April 13, 2022

BMOC Week 12

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

The Toronto Blue Jays weren’t the only ones making big pitches and coming up with timely hits last week. Canadians across college baseball were stepping up and making an impact for their teams. Let’s take a look at the best of the best.

Sauve steps up for Trinidad State

Saying Benji Sauve (Mascouche, Que.) had a good week is quite the understatement. Over the course of Trinidad State’s five games, Sauve stroked 12 hits, worked a pair of walks, drove in 13, and swiped a base. He hit a home run in a 13-2 win against the Adams State JV’s, but that was just a warmup for the Trojans’ opener against Lamar. In the 10-1 win to open the three-game series, he swatted a pair of home runs, finishing 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs.

Benji Sauve is this week’s Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week.

Poole’s 10 hits for Cloud County earn him weekly honour

Tom Poole (Calgary, Alta.) was in the lineup for all six games for the Cloud County Thunderbirds this week. He helped them go 6-0 by collecting 10 hits, walking six times, driving in 14 and stealing two bases. The freshman stroked three home runs, a pair of two-run shots and a three-run home run, in a 19-6 Game 2 victory over Cloud County. In the Game 4 finale, he hit a solo home run.

For his efforts, he is the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Player of the Week.

Buckle named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week

Declan Buckle (Corner Brook, Nfld.) caught fire in Minot State’s doubleheader with No. 17 Augustana. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in an 11-3 win in the first game. As a followup, he chipped in two hits, a walk and an RBI.

The two-game performance earned him Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week honours.

Turino turns it on

The Billikens of St. Louis relied heavily on Matt Turino (Toronto, Ont.) during their four games. Turino amassed 10 hits, a walk, five RBIs, and a stolen base. He was 5-for-7 with four RBIs in a 16-3 Game 1 win over Richmond.

Myers sets stolen base record

Noah Myers (Tilbury, Ont.) swiped four bases in four games for the USC Upstate Spartans to move his season total to 17. That’s the new Division 1 era (2007-present) record for stolen bases in a season.

Howard holds Northwest Florida State to one run, Leroux laces six hits

Coming off an 8-2 loss to Northwestern Florida State, Chipola’s Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.) threw seven innings of one-run baseball against the Raiders to help his team to their own 8-2 win. Howard allowed five hits, walked four, and struck out four to earn the win.

Brando Leroux (Markham, Ont.) was a force offensively. The Toronto Mets grad had six hits, two walks, two RBIs and a stolen base in the 3-1 series win.

Junior National Team alum Eli Saul (Vancouver, BC) picked up his fourth win of the season for Sacramento State. Photo: Sacramento State Athletics

Saul wins his fourth, Vincelli-Simard has four hits

Eli Saul (Vancouver, BC) was once again stellar in Sacramento State’s 6-5 Game 1 win over New Mexico State. Saul tossed three innings and gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits. He issued four walks and struck out four Aggie hitters. The win moves him to 4-0.

Martin Vincelli-Simard (Boisbriand, Que.) had four hits in four games. One of his hits was a three-run home run in a 14-6 Game 3 win over New Mexico State. He also walked twice, and drove in another run on the week.

O’Halloran calms Cal State Fullerton

The Titans of Cal State Fullerton traveled across the country to Ann Arbor, Mich., and were held to one run in a 2-1 Game 1 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. The man on the mound for Michigan was lefty Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.). He surrendered one run on seven hits, with a walk and four strikeouts. The Wolverines pushed one across in the bottom of the eighth to secure the victory.

Hassall holds his own against No. 6 Texas Tech

Griffin Hassall (Newmarket, Ont.) was tasked with taking the ball in Game 1 of Kansas State’s series with No. 4 Texas Tech. Hassall pitched into the sixth, finishing with 5 1/3 innings pitched. He yielded three hits, one run, walked one, and struck out one in a 6-3 loss.

Hammond a multi-hit machine

Outfielder Ethan Hammond (Oakville, Ont.) had multiple hits in four of five of D’Youville’s games last week. He had two hits in a 10-6 loss to DeMoyne, two in a 12-4 Game 1 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas, and two more in a 7-3 Game 2 loss. In an 8-4 Game 3 win he went 3-for-4. He added one hit in a 3-2 loss to DeMoyne in the second game of their midweek doubleheader. Four of his 10 hits were doubles. He also walked four times and drove in five on the week.

