May 18, 2022

BMOC Week 17

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Another week of college baseball saw more honours handed out, more big plays, and more wins. Canadians were right in the middle of all the action yet again. Let’s dive right into it in Week 17 of the BMOC.

MacNeil the Mountain East Pitcher of the Week, Golden Eagles win MEC

Right-handed hurler Owen MacNeil (Georgetown, Ont.) spun six scoreless innings for the University of Charleston in their 14-0 win over West Virginia State. MacNeil allowed one hit, walked one and struck out 10 to improve to 6-2.

His strong start earned him the Mountain East Conference Pitcher of the Week.

But he wasn’t done there. He was back on the mound in Game 3 of the Mountain East Tournament and turned in a complete game, seven-inning gem. The former Ontario Terrier gave up one run on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in a 15-1 win.

The Golden Eagles would go on to win the conference championship.

Chartier comes through for Golden Eagles

Eric Chartier (Newmarket, Ont.) was a factor for the University of Charleston in their run to the MEC title. Chartier had eight hits, walked five times and drove in three in five games played.

Fabian, Ithaca win Liberty League

Ithaca College used six hits, four RBIs, a stolen base and a hit by pitch from Matt Fabian (Toronto, Ont.) to help power them to the Liberty League Tournament championship. Ithaca beat Clarkson 7-5 to open the tournament before beating Rochester 8-7 and 18-5 to claim the title.

Penman capture NE10 title

For the second year in a row, the No. 8 Southern New Hampshire University Penman are the Northeast-10 Conference champions. Canuck Taylor Lepard (Toronto, Ont.) got the start in their contest against Assumption. He tossed seven scoreless innings, surrendering six hits, a walk and striking out 12. The Penman would go on to lose the game 4-3, before beating Assumption the very next game to claim the championship.

Davenport, two Canadians win Conference championship

The Davenport University Panthers are the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions. Tyler Mosher (Dutton, Ont.) and Blake Jacklin (St. Jacobs, Ont.) are both on the Panthers roster. Mosher had three hits in the conference tournament. The win makes it back-to-back conference championships for the Panthers.

Reivers win Region XI Tournament

Canadian pitchers Cooper Crompton (Langley, BC) and Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, N.S.) helped Iowa Western to the Region XI Tournament championship.

Crompton started the final, a 20-1 win over Indian Hills, and worked 3 1/3 innings. He conceded an unearned run on four hits, while walking two and striking out four.

Crowell, Grant, Nelson lead Mystics to Region XIII championships

Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.), Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.), and Tory Nelson (Medicine Hat, Alta.) all played a pivotal role in the Bismarck State Mystics winning Region XIII.

Crowell pounded out six hits, including a home run, four walks, 10 RBIs and a stolen base. He went 3-for-5 with two walks and six RBIs in a 37-15 title game winning victory over Williston State.

Grant also had six hits, walked once and drove in five. In the final game, he was 4-for-7 with five RBI.

Nelson chipped in six hits too. He also walked twice and drove in two.

Crowell, Grant named to conference First Team

Speaking of Crowell and Grant, the two Canadians were named All-Mon-Dak Conference First Team selections.

Both had phenomenal seasons for the Bismarck State Mystics.

Crowell owns a .482 average to go along with seven home runs and 73 RBI.

Grant meanwhile is hitting .457 with nine homers and 70 RBI

Columbus honoured twice

University of Nebraska commit and current Wharton County Junior College catcher Ben Columbus (North Vancouver, BC) was named to the All-Conference and All-Region 14 First Teams. Columbus hit .356 with nine home runs and 57 RBIs, while fielding .981.

Holyk named All-Conference

Two-time Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week Tim Holyk (Nanaimo, BC) has been named an All-Mon-Dak Conference selection. Holyk led Miles Community College with a .446 average and swatted 16 home runs with 76 RBIs.

