Elliott: Byckowski the reason for our Canadians in College list

OF Jason Bay (Trail, BC) was on our first Canadians in College list in 2000 playing for the Gonzaga Bulldogs on his way to winning NL rookie of the year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, then moving on to play with the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Bill Byckowski has accomplished a lot since he used to go from Brampton to Exhibition Stadium after school to catch bullpen for the 1977 Toronto Blue Jays and the likes of Dave Lemanczyk, Jerry Garvin, Jesse Jefferson and Pete Vuckovich.

Let’s see ... in order of probable import for Byckowski: he helped Canada reach the 1988 Olympics, won two World Series rings, started the Ontario Blue Jays and the elite boom, plus coaching three national championships.

Yet, there is something else Byckowski did which impacted Canadian players coast to coast. It’s because of Byckowski that the Canadian Basebal Network has an annual Canadians in College list ... this year is our 21st annual edition.

Byckowski’s top choices for his other accomplishments, as he

_ Was a factor in Canada reaching the 1988 Olympics going 3-for-4 with a hat full of RBIs for coach Bernie Beckman as Rheal Cormier (Cap-Pele, NB) and Barry Parisotto (Trail, BC) combined on a 6-0 win over Italy in Havana, Cuba during the 1987 Intercontinental Cup.

_ Was hired by Bobby Prentice (Toronto, Ont.) to scout Canada for the Toronto Blue Jays in September of 1992. One month later, he had a first World Series ring. And in the fastest to two World Series rings for a scout on record ... he had a second ring 13 months after his start date. Gordon Lakey scouted the Chicago White Sox pitchers before the 1993 American League Championship Series, while Byckowksi concentrated on the hitters.

“Bill told us in our meetings we could pitch Frank Thomas inside because Thomas was always trying to extend his arms, ” Jays pitching coach Galen Cisco told us once. “Bill said don’t throw him a strike. The only other guy he ever saw hit like that was Fergie Jenkins.”

Byckowski told the Jays that Thomas would not expand his strike zone coverage. Thomas hit .353 in the ALCS and walked 10 times, but only knocked in three runs as the Jays limited clean-up hitter Robin Ventura to a .200 (4-for-20) average.

_ Along with Gene Bartolozzi (Hamilton, Ont.) and coach Gary Wilson (Stoney Creek, Ont.) plus his Toronto Blue Jays Canadian amateur scouting staff started the Ontario Blue Jays.

“We used to scout midget tournaments in Ontario, then we formed an elite team,” Byckowski said. “Our first year we couldn’t even get umpires to work our games ... ‘work their games you don’t get any more games’ ... so we played every game in Michigan.

The Ontario Blue Jays went 3-0 in a 1997 tourney at SkyDome against the Canadian Junior National Team, Team USA and Australia. Then came Team Ontario, GTA Stars and Canadian Thunderbirds. A sandlot coach told in 2019 there were 96 elite teams in the province, with the FieldHouse Pirates, Great Lake Canadians, Ontario Blue Jays, Ontario Terriers, Toronto Mets producing the most Junior National Team members right now.

_ Guided the Brampton Royals to 1991 national bantam title in St. Albert, Alta., then won 2007 peewee gold in Quebec City and 2009 bantams title in Vaughan with the Georgetown Eagles.

Besides scouting for the Jays and the Cincinnati Reds since 1992, we’ll tell you about his other major impact by telling you a story.

We have this page entitled Canadians in College playing the majority of their schedule south of the border listing every Canuck we can find. Our draft page and our Canadians in College page are the backbone of the web site.

Where did the idea for the Canadians in College list come from? Well, in 1999 we asked Byckowski how many Canadians were playing at American schools. He shrugged and guessed “maybe 100 or so, but there is never ever any way you could find out the total.”

Never?

Well, being from Kingston -- might mean that I am half stubborn -- I considered that the gauntlet had been thrown down. I searched websites of every school I could find. Not every school with a program had the roster listed, but we plugged along and found 490 Canadians on rosters for the 2000 season.

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Now in our 21st consecutive season of producing The List of Canadians in college, we have something different.

We have a new look. You can see the list in its new format here.

We now have the ability to produce the best from weekend play, weekly leaders or seasonal leaders. Anything you like.

How is this possible? Well, the man with the magic fingers, Peter Berryman is making the new look and the stats possible. Berryman is a bright young man with a future in analytics. He was runner-up for an intern’s job with the Houston Astros a few years back. And Peter has been on both sides of the fence: he knows the numbers and can relate them to players. He played two seasons for the Auburn Tigers.

Pete Berryman

The 6-foot-5, 220 pound tight end made the football team as a walk on in 2016 seeing his first action against Alabama A&M. The next season he played in the 42-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe on his way to making the SEC academic honor roll and being named academic Top Tiger.

