February 19, 2020

BMOC Week 3

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

It was a busy week on the college baseball scene as the Division I schedule got underway. Canadians continued to take up the spotlight with a lot of superb showings. Check out the rundown below of who stood out.

Diodati named Freshman of the Week

One of the best performances so far in college baseball this season has come from Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.). The Alabama Crimson Tide scooped up the Canadian slugger from the Great Lakes Canadians and he has made an immediate impact as a freshman. The Tide opened up their season this past weekend with a three-game set with Northeastern. In the opener, which Alabama won 10-0, Diodati went 2-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs. The two hits were home runs. Diodati launched a two-run blast in the bottom of the third and a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth. Game 2 saw another Alabama win and Diodati had a double, a walk and two RBIs in the 8-0 decision. Looking for the sweep in Game 3, Diodati was 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. He hit his third home run of the young season in a 6-3 win. He finished a double shy of the cycle. The Southeastern Conference named Diodati Freshman of the Week for his head turning debut.

Jean earns first collegiate win

Diodati wasn't the only Canadian freshman to have an impact in Tuscaloosa, Ala. over the weekend. Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) got the start in Game 3 versus Northeastern and lasted four innings. He scattered four hits surrendered three runs (two earned) with a walk and a pair of strikeouts. He picked up his first collegiate win thanks to the solid outing.

Purple Eagles shock Seminoles

Arguably the biggest upset of the Division I opening weekend came in Tallahassee, Fla. The Niagara Purple Eagles made the trip south as heavy underdogs against the No. 14 Florida State Seminoles. Down 1-0 in the top of the ninth the Purple Eagles scored three times and hung on for a 3-1 season opening win. Alex MacKinnon (Aurora, Ont.) tossed the final two innings and got the win. He didn't allow a hit, a run or a walk and struck out five.

Mendham keeps on hitting

David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) picked up right where he left off in 2019 for the Connors State Cowboys. The Cowboys thumped Arkansas Tech 11-1 to open the season. Mendham went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a stolen base in the blowout win. He then went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in an 8-1 win over Oklahoma Christian. During the final game of the week, a 13-3 win over Oklahoma Christian, Mendham went 2-for-3 with a walk. The slugger will report to the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2020.

Fiorini fires CG

Matt Fiorini (Schomberg, Ont.) didn't need any help from his bullpen in Game 1 of Saint Francis’ four-game set with Union. Fiorini threw a complete game, seven innings to give the Saint Francis relievers a day off in the 3-1 win. He scattered six hits and struck out ten. Saint Francis took the series 3-1. They now face a stiff test this week when they head on the road to face NAIA No.11 University of the Cumberlands.

Bedard collects 11 hits

Eleven hits in 3 games isn't bad, just ask Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.). Beard went 5-for-6 with a RBI in Southwestern Oklahoma State’s 18-5 Game 1 win over East Central. He would then collect a hit in Game 2, a game his team would lose 2-1. Looking to win the rubber match in Game 3, Bedard exploded for another 5-for-6 game, this time scoring five time on route to a 16-4 win.

Marks magnificent in win over LIU

The opening day nod for the University of South Carolina Upstate went to Jordan Marks (Bright’s Grove, Ont.) and he was lights out. Marks lasted 7 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up four hit and a walk. He punched out nine to help secure a 4-0 victory over Long Island University.

Complete Game shutout for Cappe

Brady Cappe (Waterford, Ont.) had little trouble with the Goshen University offence as he led the University of Pikeville to a 6-0 win. Cappe cruised through all seven innings, allowing just two hits and a walk. He struck out eleven in the victory.

UBC splits with ranked opponent

The University of British Columbia split their four-game set with No. 25 Benedictine Mesa last week. Garrett Hawkins (Biggar, Sask.) improved his record to 2-0 in the opener by going six scoreless innings. He surrendered a pair of hits, walked one and struck out eleven in a 3-1 win. Jared Spearing (Winnipeg, Man.) must’ve been taking notes as he worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 6-0 Game 2 win. Spearing allowed four hits and struck out nine. Finnigan Duffield (Edmonton, Alta.) was the third starter of the weekend and he certainly held his own. Duffield worked five innings, giving up two hits, one run, a pair of walks and struck out six but the T-Birds dropped the game 3-2.

