Fieldhouse Pirates alum Francesco Barbieri (Brampton, Ont.) belted his 16th home run of the season to break Ave Maria’s single-season record. Photo: Ave Maria Athletics

April 23, 2024

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

As the college baseball regular season continues along towards its conclusion, there remains no shortage of top Canadian highlights.

Let’s see who played well from April 15 to 21.

Barbieri breaks single-season home run record

There aren’t many better ways to start this column than with a broken record. Francesco Barbieri (Brampton, Ont.) went 4-for-5 with two solo home runs, a two-run shot, a walk and five RBIs as Ave Maria fell to Keiser in Game 1 of their four-game series. With 16 home runs, he’s now Ave Maria’s single-season record holder. Throughout the final three games of the series, Barbieri had a hit, five walks, two RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch.

Walker, Hull and Frers the latest Marauder standouts

Well, since I mentioned records, how about another?

University of Mary’s Josh Walker (Victoria, BC) tied the Marauders’ NCAA-era record with four doubles in a 13-3 Game 3 win over the University of Sioux Falls. He finished the game with five hits and three RBIs. Before his record-tying performance, he delivered three hits, three walks, two RBIs and two hit by pitches over four games.

He may not have entered the record books, but Walker’s teammate Noah Hull (Scarborough, Ont.) stroked 10 hits, walked four times, drove in six, stole a base and was hit by a pitch. He hit a solo home run to help his team to a 13-2 Game 1 victory over the University of Sioux Falls before hitting a two-run home run in a Game 2 win.

Lukas Frers (Surrey, BC) started Game 1 against Sioux Falls and threw five scoreless innings to pick up the win. He scattered two hits and struck out 12.

The Marauders closed out the week 4-1.

Neale earns win No. 300 at Kansas Wesleyan

The only non-player in this week’s column, Bill Neale (Collingwood, Ont.) won his 300th game at Kansas Wesleyan University after the Coyotes downed No. 21 Oklahoma Wesleyan 3-1. With their 38-8 record, Neale’s squad has won the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and punched their ticket to the NAIA Opening Round.

Grinberg gives Keiser offensive boost

Barbieri wasn’t the only Canadian to standout in the Ave Maria and Keiser four-game set. Simon Grinberg (Kitchener, Ont.) collected three hits, including a two-run home run, five walks, and three RBIs in the series. His best performance actually came in a midweek win over the University of Fort Lauderdale, though, when he had four hits, one of which was a solo homer, and a hit by pitch.

Grand River Flying Squirrels alum Jackson Soucie (Cambridge, Ont.) hurled a complete game shutout for Wabash Valley. Photo: Wabash Valley Athletics

Soucie spins complete game

It’s been a fine season to this point for left-hander Jackson Soucie (Cambridge, Ont.). The South Carolina commit tossed a complete game, nine innings to lead Wabash Valley to a 7-0 victory over Kaskaskia. Soucie allowed three hits, walked two and fanned eight. He’s now 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA and 83 strikeouts over 62 1/3 innings.

Crowell, Zdunich keep dominating

Nothing has been able to stop Reinhardt University’s Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, NS) this season. Playing in all four of the Eagles’ games last week, Crowell put up seven hits, a walk and seven RBIs. He hit a solo home run in an 11-1 Game 1 win over Bluefield before hitting a three-run shot in the finale to help his side complete the sweep.

Not much has been able to stop Tucker Zdunich (High River, Alta.), either. Zdunich had nine hits, which included a two-run home run and a solo shot, two walks, five RBIs and three stolen bases in four games.

Canadian teammates take the mound for Cayuga

Cayuga Community College received strong performances on the mound from Matt Rumney (Midland, Ont.) and Cam Langille (Lunenburg, NS).

Rumney got the ball against Hudson Valley and threw a complete game, seven innings as the Spartans pulled out a 10-2 win. Rumney surrendered four hits, two runs, while issuing two walks and striking out two.

Langille took the mound against Finger Lakes and threw six innings, giving up one run on four hits in a 2-1 loss. He walked two and struck out five.

McDonald backs Bossier Parish to extra-inning win

Brought into the game after six innings, John McDonald (Mississauga, Ont.) threw the final five innings for Bossier Parish Community College in their 9-8, 11-inning Game 1 victory over Northeast Texas. McDonald gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks. He struck out four.