Johnson named to MIAA Second Team

Dylan Johnson (Etobicoke, Ont.) was named to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Second Team. Johnson is currently second on the Adrian College Bulldogs with a .331 batting average. On the defensive side, the former Ontario Terriers catcher owns a .988 fielding percentage.

Howard gathers Second Team honour

The accolades continued to come in for Chipola right hander Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.). The one-time Toronto Met was selected to the Florida College System Activities Association All-State Second Team. He had a 7-2 record with a 2.98 ERA over 57 1/3 innings pitched.

Taylor tabbed a third teamer

Sticking with the theme of Ontario players being recognized, Colton Taylor (Amherstberg, Ont.) was named to the All-Lone Star Conference Third Team after posting a 3-1 record with a 3.86 ERA in 23 relief appearances for Texas A&M Kingsville.

Carinci’s glove earns him Region recognition

Catcher Justin Carinci (Ajax, Ont.) fielded at a .967 clip for the Mineral Area Cardinals. That number earned him a spot on the Region 16 All-Defensive Team.

McGarry-Doyle shows off in Region XI Tournament

The bat of Noel McGarry-Doyle (Vaughan, Ont.) powered the Southeastern Community College Blackhawks all the way to the Region XI Tournament final where they eventually lost to Kirkwood.

McGarry-Doyle contributed 13 hits, walked five times, drove in 12 and stole a base. The former Toronto Met had his best game in a 16-15 win over Kirkwood when he produced a 4-for-6 performance with three doubles and five RBIs.

On the season, McGarry-Doyle hit .344 with nine home runs, 56 RBIs and 18 stolen bases for Southeastern Community College. Those numbers earned him an All-Region XI Honourable Mention.

Murdoch a Region Honourable Mention

It was a special first season for Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Sask.) at McCook Community College. He hit .315 with 16 home runs despite having his season cut short by injury. Those numbers still earned him All-Region IX Honourable Mention honours.

Hupe named Player of the Week

Hometown product Brandon Hupe (Vancouver, BC) was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Week. Hupe had six hits, walked three times, and drove in six for the University of British Columbia in their 2-2 performance at the conference tournament.

Wilkinson keeps Central Arizona alive

After dropping Game 1 of the Region 1 Finals, Matt Wilkinson (White Rock, BC) held Cochise to two runs on four hits over 7 2/3 innings in a 9-4 Game 2 win. Wilkinson issued two walks and struck out nine.

Tanner’s six hits helps South Suburban to victory

In four games, Dawson Tanner (Russell, Man.) come through with six hits, three walks and five RBIs for South Suburban. Tanner went 3-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs in Game 3 of their Region 4 Division I Regional Championship series against Triton. The Bulldogs won the series 2-1.

Ellis strong as Rams hammer UMass

Campbell Ellis (Georgetown, Ont.) threw five innings and gave up one run on three hits as the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams thumped the University of Massachusetts 26-2. The lefty walked one and struck out five to move his record closer to .500 at 3-4.

MacKinnon goes five

With Marshalltown’s season on the line in the Region XI Tournament against Indian Hills, Riley McKinnon (Burlington, Ont.) tossed five innings. McKinnon yielded two hits and three runs (one earned), with a pair of walks and four strike outs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Tigers dropped the game 14-6 and were eliminated.

Poole hits three home runs

Tom Poole (Calgary, Alta.) continued to show off his power during Cloud County’s three-game Region VI Tournament series against Neosho County. Poole hit a solo home run, a grand slam in a 12-10 Game 1 loss. He closed the game 3-for-5 with six RBIs. During the Game 2 win, he hit a solo home run. With the series on the line, he had three hits, two RBIs and was hit by three pitches in a 15-12 victory.

Marcus, Tucker jolt Purple Eagles’ offence, MacMillan pitches them to win

Two Canadians were key contributors to the Niagara Purple Eagle offence and one was stellar on the mound in their three-game series with Manhattan.

