2025

BMOC Week 12

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

A second no-hitter by a Canadian this season and two home run records top the list of impressive performances across college baseball by those who hail from north of the border.

Let’s take a closer look at what the slate featured from April 7 to 13.

Gillespie goes eight against ECU

Right-hander Blake Gillespie (Lucan, Ont.) continued his stellar season in Game 1 of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's series against East Carolina. Gillespie spun eight scoreless innings, giving up five hits, a walk and striking out 11 in a 6-0 win. The victory was his fourth straight to improve to 5-3. Over 57 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 78 and owns a 2.95 ERA.

Crowell breaks Reinhardt home run record

With his two-run home run in Reinhardt’s 8-3 win over Bryan College, Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) broke the program’s career home run record with 56. In two games played on the week, he had three hits, a walk and three RBIs.

Grant is Bellevue’s home run king

Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) took sole possession of Bellevue’s career home run record thanks to a walk-off two-run shot in the Bruins’ 6-5 win over Dickinson State. Grant ended up playing in seven games last week, all wins, and collected eight hits, two walks and nine RBIs. He hit his 46th home run, a solo shot, in a win over Mayville State.

Okotoks Dawgs Academy alum Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alta.) belted four home runs for the Bellevue Bruins this past week. Photo: Bellevue Athletics

Makarus homers four times

Grant wasn’t the only Bellevue Bruin to leave the yard, as Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alta.) swatted four home runs. Two of his homers were solo shots in wins over Mayville State. He hit a two-run home run against Midland and a three-run homer in Game 3 against Mayville State. When the week was over, he had nine hits, three walks and 10 RBIs. Makarus recorded at least a hit six times as Bellevue went 7-0 record for the week. He registered a batting average of .492, on-base percentage of .480, a slugging percentage of 1.048, and an on-base slugging of 1.528. Makarus was 9-of-21 at the plate and scored eight runs. Five of his nine hits were extra-bases hits and had an extra-bases hits in five different games. He smashed four home runs and added a double for the week. Makarus led the team with 10 RBIs to earn North Star Player-of-the-Week.

Canucks sweep North Star POW awards

Former Martin Academy RHP Takao Cookson (Regina, Sask.) of Valley City State gained North Star pitcher of the week honors. Cookson tossed a complete game 6-0 shutout victory over the Jamestown Jimmies allowing three hits. Cookson registered nine strikeouts (11.57 strikeouts per nine).

McHarg has three-homer game, five in all

Outfielder Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) doubled his home run total this past week. He hit a solo homer as Washburn downed No. 2 Central Missouri in a midweek game. Then, in a Game 2 win over Emporia State, he hit a leadoff solo shot and a pair of two-run homers. In the finale of the three-game set, a 12-6 victory, he hit another solo shot to lead off the game to make it 10 on the season. When the week was over, he had nine hits, two walks, nine RBIs and was hit by four pitches.

Fisher, Marton helps Midland to 5-1 record

Two Canadians were stand outs for Midland College as they went 5-1.

Colin Fisher (Ottawa, Ont.) played in all five games, chipping in seven hits, two walks, eight RBIs and three stolen bases. He finished the week with home runs in games 3 and 4 against Howard College.

Ryan Marton (Toronto, Ont.) got the ball in Game 4 of the Chaparrals series against Amarillo College and threw seven innings to pick up the win, his fourth. He allowed a run on three hits and three walks with nine strikeouts.

Green, Hammill homer twice each

Jason Green (Georgetown, Ont.) and Elijha Hammill (Oakville, Ont.) both homered twice in Niagara’s 14-4 Game 3 win over Siena. Green hit a solo shot followed by a two-run home run, while Hammill hit two, two-run shots.

Green also walked in Game 1 and Hammill had a hit, walked twice and stole a base in the opener.

Langley Blaze grad Noah Brooks (Cloverdale, BC) had six hits and eight RBIs for the University of Pikeville this past week. Photo: Pikeville Athletics

Brooks and Gurney bash for Pikeville

A pair of Canucks provided plenty of offence for the University of Pikeville during their four games.

Noah Brooks (Cloverdale, BC) had six hits, three walks, eight RBIs, two stolen bases and was hit by five pitches. He hit a solo home run, finished with three hits and was hit by three pitches in the Bears’ 19-13 Game 2 victory over Truett McConnell.

Austin Gurney (Campbell River, BC), meanwhile, produced 11 hits, three walks, eight RBIs and a stolen base. He left the yard in Game 3 versus Truett McConnell, a two-run homer, which helped secure the 2-1 series win.

Alberto hits, Bartholomew pitches

Let’s continue with the theme of Canadian teammates making an impact, shall we?

Manny Alberto (Aurora, Ont.) provided Three Rivers College with 11 hits, six RBIs and five stolen bases in five games. He doubled in all of them.

Cas Bartholomew (Delta, BC) tossed five innings and allowed an unearned run on four hits against Drury. He walked one and struck out five in the 5-3 win.