Butt, Lagasse pitch well in Williston State wins

Lefty Kody Butt (St. John’s, Nfld.) fanned 15 over six scoreless innings to help Williston State down Dawson 10-0. Butt allowed two hits and walked one in the dominant outing.

Right-hander Cedric Lagasse (St. Adolphe, Man.) supplied the Teton with five innings of one run baseball, leading them to an 11-1 win over Dakota-Bottineau. Lagasse yielded five hits, two walks and struck out six.

Parksville Royals grad Tim Holyk (Nanaimo, BC) hit two more home runs for Cumberland University this past week. Photo: Cumberland University Athletics

Holyk hits two homers

Tim Holyk (Nanaimo, BC) swatted a solo home run during a midweek Cumberland win over Milligan and a two-run blast in a 14-9 Game 3 loss to No. 4 University of the Cumberlands. In four total games, he chipped in four hits, two walks, three RBIs and was hit by a pitch.

Ballantyne good but Bay College falls

The end result wasn’t what they wanted, but Bay College can feel good about the start they got from Hunter Ballantyne (Brantford, Ont.). The native of the Telephone City allowed one run on five hits over six innings in a 5-4 loss to Alpena. He walked one and struck out two.

Mcilwaine, Erie shutout Jamestown

Five scoreless innings from Ethan Mcilwaine (Oshawa, Ont.) propelled Erie Community College to a 2-0 win over Jamestown. Mcilwaine conceded three hits, worked around five walks and punched out three to earn the victory.

Campbell, Clark State handle Hocking

Ethan Campbell (Saskatoon, Sask.) got the Game 1 start for Clark State against Hocking and went five innings. Campbell allowed three unearned runs on a hit and three walks. He struck out seven.

Dow handed no decision despite strong start

Southpaw Haden Dow (Saint John, NB) wasn’t rewarded with the win but was instrumental in Southeast Missouri State’s 4-1 Game 1 victory over Tennessee Tech. Dow threw seven scoreless innings. He surrendered four hits, walked one and struck out four.

UBC Thunder alum Joseph Hanning (Vancouver, BC) allowed just one run in 7 1/3 innings in his start for Paradise Valley. Photo: PBR

Hanning pitches into the eighth for Paradise Valley

Joseph Hanning (Vancouver, BC) lasted 7 1/3 innings and conceded one run on three hits as Paradise Valley snuck by Glendale 2-1. Hanning walked three and punched out five.

Parsons pounds Grace College

Infielder Nick Parsons (Waterloo, Ont.) provided five home runs to help the University of Saint Francis sweep a four-game series from Grace College. In the four games, he had six hits, five walks, 13 RBIs and two hit by pitches. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs in the opener before hitting two more homers in Game 2. His final home run came in the finale as the Cougars completed the sweep.

Barr backs Michigan to win over rival Ohio State

Few rivalries in college sports match the intensity of Michigan versus Ohio State. Right-hander Kurt Barr (Saint Joachim, Ont.) helped the Wolverines best the Buckeyes by tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 4-0 Game 1 win. Barr worked around seven hits and two walks, while striking out five to earn his fifth victory. After dropping Game 2, the Wolverines would win Game 3 and the series.

Tough ending to regular season for UBC

A week after sweeping the College of Idaho for the second time this season, the University of British Columbia were on the wrong end of a sweep for the second time at the hands of No. 9 Lewis-Clark State.

Despite the disappointing result in their final regular season series, Mitchell Middlemiss (Chilliwack, BC) and Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) had strong showings.

Middlemiss contributed nine hits and two RBIs. He went 3-for-5 in both games 3 and 4.

McGill had six hits, a walk and four RBIs.

Manerikar makes quick work of State Island

Getting the start for D’Youville University in Game 3 of their series with the College of Staten Island, Mihir Manerikar (Mississauga, Ont.) threw five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, five walks and struck out three as the Saints picked up a 13-2 win.

Abbotsford Cardinals alum Liam Bushey (Mission, BC) had seven hits and six RBIs in four games for the Western Illinois Leathernecks. Photo: Twitter

Bushey busts out

Liam Bushey (Mission, BC) of the Western Illinois Leathernecks had seven hits, two walks, six RBIs and a hit by pitch in four games. He went 5-for-7 with a solo home run and a grand slam during a 12-11 midweek loss to Southern Illinois.

DiGennaro swats three homers

Nick DiGennaro (Oakville, Ont.) hit a three-run and pair of solo home runs for Lourdes. When the dust settled on the six-game week, he collected nine hits, a walk, seven RBIs and three hit by pitches. His sixth-inning solo shot in Game 4 against Lawrence Tech gave the Gray Wolves a lead they wouldn’t relinquish on the way to a 3-2 win.

