BMOC Wk 18: Black, Myers, Smith, Whitbread

Great Lake Canadians alum Noah Myers (Wyoming, Ont.) had a phenomenal season hitting for the Wabash Valley Warriors, hitting .397 with eight home runs, 60 RBIs, 92 runs scored and 77 stolen bases in 59 games.

May 29, 2019

BMOC Week 18

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer. Postseason college baseball is in full swing across the board and the competition is getting heated. Check out the top Canadian performances below.

Krzeminski helps Reivers to World Series

Gibson Krzeminski (Tecumseh, Ont.) hit a pair of home runs in the Northern District Tournament to help the Iowa Western Reivers earn their way to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I World Series. Krzeminski went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a stolen base in the tournament opener against Triton, a game his team took 15-5. The Reivers then played three games against the NJCAA No. 1 Wabash Valley Warriors. In the first game with the Warriors, Krzeminski was 2-for-5 with a two-run blast in a tight 8-7 win. They lost the second meeting by an 11-8 score. In the loss Krzeminski had a hit and a walk. His team bounced back to win the third game between the two top teams. Krzeminski went 2-for-5 in the 10-5 win. He got the offence rolling in the top of the first with a two-run home run. He finished with three RBIs as Iowa Western won the Northern District Tournament.

Sacramento State wins WAC title with incredible run

After dropping the opening game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament the Sacramento State Hornets won six straight to win the championship. They are the first team ever to eliminate the other five teams in the tournament. Tanner Dalton (Lethbridge, Alta.) pitched in the opening 4-2 loss to Utah Valley, going two innings of relief, allowing two hits, one run and walking three. He found himself back on the mound against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In the 6-2 win Dalton made the start and tossed three innings, surrendering a hit, two runs (one earned) with two walks and four strikeouts. He was handed the ball again to start the championship game against Grand Canyon, a game the Hornets won by a 5-4 margin. Dalton picked up the win by lasting five innings, giving up two hits, a run, a walk and striking out four. Sacramento State is off to the Stanford Regional along with the host Cardinal, the University of California Santa Barbara and Fresno State. They are the No. 4 seed and will take on Stanford in Game 1.

Sycamores secure Regional bid

For the first time since 1995 the Indiana State Sycamores are conference champions. Indiana State won four straight elimination games to claim the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship, their seventh conference title in program history. Tyler Whitbread (Camlachie, Ont.) picked up his eighth win of the campaign in Game 3 of the tournament against Southern Illinois. Whitbread worked eight innings and surrendered an unearned run in a 4-1 victory. He scattered five hits, walked three and struck out nine. Whitbread was named to the All-Tournament team for his performance.

Great Lake Canadians and Ontario Blue Jays alum Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings and picked up a win in two appearances - including one start - for the Liberty Flames in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Photo: Liberty University Athletics

Skirrow helps Flames to two wins

Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) was called upon from the Liberty Flames bullpen in Game 3 of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament against North Florida. There was little room for error and Skirrow went 4 1/3 scoreless innings as the Flames took the game 3-2 in 12 innings. Skirrow allowed one hit and punched out five to improve to 5-6 overall in 2019. In Game 5 of the tournament Skirrow got the start against Stetson and went three scoreless innings, scattering three hits, a walk, while striking out three. Liberty went on to win the tournament the next game against Stetson and are headed to the Chapel Hill Regional with North Carolina, Tennessee and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The Flames are the No. 3 seed.

Wabash Valley’s run comes to an end

The past few weeks have had their ups and downs for Noah Myers (Wyoming, Ont.) and National Junior College Athletic Association No. 1 Wabash Valley College. Let’s go back to the final game of the regular season when Wabash Valley beat John A. Logan 11-2. Myers had a hit, two walks, two RBIs and two stolen bases to go into postseason play on a high. Next up was the XXIV Tournament, which Wabash Valley won. In the opener, a 11-2 win over Frontier, Myers collected an RBI. In a 5-3 Game 2 win over Kaskaskia he had a hit, a walk and a RBI. Wabash Valley then lost to Olney Central 7-4, a game in which Myers had a hit, a walk and two stolen bases. His team bounced back with a 9-1 win over Olney Central. Myers went 2-for-3 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base in that one. A 14-4 win over Rend Land saw Myers go 4-for-5 with a home run, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. He had two RBIs and a stolen base in the blowout win, as well. The Warriors were then thrust into Northern District Tournament action and it was there they saw their season come to an end. In the opener, an 8-7 loss to Iowa Western, Myers went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. In the following game he chipped in a RBI and a stolen base as his squad beat up on Triton 14-4. It was back to the Reivers of Iowa Western in the next game and the Warriors came out on top 11-8 to extend their season. Myers had a hit and walked three times in the win. The Reivers would get the last laugh, however, beating Wabash Valley 10-5 and ending the Warriors season. Myers had a double, two walks, three RBIs and a stolen base in the season ending loss. It’s hard to argue the Warriors weren’t the best team in the NJCAA up to that point. They finished the season 55-4. Myers had a phenomenal season hitting .397 with eight home runs, 60 RBIs, 92 runs scored and 77 stolen bases in 59 games played.

Toronto Mets alum Gianfranco Morello (Toronto, Ont.) finished his final season of college baseball leading the University of Charleston with a .362 average. He also had a .460 on-base percentage and was 16-for-18 in stolen base attempts. Photo: University of Charleston Athletics

So close, yet so far for Charleston

The Atlantic Super Regional started off great for the University of Charleston. In Game 1 against Mercyhurt, Gianfranco Morello (Toronto, Ont.) went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in a 10-2 win. With a chance to clinch their spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II World Series in Game 2, the Golden Eagles came up just short. In a 6-5 loss, Morello went 3-for-4 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. In a winner-take-all Game 3 Morello went 2-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. Unfortunately for Morello and the Golden Eagles it wasn't quite enough as Mercyhurst ran away with a 14-4 win. The senior finished his final season of college baseball leading the team with a .362 average. He had a .460 on-base percentage and was 16-for-18 in stolen base attempts.

A disappointing tournament for Wright State

The Wright State Raiders hosted the Horizon League Tournament but managed to go just 1-2 on home turf. They opened play with a convincing 15-3 win over Northern Kentucky, a game Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) went 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs in. The Raiders dropped Game 2, 11-6 to the University of Illinois Chicago. Black went 2-for-4 with a walk in his teams first loss of the tournament. Their tournament came to an end in the next game as Milwaukee handed them a 10-9 loss. Black had a hit in the tournament ending defeat. Wright State ends the year with a 42-17 record.

Chilliwack Cougars and Junior National Team alum Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) gave up just three hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings for the University of Hawaii, but his club lost to Long Beach State 3-0. Photo: University of Hawaii Athletics

Smith goes six strong in loss

The University of Hawaii offence didn't give Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) much help in a 3-0 Game 1 loss to Long Beach State. Smith was stellar going six innings, giving up three hits and two runs (one earned). He walked three and struck out four in the loss.

Fewer and fewer teams remain. There are still Canadians that are helping steer their teams in postseason play. Check out this column next week to see the top performers that are left.

If you know someone deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com