The offence for the Thunderbirds was powered by Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC) and Noah Or (Vancouver, BC). Maier had four hits, a RBI and two stolen bases in the series. He also earned the save in the Game 1 win, throwing a scoreless inning and striking out one. Or chipped in five hits, five walks and five RBIs over the four games. He smashed a three-run home run in an 8-4 Game 4 loss.

Cerantola seals sweep

Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) took to the mound for Mississippi State in front of 8,173 fans and made sure they went home happy after Game 3 of the Bulldogs series with Wright State. Cerantola earned the win by tossing four innings, allowing two hits, three walks and striking out eight. The big righty is coming off a season where he went 3-0 with a 4.30 ERA over 14 2/3 innings as a freshman.

Karall cuts down Seminole State (OK)

It was a nail biter between Cloud County Community College and Seminole State (OK) Community College. Joseph Karall (St. Albert, Alta.) tossed six innings of one run baseball in a 5-4 win. Karall allowed four hits and one run. He walked three and struck out three.

Gauthier evens record

Right-hander Mathieu Gauthier (Montreal, Que.) appears to be enjoying his time in the Lone Star State. He went seven innings and allowed one run for West Texas A&M in a 6-3 win over St. Mary’s. The North Carolina State transfer gave up four hits, one run, a walk and struck out eight to move to 1-1 in 2020.

Leader leads by example

Andy Leader (Kitchener, Ont.) was a key cog in the Canisius Golden Griffins offence on opening weekend. Leader went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and finished a home run short of the cycle in a 12-7 loss to UMass Lowell. Game 2 saw the Griffs get in the win column with a big 20-7 triumph. Leader was moved to the leadoff spot and went 2-for-5 in the game with a walk, a hit by pitch and three more RBIs. He went 2-for-4 in a Game 3 loss and had a hit and a walk in a Game 4 defeat.

Nwogu helps Wolverines to winning week

The Michigan Wolverines were busy on opening weekend with four games as they took part in the MLB4 Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. Jordan Nwogu (Ottawa, Ont.) went 2-for-4 with a stolen base as the Wolverines took down No. 2 Vanderbilt. It was a rematch of last year’s College World Series final, which the commodores won two games to one. Next up was a date with Cal Poly where Nwogu went 3-for-4 with a walk and another stolen base in an 8-5 win. Game 3 saw them take on No. 9 Arizona State, a game which they would shutout the Sun Devils 5-0. Nwogu had a hit and earned a walk in the win. The only loss of the week came in Game 4 against the University of Connecticut. The outfielder went 2-for-4 in a 7-1 loss. Michigan will get their chance to redeem themselves as they have a three-game set with UConn in Port St. Lucie, Fla. coming up this week.

Skirrow solid against Clemson

It was a tough luck loss for Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) and the Liberty Flames in Game 2 of their season against Clemson. Skirrow allowed one run over six innings of work in a 1-0 loss. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out three during the start. The Flames would go on to be swept in the three-game set.

Hewitt starts hot, Cowboys come out cold

No. 16 Oklahoma State dropped 2-of-3 to Grand Canyon University to open the 2020 slate. Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) had six hits for Oklahoma State in the series. He started his year off with a 2-for-3 performance with a walk and RBI in a 10-3 loss. After collecting a hit in a 6-4 Game 2 win, he went 3-for-3 with a walk in the 9-3 rubber match loss.

Davis with four hits

Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.) had four hits in three games for the Vanderbilt Commodores as they took part in the MLB4 Tournament. Two of the four hits were for extra bases as he doubled in a 4-3 loss to Michigan and triples in a 9-8 walk off loss to Cal Poly.

Hart hits and can pitch

Jameson Hart (Sarnia, Ont.) was all over the boxscore for William Penn University during their four-game set with Doane. In the opener Hart went 2-for-4 with a RBI in a 13-3 drubbing. The Statesmen dropped Game 2, 7-6, but Hart managed a hit and a walk in the loss. He again went 2-for-4 in a 13-11 Game 3 win. He also walked and drove in three. Looking for the sweep in Game 4, William Penn leaned heavily on Hart. He went 2-for-4 with three RBIs at the dish and locked down the save with 2 1/3 innings of work in an 8-7 win. Hart allowed a hit, a run, walked two and struck out four.

Major League Baseball spring training has started but baseball has been played for weeks. Don’t miss any of the highlights from college baseball over the coming months. The BMOC has you covered with the top Canadians from around the college game.

If you know someone deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com. Please note our weeks run Monday-Sunday.