Williams doesn’t back down versus No. 1 Vols

Malik Williams (Toronto, Ont.) put together a 2-for-3 game with a walk and a stolen base in Lipscomb’s 5-1 midweek loss to No. 1 Tennessee. He didn’t slow down in the Bisons’ three games against Eastern Kentucky. The former Ontario Blue Jay had four hits, a pair of walks, two RBIs and a stolen base. His side swept the series.

Grant, Pouliot lead Griffs to series sweep

Two of the Canisius Golden Griffins most impactful players this season have been a Canadian bat and a Canadian left-hander.

Max Grant (Fredericton, NB) walked, drove in a run and stole a base in the Griffs’ 11-10 midweek loss to Cornell. Grant exploded in a three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series against Iona. He got things started with a 3-for-4 game with a walk and an RBI, finishing a home run shy of the cycle in a 12-6 win. Game 2 saw him go 2-for-4 with two walks, an RBI and a stolen base. In the finale, a 12-4 win, he was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and was hit by a pitch. He was recently ranked No. 26 on D1Baseball’s Top 30 list of second basemen.

Chris Pouliot (Boischatel, Que.) threw six innings and allowed an unearned run on three hits in the 13-3 Game 2 win. He walked two and struck out four, picking up his sixth win of the season.

Chaput stirs offence from the top

Sam Chaput (Boisbriand, Que.) collected eight hits and six RBIs out of the leadoff spot for Emporia State. Seven of his hits came in a three-game series win over Newman.

Warkentin wallops two homers

A two-run home run from Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, Ont.) gave the University of Eastern Michigan a 3-0 lead in Game 2 of their series with Miami (Ohio). They would go on to win the game 3-1. Warkentin went long again, this time a three-run shot, in a 14-10 Game 3 win. He closed the game going 4-for-4 with a hit by pitch. Back in the opener, he went 2-for-5.

Gollert goes six strong

Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) gave Austin Peay more than they needed on the mound in a 14-3 Game 2 win over University of Tennessee at Martin. Gollert tossed six innings and surrendered two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out six to move to 2-3.

George throws complete game in loss

The loss Nick George (Sarnia, Ont.) was tagged with wasn’t indicative of his performance. George tossed a complete game seven innings in a 2-1 loss to Culver-Stockton. He conceded the two runs on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Lussier K’s five in loss

Jordan Lussier (Winnipeg, Man.) spun five innings, allowing two runs on five hits in Illinois State’s 6-2 Game 2 loss to Kansas. He struck out five.

Karosas, Whitehead carry Kats

Make it six straight wins for the Erie Community College Kats thanks in part to the strong play of AJ Karosas (Mississauga, Ont.) and Carter Whitehead (Hamilton, Ont.)

Karosas chipped in four hits, four walks and four RBIs in four games.

Five hits, three walks, nine RBIs in four games from Whitehead helped drive the offence. He went 3-for-3 with two home runs and six RBIs in a 12-2 Game 1 thumping of Monroe.

Coutney continues productive season

Matt Coutney (Wetaskiwin, Alta.) of the Old Dominion Monarchs kickstarted his week with a 4-for-4 performance with a solo home run and a walk in an 8-7 win over Eastern Carolina. He then put up four hits, three walks, and two RBIs in a series loss to the University of Texas at San Antonio. In an 8-7 Game 2 loss, he hit a solo home run.

No. 13 McPherson wins three times

The week started for the McPherson Bulldogs with an 11-1 loss to No. 23 Tabor, a game in which Caleb Feuerstake (Waterdown, Ont.) had a hit, a walk and a stolen base. That would be their only loss of the week, as they would go on to sweep a three-game series from Oklahoma Wesleyan. In that series, Feuerstake reached via a hit and stole a base in a 9-4 Game 2 win. He went 4-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and four RBIs in a 17-14 Game 4 victory.

Saskatoon Diamondbacks alum Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) had five hits in a series for Cumberland. Photo: Cumberland Athletics

Machibroda comes through in Cumberland sweep

Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) had himself a fine series for Cumberland against Bethel. He went 2-for-5 with a RBI, and a stolen base in a 5-4 Game 1 win. In a 11-9 Game 2 win he walked twice. The close out the series he was 3-for-5 with three RBIs in a 6-4 Game 4 win.

Glowacki with 5-for-5 game

Not much has gone right for East Central this season as they’ve stumbled to a 4-31 record, but they came away with a series victory last week over Southern Nazarene. Mason Glowacki (Kelowna, BC) collected six hits, two walks, and three stolen bases. He went 5-for-5 with a walk and two stolen bases in a 20-9 Game 2 victory.