Simpson leads in the leadoff spot

The Norse of Northern Kentucky keep getting production out of leadoff hitter Cleary Simpson (Elnora, Man.). Last week, he chipped in 10 hits, three walks, four RBIs, a stolen base and a hit by pitch. He hit a solo home run in a 24-3 Game 1 thumping of Oakland.

Columbus comes through for Huskers

Ben Columbus (North Vancouver, BC) had seven hits, two walks and four RBIs in four games for the University of Nebraska. He hit solo shots in games 1 and 2 of their Big 10 series against Maryland. The Huskers would take the three-game set 2-1.

Pelletier piles up hits

Redshirt-junior catcher Raphael Pelletier (Mascouche, Que.) racked up six hits, a walk, five RBIs and was hit by a pitch for Kansas State over five games. He went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs to open the scoring as the Wildcats downed No. 15 Oklahoma State in Game 2 of their series.

White Rock Tritons grad Jordan Bach (Ladner, BC) had eight hits - including two homers - for Southern Illinois this past week. Photo: SIU Athletics

Bach blasts a pair of homers

Jordan Bach (Ladner, BC) hit two solo home runs and had eight hits total for Southern Illinois. On top of the hits, he also walked twice, drove in six and stole a base. He hit a solo home run in Game’s 1 and 2 against Belmont.

Grant at it again

A week after being named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Player of the Week, Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) put up seven hits, a walk and three RBIs. He hit a solo home run to power No. 16 Bellevue to a 4-3 Game 1 win over Dakota State. To wrap up the series, he hit another solo shot as the Bruins completed the sweep.

Rose with the relief

Maxwell Rose (Ottawa, Ont.) tossed 5 1/3 innings of relief, allowing an unearned run on four hits for SUNY Canton during their 6-5 loss to Suny Poly. Rose walked three and struck out five.

Fisher finds his stroke

Minnesota State College played six games and received 10 hits, two walks and seven RBIs from Eoghan Fisher (Richmond, BC). The Spartans would go 2-4.

Maas’ start assist Sussex County in win

Aidan Maas (Charlottetown, PEI) worked six innings and yielded three runs (two earned) on five hits as the Sussex County Skylanders defeated Orange County Community College 6-5. Maas struck out five in the start.

ABC alum LP Langevin (Quebec, Que.) tossed five scoreless and hitless innings in a relief appearance for Louisiana Lafayette. Photo: Louisiana Lafayette Athletics

Langevin slams the door

Coming on in relief in the fifth inning, LP Langevin (Quebec, Que.) delivered five scoreless, hitless innings as Louisiana Lafayette beat No. 19 Coastal Carolina 8-6 in the second game of their series. Langevin didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10.

Guy gets going for Rend Lake

Colby Guy (Barrie, Ont.) produced five hits, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base during a 2-1 Rend Lake series victory over Lincoln Trail. Game 2 saw him go 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two RBIs and a stolen base.

Krawchuk secures series win

Much like Logan Grant, last week’s co-Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week Carter Krawchuk (St. Catharines, Ont.) wasn’t slowing down. Krawchuk spun seven innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits as Seminole State (Fla.) beat Polk State in Game 3 to win their series 2-1. The right-hander walked three and punched out 11.

Palfrey produces

Griffin Palfrey (Vancouver, BC) hit a grand slam and a solo home run, while finishing with eight hits for Columbia in four games. He also walked three times, drove in nine and was hit by two pitches.

Scholes shows off offensive ability

Outfielder Henry Scholes (Toronto, Ont.) had five hits, a walk, three RBIs and was hit by a pitch in four games for Knox College. He hit a pair of solo shots, one each in a loss to Illinois College and in a win over the University of Chicago.

Tweet takes game to next level

Wyatt Tweet (Russell, Man.) couldn’t be slowed down as Bismarck State Community College rode his bat to a 6-0 week. Tweet pounded out 12 hits, walked twice and drove in 20 for the Mystics. Seven of those hits left the ballpark for home runs.

Seven more days of the season are in the rearview mirror and May is right around the corner, meaning postseason baseball is on the horizon.

Stay locked in to all the news and notes right here each week 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-Sunday.

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

BMOC Week XIII: Butt, DiGennaro, Fisher, Parsons, Walker, Zdunich