Now, if the name sounds familiar it is because it should. Peter is the son of Cynthia, who played volleyball at Queen’s University Golden Gaels, and Tim Berryman (Burlington, Ont.), who played for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Tim was a linebacker for the undefeated, untied 1975 College Bowl winning Gee-Gees, under coach Don Gilbert. Tim then played seven years in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ottawa Rough Riders and Toronto Argonauts. Tim made one Grey Cup appearance and headed south to be the GM of the XFL’s Birmingham Thunderbolts.

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How important is the Canadians in College list to Canadians across the country and south of the border. We’re glad you asked:

Former Brock Badgers coach Mike McRae (Niagara Falls, Ont.) an assistant coach with Virginia Commonwealth.

Mike McRae (Niagara Falls, Ont.), former coach of the Canisius College Golden Griffins for 14 seasons, winning two Metro Atlantic titles, reaching two NCAA tournaments (2013, 2015) with a 440-358 record, including 33-222 (.600) in the last eight seasons, now pitching coach for the Virginia Commonwealth Rams: “I always enjoy the ‘Canadians in College list’ as a resource to keep tabs on where guys end up with their college decision. As a coach that recruits Canada on a regular basis, there is no better resource to search for guys. In addition, it gives me an opportunity to circle back on a player that may have gone the JUCO route. As usual, the web site absolutely kills it.”

Greg Brons (Saskatoon, Sask.), Baseball Saskatchewan, coach: “Every year we see the list of Canadians playing college baseball list grow on Canadian Baseball Network and it is great for our sport. I know I check it all of the time. This list gives our players in Saskatchewan something to strive for and it is always nice to see a Saskatchewan player make the All-Canadian College Baseball list that comes out annually.”

Don Campbell (Ottawa, Ont.) Ottawa-Nepean Canadians Hall of Famer, former coach: “Going back to when Jason Kiser went to school at Siena College -- now Dr. Kiser -- the Canadians have always been happy to see their players on the Canadians in College list. The old guy who compiled the list always complained that they would put on his tombstone ‘Gave his eyesight to NCAA sites.’ Now that he has had cataract surgery maybe he will stop complaining, but I doubt it.”

Cory Eckstein (Ancaster, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, formerly Abbotsford Cardinals: “The Canadians in College list continues to show the steady growth of Canadian baseball over the past decade. There are many programs across the country who are tirelessly working hard to develop and place their players at both US and Canadian schools. This is a testament to the growth of our game north of the border. The Canadian Baseball Network staff do a great job promoting the successes of our youth and I have no doubt that it will continue to be on the rise in coming years.”

George Halim (Grimsby, Ont.) director of player development, FieldHouse Pirates: “Awareness of Canadians playing college ball is at an all-time high. The combination of more players heading to the US, coupled with living in the social media era means players have an opportunity to have the light shined on them on multiple public platforms. The Canadians in College list is one of those platforms, and one of the oldest in the country. Every player headed to school did so carving their own path, and they deserve recognition for their accomplishment. Not only that, but if it’s a moment of pride for the player’s family and coaches to see them get the praise they deserve for what they’ve done on the diamond, then it’s worth it to see your name on that list.”

Ted Hotzak, president, BC Premier League: “My take on it is that players and parents are always interested in where the players are playing. From a parent point of view, I think they like to see where other players from their league are playing. Similar with players although I think they are also looking at where they might try to look for a better opportunity in the future. I can think of several ex-PBL players who kept looking for where they might look for a better opportunity versus where they were. Especially if they were not getting much playing time.”

John Ircandia (Calgary, Alta.) Okotoks Dawgs: “I have often described the Canadian Baseball Network as ‘Canada’s baseball bible.’ What impressed me is that the CBN provides insightful journalism about every level of the game we love from the majors down to the grassroots. Running a program like the Dawgs that competes extensively in top US Showcases and is all about preparing our young players for the next level be that college or the pros, we see first hand the challenges of identifying and promoting the premier Canadian players. The annual list of Canadians playing at universities and colleges compiled by the Canadian Baseball Network does an outstanding job in recognizing the dedication and the talent of our young athletes. For me, for our Dawgs organization, every name on the CBN’s list is an achievement to be celebrated. Well done, Canadian Baseball Network!”

Maxime Lamarche (Montreal, Que.) Baseball Quebec: “The list appeals to young men because players love to dream big and the best way to dream big is to follow what is being said about players that you know, that you played with or against. It keeps the dream accessible. Jacques Lanciault is having a great success keeping tabs on players from Quebec too.”

Honsing Leung (Toronto, Ont.), coach, Toronto Mets: “The Canadians in College list is always helpful as we aim to keep track of all the players that have been given the opportunity to play in the United States that we have coached over the years. It shows the current players, based on the sheer amount of athletes on the list, that there are a lot of places that can fulfill their goals and objectives.”

Doug Mathieson (Langley, BC) runs the Langley Blaze team on their trips to Arizona and Florida. He’s now a scout with the Brewers after being a Diamondbacks scout.