Murchison with three-straight three-hit games

Cole Murchison (Stouffville, Ont.) had three hits in West Valley’s 8-3 loss to San Mateo, another three hits in a 5-1 Game 1 win over San Francisco, and three more for good measure in an 11-5 Game 2 win. He managed to walk twice, drive in three and steal two bases along the way as well.

Shapiro steals the show in win

I know it was a busy weekend for the Toronto Blue Jays, but here’s hoping Mark Shapiro was able to watch his son’s Game 1 performance against Cornell. Caden Shapiro (Toronto, Ont.) was 4-for-5 with an RBI as the Tigers downed the Big Red 12-3. He chipped in a hit, a walk and stole a base in a 10-6 Game 3 win.

Lichty leading the way for Foresters

Daniel Lichty (Denfield, Ont.) accumulated seven knocks, a walk and two RBIs for Huntington University in a four-game series against Indiana Wesleyan. He swatted a solo home run in a 3-2 Game 1 win. During a 17-7 Game 3 win, he was 3-for-5 with three doubles and an RBI.

Schure slaps four hits in series sweep

Lassen scored 43 runs in a three-game sweep of Siskiyous. Matt Schure (Salt Spring Island, BC) supplied plenty of offence, adding four hits, a walk, three RBIs and three stolen bases. He swiped a base in each of the three games.

McElwain aids William Jessup in split with No. 8 Vanguard

The test was stiff last weekend for William Jessup as they took on NAIA No. 8 Vanguard. Dustin McElwain (Richmond, BC) was certainly up to the challenge as he had seven hits, a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. He went 4-for-5 in a 7-4 Game 3 win. William Jessup split the three games.

Fazzari a fixture in pair of wins

Nicholas Fazzari (Thunder Bay, Ont.) pounded out three hits in both Games 2 and 3 of Charleston Southern’s series with Winthrop. He drove in two in a 9-7 loss in the second game. The Parkland College transfer then went 3-for-6 with a solo home run and three RBIs in a 14-11 win in the third contest.

McCorrister mashing for Mayville State

Canuck Jared McCorrister (Boissevain, Man.) was on fire for the Mayville State Comets. Over the course of their six games, McCorrister had nine knocks and six RBIs. The Comets completed the slate 2-4.

McHarg with a good effort

For the first time this season, Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) of Kansas City Kansas Community College makes an appearance in the BMOC. McHarg amassed eight hits, nine RBIs and a stolen base in five games. His three hits, including a home run, and five RBIs were part of a 17-2 win over Metropolitan.

Simpson simply produces, Vulcano hits homer in Colby split

Cleary Simpson (Elnora, Alta.) has been a key part of the Colby Community College lineup all season, and that continued last week. Simpson supplied six hits, three walks and an RBI in a series split with Butler. His best game came in the finale when he went 3-for-4 with two walks in a Trojans’ win.

John Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) provided the Trojans with five hits and a pair of RBIs. Vulcano went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in a 13-7 win in the finale.

Coaticook Rockies alum Samuel Jalbert (Mascouche, Que.) struck out eight in six innings for St. Joseph’s for his second win of the season. Photo: Jacques Lanciault

Jalbert evens record

Six innings on the mound from Samuel Jalbert (Mascouche, Que.) led St. Joseph’s (ME) to a 3-1 win over Albertus Magnus. Jalbert allowed three hits, walked one and struck out eight to improve to 2-2.

Villeneuve goes the distance as Weatherford hammers Howard

Robin Villenueve (Gatineau, Que.) tossed all five innings in Weatherford’s 11-1 victory over Howard. He yielded the run on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

Wakelyn wins

Righty Parker Wakelyn (Abbotsford, BC) surrendered two unearned runs on four hits over five innings to pick up the win in the University of Mary’s victory over Upper Iowa. He worked around four walks and struck out four in the 13-4 decision to move to 3-1 on the year.

Camacho-Soto helps fuel Cloud County offence

Williams Camacho-Soto (Burnaby, BC) played in four games, collecting four hits, walking three times and driving in four for Cloud County to help them to a 6-0 week. He was also hit by three pitches.

Simcoe’s Hare hits for Gray Wolves

Josh Hare (Simcoe, Ont.) had four hits and a walk in three games for Lourdes. He was 2-for-4 in a 2-1 Game 2 loss to Lawrence Tech.

Team Manitoba alum Logan Warkentin (Winnipeg, Man.) had four hits and five RBIs for Williston State in two against Miles. Photo: Williston State Athletics

Warkentin goes deep, finishes with four hits

All the damage Logan Warkentin (Winnipeg, Man.) did for Williston State came in the middle two games of a four-game series against Miles. In Game 2 he went 2-for-4 with a RBI, before going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in Game 3. The Tetons took home three of four.