Houston, Husu step up for Arizona Western

Okay, one more pair of teammates.

Nathan Houston (Regina, Sask.) and Parker Husu (Victoria, BC) were significant contributors in Arizona Western’s 2-1 series win over Cochise College.

Houston closed the three games with five hits, two walks and four stolen bases. His best came in Game 2, a 9-2 win, when he went 3-for-5 with the four stolen bases.

Husu chipped in eight hits, eight RBIs and a stolen base. Like Houston, Husu’s best game came in Game 2 when he had five hits, including a home run and two doubles, five RBIs and a stolen base.

Bond, two Vulcanos erupt for Doane

Two teammates performing well for the same team is impressive, but what about three, including two brothers?

Doane University won all six of their games on the backs of strong offensive performances from Jordan Bond (Victoria, BC), Aaron Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) and Johnny Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC).

Bond had 10 hits, walked three times and drove in eight. He homered twice, a three-run and solo shot, in a 14-12 Game 1 win over Waldorf.

Aaron Vulcano hit four home runs, two solo, a three-run and two-run homer en route to an eight-hit week. The three-run and two-run shots came as part of a three-hit, seven-RBI performance in an 18-9 Game 2 victory against Waldorf. He also walked four times and drove in 11.

Brother Johnny hit three solo home runs in games 1, 2 and 4 against Waldorf. Over the six games, he had 11 hits, three walks and 10 RBI.

Vauxhall Academy grad Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, N.S.) allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings in his start for Central Missouri. Photo: Central Missouri Athletics

O’Toole outduels Central Oklahoma

The No. 2 Central Missouri Mules received 6 2/3 innings from Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, N.S.) to help them defeat Central Oklahoma 8-3 in Game 1 of their three-game series. O’Toole surrendered three runs (one earned) on four hits with a walk and four punch outs.

Watt with two-home run game

Cassidy Watt (Coquitlam, BC) hit a solo and two-run home run as Dakota State downed Dickinson State 19-3 in Game 2 of their four-game series. In all, Watt had eight hits, four RBIs and was hit by two pitches.

SUNY Niagara moves to 31-0

What a season it’s been for the SUNY Niagara Thunderwolves as they’re currently 31-0 after a three-game sweep of Erie Community College. Nigel Sebastianelli (St. Catharines, Ont.) contributed six hits, a walk, four RBIs and a stolen base. He went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and a steal during a 13-3 Game 1 win.

Lachance with another strong week

Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) did it all offensively for McLennan Community College last week. He had nine hits, two walks, nine RBIs and three stolen bases. Three of his hits were home runs.

Titans Baseball alum Samuel Puttock (Richmond Hill, Ont.) hurled six scoreless innings in a relief outing for the City College of New York. Photo: X

Puttock pitches well in relief

Freshman Samuel Puttock (Richmond Hill, Ont.) threw six scoreless innings of relief during the City College of New York’s win over the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He allowed two hits, worked around six walks and struck out five.

Davalan drives in five

Charles Davalan (Montreal, Que.) began his week with a 3-for-4 game with a three-run home run, a walk and four RBIs as No. 1 Arkansas defeated Arkansas State 7-3. Next up was a three-game series against No. 7 Georgia in which he had two hits, three walks and an RBI. The Razorbacks would end up dropping the series 2-1 following a 7-6, 12-inning Game 3 loss.

Alvarez hammers three homers

Week 1 Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week David Alvarez (Toronto, Ont.) belted three home runs and finished with six hits as Northwest Florida State split their four-game series against Pensacola State. Alvarez also walked once and drove in 10.

Wickett with nine knocks

Alex Wickett (Tiny, Ont.) had nine hits, two walks and 10 RBIs. He went 3-for-6 with two home runs and eight RBIs in a win over Iowa Lakes. In the finale of a three-game series against Kirkwood, he homered again.

Pacholko pitches well in loss

Jeffrey Pacholko (Burnaby, BC) threw 8 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits in Douglas College’s 2-1 walkoff loss to Bellevue. He walked two and struck out five.

Toronto Mets alum Dawson Walters (Toronto, Ont.) had three home runs in four games for McPherson College. Photo: McPherson College Athletics

Walters hits three home runs

McPherson College got six hits, three of which were home runs, from Dawson Walters (Toronto, Ont.) in four games. He hit a three-run home run in a Game 1 loss to No. 14 Oklahoma Wesleyan before hitting two-run shots in games 2 and 3. On top of the hits, he walked twice and finished with eight RBIs.

Favretto hits grand slam

Tyler Favretto (Montreal, Que.) totaled eight hits, three walks and 12 RBIs for Kansas Wesleyan as they won all four of their games. Half of his hits came by way of two, two-run home runs, a solo shot and a grand slam.

Zimmer picks up only win for Bethel

Having lost the first two games of their series against Freed-Hardeman, Bethel got six innings of relief from Zach Zimmer (Chilliwack, BC) in a Game 3 win. Zimmer allowed an unearned run on four hits and four walks. He struck out four.