Doug Mathieson (Langley, BC) Langley Blaze, Milwaukee Brewers scout: “The Canadian Baseball Network’s Canadians in College list is followed by all our parents and players. It is often difficult to obtain stats and scores and takes some digging, thus this has become a great resource for all to keep tabs on fellow Canadians playing college ball. It’s a great tool for scouts to pass on information about former local players to their current respective area scouts.”

Les McTavish (Lethbridge, Alta.) Vauxhall Academy, Philadelphia Phillies scout: “The Canadian Baseball Network has always been a staple of college baseball. Every spring season parents, players, coaches and fans enjoy and look forward to following along with the CBN staff. It is about Canadians and celebrating their accomplishments both in Canada and the US.”

John Milton (Niagara-on-The-Lake, Ont.), coach Ontario Terriers: “When a player sees his name on the Canadians in College list published on the Canadian Baseball Network, it provides them with a sense of pride for recognition of their accomplishments on a premier Canadian baseball web site. Their parents are also proud to see their son’s success and achievements documented as they enter the next chapter of their journey. The community values what the perception of being acknowledged by the Canadian Baseball Network represents to players.”

Al Ready (London, Ont.) head coach Indianapolis Greyhounds: “Regarding the Canadians in College list, I absolutely think it’s a big deal for players to see their names appearing in that release. I would almost compare it to the list of most influential Canadians in baseball. For example, if my name is on there somewhere, I will get numerous text messages, phone calls and emails. The story is shared on every social media platform. Basically anyone who knows you and is friends with you on social media sees it. The Canadians in College list is in the same category. As a player, It’s always nice to get some recognition for all of the hard work.”

Matthew Spatafora (Scarborough, Ont.) coaches and recruits for Niagara and brought in RHP Matthew Brash (Kingston, Ont.) who earned Metro Atlantic pitcher of the year, as well as All-MAAC First Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team and 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team.

Matthew Spatafora (Scarborough, Ont.), recruiting coordinator and coach, Niagara University Purple Eagles: “The Canadians in College list has been an excellent display and celebration of the many talented Canadian players competing at the college level. The continued commitment of the Canadian Baseball Network to recognize the accomplishments of these talented players is exciting.”

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Now, besides Berryman, we have writers like:

_ Matt Betts (Brantford, Ont.) working on his weekly BMOC -- Big Man of Campus -- wrap up and Tweeting up a storm.

_ Kevin Glew (Dorchester, Ont.) writing features, like his recent one on Eric Pettipiece of the Goshen Maple Leafs.

_ Elisabeth Rositsan (Toronto, Ont.) who wrote an excellent read on how players handled the summer of 2020 -- without their normal schedules.

_ Or J.P. Antonacci (Port Dover, Ont.) who wrote a wonderful piece on RHP Kaleb Thomas (Six Nations, Ont.).

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Eventually when we worked on our 2001 list our 490 figure from 2000 was adjusted to 597 ... and then the growth worked like this:

Our Canadians in College total in 2001 climbed to 602.

The 2002 Canadians in College list consisted of 590 players.

With the The 2003 Canadians in College list we were back over 600 ... at 608.

The 2004 Canadians in College list hit a record high of 658.

The 2005 Canadians in College list climbed to a record total of 715 players.

For the fourth straight year the Canadians in College list reached a record at 739 players in 2006.

The Canadian Baseball Network’s Canadians in College list stalled a tad settling in at 715 in 2007.

The 2008 Canadians in College list rebounded to 728.

For the 2009 season the Canadians in College list returned to its 2006 high of 739.

In 2010 the Canadians in College list was at 712 players.

Then, in 2011 our Canadians in College list came in at 721 players.

Again the Canadians in College list broke the ceiling again with a record of 763 in 2012, making it eight new highs in 13 years.

Then, in 2013 the Canadians in College climbed to a record 783. How high can it go?

How high? Well, in 2014 the Canadians in College list surpassed another plateau, consisting of 808 players.

The 2015 spring saw another record total of 859 players on the Canadians in College list, including University of Winnipeg Wesmen.

There was a dip in 2016 to 794 players on the Canadians in College compilation.

And in 2017, the Canadians in College numbered 755 players.

In 2018, there were 732 Canadians in College.

For the 2019 spring, a total of 790 Canadians in College made the list.

Last spring, the spring that COVID-19 went undefeated, saw 788 players on the Canadians in College list.

And this year at present count there are 801 Canadians in College on our list.

So since Year I we have averaged 735 players per season.

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Byckowski has the final word since he is the cause of all this with his “maybe 100, but you’d never be able to figure it out,” line:

“People like to follow players from their hometowns, guys they played against, or in the case of summer college league, players who they know. But I think the big thing is a young player can look at the list, see a player at Alabama, South Carolina or Mississippi State and think ‘Hey that could be me someday. I could be there.”