Simpson with five knocks

Matt Simpson (Ladysmith, BC) had his best showing in Game 2 of Northland College’s series with Martin Luther. Simpson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of hit by pitches. He combined for two hits, two walks, an RBI and another hit by pitch in games 1 and 3.

Russo rips pitching

For the second week in a row, Luigi Russo (Kelowna, BC) makes a stop in the BMOC. This time it’s thanks to five hits and four walks in Ohio Wesleyan’s four games. He was hit by a pitch in each.

Caskenette leaves the yard twice

Connor Caskenette (Duncan, BC) hit a pair of home runs and finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs in Cochise’s 24-7 victory over Mesa. Next up was a doubleheader with Eastern Arizona where he went 2-for-4 in both games. He drove in a pair in the first and walked in the second.

Osika’s offence helps lead Indiana Tech to three wins

Four hits in three games off the bat of Tristan Osika (Ancaster, Ont.) aided in three wins for Indiana Tech. Osika had a hit and was hit by a pitch in a 6-5 win over IU Kokomo. He collected another hit and drove in a run in a 4-0 Game 1 win over Cleary. To round out the week, he put together a 2-for-3 game with a walk, two RBIs and another hit by pitch in a 12-5 victory over Cleary.

Bach brings his bat for Saint Xavier

Jordan Bach (White Rock, BC) was impressive for Saint Xavier this past week. He stroked seven hits, walked once, and drove in two in four games.

Bushey all over boxscores

It was hard not to notice Liam Bushey (Mission, BC) in Mineral Area’s four-game series with St. Louis. He had eight hits, worked a pair of walks, drove in five, and swiped a base. One of his knocks was a home run as part of a 3-for-3 game with a walk and two RBIs in a 12-4 Game 4 win. He finished that one a double shy of the cycle.

Wheeler with a 4-for-4 performance

Austin Wheeler (Welland, Ont.) saved the best for last. During Game 4 of Graceland’s series with Peru State, Wheeler went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base. In the other five games his team played, he amassed four more hits and another RBI.

Tweet with 11 hits

Soon-to-be William Jewell utility man Dawson Tweet (Russell, Man.) pummeled opposing pitching for Mesabi Range. Tweet contributed 11 hits, three walks, 11 RBIs and four stolen bases. He hit home runs in a 8-7 loss to Vermilian, a 16-4 loss to Rainy River and a 20-5 win over Rainy River.

White Rock Tritons alum Josh Fluet (White Rock, B.C.). left. tossed five scoreless innings in his start for Allen County. Photo: Twitter

Fluet doing just fine

Josh Fluet (White Rock, BC) worked five scoreless innings and picked up the win when Allen County beat the Baker JV’s 8-1 in Game 4 of their series. Fluet allowed four hits, walked one and struck out seven.

Bomersback beats Bismarck State

Hurler Matt Bomersback (Montreal, Que.) had to be good in Dawson’s second game against Bismarck State. And he was. Bomersback tossed a complete game, seven-inning shutout in a 2-0 win. He scattered four hits, walked three and struck out three.

Cazorla, Crowson a dynamic duo

Alejandro Cazorla (Okotoks, Alta.) and Connor Crowson (Okotoks, Alta.) stood out in Bossier Parish’s lineup.

Cazorla collected 10 hits, walked four times and drove in nine. He hit a home run in a 17-6 win over Northeast Texas, and again in a 12-6 win over Tyler.

Not to be outdone, Crowson had 10 hits, as well. He walked twice and drove in six. During the 17-6 aforementioned win, he went 5-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs.

Lewis lashes four hits

Starting your week off with a home run is always nice, just ask Jordan Lewis. He hit a long ball and finished with two hits, two RBIs and a stolen base in Herkimer’s 19-2 win over Columbia-Green. To close out the week, he accumulated two more hits, an RBI and a stolen base in a 10-0 victory over Jefferson.

ABC alum Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) had three multi-hit games for the Galveston Whitecaps. Photo: Twitter

Villalobos with three, two-hit games

Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) of the Galveston Whitecaps had two hits, including a solo home run and two walks in a 14-7 loss in Game 1 against Coastal Bend to start the week. He was 2-for-4 in a 3-2 Game 3 win and closed out the four-game set with a 2-for-3 game with three RBIs.

***

For a list of the Canadian collegiate statistical leaders, click here.

The college baseball season chugs along and Canadians keep creating highlights. You can read about all of them right here in the weekly BMOC column.

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.