Spencer Marcus (Chatham-Kent, Ont.) hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBIs in a 19-12 Game 1 loss. Marcus then went 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and a hit by pitch in a 9-4 Game 2 loss. In the finale, he had a hit.

Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.) was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a hit by pitch in the opener. He had a hit in Game 2, before going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBIs in a 9-2 Game 3 win.

Blake MacMillan (Mississauga, Ont.) picked up the only win of the series by tossing five innings and allowing one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. It was his first win of the season.

Moffatt with four-hit game

Jackson Moffatt (St. Albert, Alta.) went 4-for-5 with four RBIs in Parkland’s 15-7 midweek win over Kankakee.

Boucher bashes his way to six hits

In four games for Southern Illinois, Pier-Olivier Boucher (Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Que.) collected six hits, five walks, five RBI, and three stolen bases. The Saluki’s won all four.

Espineli’s season comes to an end

Early in the week, Notre Dame closed their regular season with a pair of wins against Alderson Broaddus. Kyle Espineli (Toronto, Ont.) picked up a hit, a walk, and was hit by two pitches in the pair of games. Next was the Mountain East Conference Tournament. Espineli had a hit and was hit by a pitch in a 12-0 loss to Charleston. He then went 2-for-4 in a 9-5 loss to Glenville State. That loss ended the Falcons’ season.

Zapp zaps Redhawks offence to life

Brian Zapp (Waterloo, Ont.) had quite the series against Akron. Zapp had a hit, a walk and was hit by two pitches for Miami (OH) in a 17-1 Game 1 win. He went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in an 11-10 Game 2 victory. During a 4-0 Game 3 win, he was 2-for-4 with another two-run home run and a stolen base. To round things out, he worked a walk and was hit by two pitches in a 20-3 series sweeping win.

Multiple multi-hit games for Vincelli-Simard

The Hornets of Sacramento State won all four of their games last week, including a three-game sweep of Utah Valley. Martin Vincelli-Simard (Boisbriand, Que.) had three hits, one of which was a solo home run, in a midweek win over Fresno State. He then put together three-straight two-hit games against the Wolverines. In the finale, a 7-2 victory, he hit another solo home run. When all was said and done, he stroked nine hits, walked once, drove in seven and was hit by a pitch.

McCabe blasts three home runs

David McCabe hit a three-run home run, a grand slam and a solo shot in Charlotte’s three games against Florida Atlantic. McCabe went 4-for-5 with the three-run shot and two doubles in a 10-3 Game 1 win. He swatted a grand slam and a solo home run in a 10-9, 15-inning Game 2 loss. The Ontario Blue Jays alum concluded the game 3-for-5 with two walks. He walked in the finale, a 14-4 win.

Tremblay tacks on four hits

The Region 16 Tournament didn't go the way Mineral Area College had hoped as they went 1-2 and were eliminated. Antoine Tremblay was a bright spot though, collecting four hits, walking one and driving in a pair.

Green gets better with time

Thomas Green (Courtenay, BC) started his week with a walk in Oakland’s 4-3 loss to Central Michigan. In Game 1 against Northern Kentucky, he had a hit and walked in a 5-4 win. The rematch went the way of Northern Kentucky but Green managed to go 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in the 9-4 loss. Next against the University of Illinois-Chicago, he was 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 14-3 victory.

Gillon pitches well in tight loss

Andrew Gillon (Surrey, BC) threw five innings and allowed two runs for Douglas College in their 2-1 Game 3 defeat at the hands of Edmonds. Gillon scattered three hits, walked one and struck out three.

Gray named to two First Teams

Kaden Gray (Wyoming, Ont.) hit .368 with a .479 on-base percentage and slugged .614 for Harper Junior College this season.

The numbers earned him a spot on the All-North Central Conference and All-Region 4 First Teams

***

With each passing week teams in Division II, III, NAIA and NJCAA are being eliminated and the Division I regular season inches closer to its conclusion. But many of the teams still playing rely heavily on their Canadian talent. Check back every seven days for the top performances.

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.