BMOC Week 19

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

The past week featured both team and individual accomplishments. Despite fewer teams remaining each week, Canadians continued to find a way to shine. Come along for the ride as we take a look at the top performers.

Keyes a national champion

Let’s start in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I World Series. Clayton Keyes (Calgary, Alta.) and Central Arizona College claimed the national championship with a 13-8 win over Iowa Western. Keyes hit .310 this season with seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 59 games played.

Nixon, Raspanti bring home DII title

Shane Nixon (Markham, Ont.) and Justin Raspanti (Vaughan, Ont.) were both members of Northern Oklahoma Enid College which won the NJCAA Division II World Series. Nixon hit .250 with three home runs, 25 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 47 games in 2019. In 39 games, Raspanti hit .284, launched four home runs and slugged .455.

O’Halloran, Orange Coast College win championship

The Orange Coast College Pirates are the champions of the California Community College Athletic Association. Ryan O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) had a .329 average with a home run and 16 RBIs in 2019. He got on base at a .400 clip and posted a .451 slugging percentage.

Lower Columbia NWAC champs

Trenton King (Surrey, BC) was a member of the Northwest Athletic Conference champion Lower Columbia Red Devils. King hit .194 in 29 games and added four stolen bases.

Chenier collects honour

In 19 relief appearances for Virginia Commonwealth University, Evan Chenier (Georgetown, Ont.) posted a 6-0 record with a 3.56 ERA. Chenier tossed 43 innings for the Rams in 2019. Those numbers earned him a spot on Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-American Team.

Morello rewarded for strong season

Gianfranco Morello (Toronto, Ont.) of the University of Charleston Golden Eagles was named both a Division II Honourable Mention All-American and to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division II Atlantic All-Region Team. Morello led his team with a .362 average. He also stole 16 bases, posted a .460 on-base percentage and a .533 slugging percentage.

Krzeminski, Reivers lose in title game

They could taste it. Gibson Krzeminski (Tecumseh, Ont.) and the Iowa Western Reivers battled their way to the NJCAA Division I national championship game but came up just short. First, let’s take a stroll through the tournament from an Iowa Western perspective. They opened up with an 18-10 win over Connors State with the help of a 3-for-4 game with a walk and a RBI from Krzeminski. Next they beat Central Arizona 14-4 behind a hit, two walks and a stolen base from Krzeminski. He went 3-for-5 with a walk in an 11-8 win over Walters State. The first loss for the Reivers came at the hands of Navarro College by a 23-8 score. Krzeminski had a hit and a RBI in the loss. His team bounced back to beat Navarro 15-7 in their next game. Krzeminski chipped in a hit, a walk and two RBIs in that one. Their season came to an end in the national championship game as they lost 13-8 to Central Arizona. Krzeminski had another strong game in the heartbreaking loss, going 3-for-5 with a RBI. On the season he hit .402 with five home runs and 41 RBIs as Iowa Western went 52-11.

Desjardins appears three times in World Series

It was a 2-2 showing for the Bellevue Bruins in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics World Series. Brandon Desjardins (Calgary, Alta.) made three appearances for the Bruins. His first appearances saw him throw 2/3 of an inning in Game 1, giving up two hits, a run, a walk and striking out one in a 3-2, 10 inning loss to No. 23 Indiana Tech. He took the loss as the one run came in extra innings. He locked down his fourth save of the season in an 11-8 win over No. 3 Faulkner. Desjardins worked a scoreless inning, surrendering a hit and a walk, while punching out one in the Game 2 win. He was thrown back into action in Game 4, a 9-3 loss to Georgia Gwinnett, a game that ended their season. Desjardins tossed five innings, scattered five hits and one run. He walked four and struck out four. On the season he made 18 appearances, six starts and posted a 2-3 record with a 4.23 ERA.

Dalton deals Gauchos a loss

Tanner Jesson-Dalton (Lethbridge, Alta.) allowed one run over five innings of work as Sacramento State beat the National Collegiate Athletic Association No. 19 University of California Santa Barbara Gauchos 6-4 in Game 2 of the Stanford Regional. Coming of an opening game loss to No. 4 Stanford, Dalton helped extend the Hornets season by allowing four hits, two walks and striking out five. They would drop their next game to be eliminated. Jesson-Dalton was drafted with the 522nd pick in the 17th round by the Chicago Cubs in this years Major League Baseball Draft.

Wright hits well for Indiana State

The Sycamores of Indiana State won two games in the Nashville Regional. In Game 1, a 6-5 win over McNeese State, Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) went 3-for-4. In an 8-5 loss to No. 2 Vanderbilt in Game 2, Wright had a hit. The Sycamores got back in the win column by beating Ohio State 10-5 in Game 3. Wright went 2-for-4 with a RBI in the second victory. Nashville knocked out Indiana State in the next game by a 12-1 score.

Harvey beats Hoosiers

Dalton Harvey (Cambridge, Ont.) provided Illinois State with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to help lift the Redbirds to an 8-7 win over Indiana in Game 1 of the Louisville Regional. Harvey allowed a hit and struck out three in the win. He later was called upon against No. 7 Louisville and went 3 1/3 innings. He gave up two hits, two runs and two walks with two strike outs. Illinois State went 2-2 to see their season come to an end.

A few Canadians still remain. The NCAA Division I Super Regionals are set with a few Canadians playing for a berth in the College World Series. Next week the top performers will be highlighted, so make sure to come back and read all about it.

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