Gardner goes deep twice

Mount Marty outfielder Will Gardner (St. Albert, Alta.) amassed three hits, a walk, five RBIs and three stolen bases. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a solo homer in a win over Mayville State.

Swift Current 57’s alum Rydell Adair (Swift Current, Sask.) had a four-hit game for Bismarck State. Photo: Bismarck State Athletics

Adair delivers four-hit game

Rydell Adair (Swift Current, Sask.) went 4-for-4 with two RBIs for Bismarck State as they defeated Lake Region State 15-4. During a series with Dakota County Technical College later in the week, he had two hits, a walk and a stolen base.

McKinnon tosses seven innings

Right-hander Cole McKinnon (Calgary, Alta.) tossed seven innings, surrendering three runs (two earned) on eight hits but took the loss as Big Bend fell to Wenatchee Valley 4-1. He walked one and struck out one.

Tweet gathers seven hits

Wyatt Tweet (Russell, Man.) stroked seven hits, walked four times, drove in six, stole a base and was hit by two pitches for St. Cloud State. He hit a two-run home run in a win over the University of Mary.

Chamberlain wins in relief

Myles Chamberlain (Victoria, BC) worked six scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Cloud County’s 6-3 victory over Southeast Community College. Chamberlain allowed four hits, walked two and struck out five.

Carinci comes through with nine hits

It was a nine-hit week for Baldwin Wallace’s Justin Carinci (Ajax, Ont.). The former Toronto Met finished a home run shy of the cycle in a loss to Washington & Jefferson. He also drove in two and stole three bases on the week.

London Badgers alum Eric Pettipiece (Dorchester, Ont.) tossed a complete game, allowing an unearned run on just three hits in seven innings, to lead Goshan to a 4-1 win. Photo: Goshan Athletics

Pettipiece evens record with complete game

Eric Pettipiece (Dorchester, Ont.) moved his record to 4-4 by throwing a seven-inning complete game to help Goshan to a 4-1 Game 2 win over National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics No. 10 Taylor University. He gave up an unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out four.

Cairns has impressive week at the plate

Emry Cairns (Edmonton, Alta.), of Seward County Community College, had six hits, two of which left the yard, and six RBIs in four games played.

Cookson tabbed NSAA Pitcher of the Week

Takao Cookson (Regina, Sask.) has been named the North Star Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week. He threw a seven-inning, complete game shutout for Valley City State in a 6-0 win over the University of Jamestown. He allowed three hits and struck out nine.

UBC sweeps Bushnell

The University of British Columbia outscored Bushnell 34-18 en route to a four-game sweep.

Ryan Beitel (Surrey, BC) earned his fifth win of the season in Game 3 thanks to eight innings of work. He allowed a run on two hits with 10 strikeouts during a 7-1 victory.

Daniel Orfaly (White Rock, BC) followed Beitel with seven innings in Game 4, giving up a run on five hits in an 8-1 victory. He walked one and struck out three.

Five Thunderbirds had stellar offensive weekends.

Kellen Bourne (Calgary, Alta.) had back-to-back three-hit games in games 2 and 3. Three of his hits were doubles and he also drove in a run.

Aaron Marsh (Nanaimo, BC) had a big Game 2, going 5-for-5 with a solo home run, two doubles and four RBIs. During the other three games he walked four times and drove in a run.

Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) pounded out 10 hits, walked once, drove in nine and was hit by a pitch. He doubled twice, tripled and hit a two-run home run in Game 1 before hitting a solo homer in Game 2.

Russell Young (Surrey, BC) chipped in five hits, two RBIs and was hit by a pitch.

Kaden Zarowny (Strathmore, Alta.) went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Game 1 and had a hit and an RBI in Game 4.

Jacklin named SoCon Player of the Week

Blake Jacklin (St. Jacobs, Ont.) hit .571 with eight hits, five RBIs and three stolen bases in East Tennessee State’s three-game sweep of Western Carolina. He went 5-for-5 with a three-run home run and three stolen bases in an 11-0 Game 3 win. His play caught the attention of the Southern Conference brass as he was named Player of the Week.

Kwinter shuts down No. 24 Case Western Reserve

Southpaw Russell Kwinter (Toronto, Ont.) threw seven scoreless innings as the University of Chicago blanked Division III No. 24 Case Western Reserve, 5-0. Kwinter allowed five hits and fanned three.

Carey throws Wolverines’ first no-no since ’94

Tate Carey (Windsor, Ont.) made sure his first college start was a memorable one as he tossed a seven-inning no-hitter to help the University of Michigan to a 13-0 midweek win over Akron. The right-hander walked one and struck out four. It’s the second no-hitter by a Canadian in Division I this season, following Blake Gillespie’s on March 7 against James Madison, and first for Michigan since 1994. Later in the week, he started again and worked five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven in a 10-0 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

There’s never a dull moment on the college baseball schedule.

Check back in a week for another rundown of which Canadians made a difference for their schools.

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-Sunday.

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