Elliott, CBN All-Canadian Second Team: Luther, Barr, Cameron, Giesbrecht, Wouters, Simpson
Former Etobicoke Rangers SS Brendan Luther (Mississauga, Ont) gained a spot on the Canadian Baseball Network’s college Second Team.
October 14, 2024
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Next up in our 25th annual Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian college team selection?
The second team ...
Thanks to the coaches, scouts, writers and others for voting over the years. And especially Pete Berryman for compiling all the stats, as we pay homage to the best of the best of schools playing the majority of their schedule south of the border.
For the fifth straight year we are going to build towards our final announcements.
Up now ... the Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian Second Team.
On deck ... the 25th annual Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Year.
In the hole ... the 25th Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian First Team and players named to our Honourable Mention list.
And finally … our stats package.
The Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian Third Team.
Most first-place votes on our Second Team: Brendan Luther (Mississauga, Ont.) 16, Kurt Barr (Saint Joachim, Ont.) 14, Zach Cameron (Hamilton, Ont.) 14, Ethan Giesbrecht (Altona, Man.) 13, Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.) 13, Blake Simpson (Toronto, Ont.) 13, Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, NS) 11, Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) 10 and David Stanley (Toronto, Ont.) 8.
Second team by province: Ontario 7, Alberta 1, Manitoba 1, Newfoundland and Labrador 1 and Saskatchewan 1.
Second team by graduating organizations: Mississauga North Tigers 2, Okotoks Dawgs 2, Ontario Blue Jays 2, Altona Bisons 1, Etobicoke Rangers 1, FieldHouse Pirates 1, Mount Pearl Blazers 1, Ontario Nationals 1, Saskatoon Diamondbacks 1, Team Manitoba 1, Team Sask 1, Vauxhall Jets 1, White Rock Tritons 1, Windsor Selects 1.
Second and Third team by provinces: Ontario 12, Alberta 3, British Columbia 2, New Brunswick 2, Manitoba 1, Newfoundland and Labrador 1, Quebec 1 and Saskatchewan 1.
Second and third teams by graduating organizations: Ontario Blue Jays 3, Langley Blaze 2, Mississauga North Tigers 2, Okotoks Dawgs 2, Vauxhall Jets 2, Absolute Baseball Academy 1, Academie Baseball Canada 1, Altona Bisons 1, Etobicoke Rangers 1, FieldHouse Pirates 1, Great Lake Canadians 1, Jonquière Voyageurs 1, Mount Pearl Blazers 1, Ontario Nationals 1, Prospects Academy 1, Red Deer Carstar Braves 1, Saskatoon Diamondbacks 1, Team Manitoba 1, Team Sask 1, Terriers 1, Toronto Mets 1, Victoria Eagles 1, White Rock Tritons 1 and Windsor Selects 1.
Voting electorate: Our 55 voters consisted of 18 coaches, from elite programs to colleges on both sides of the border; 14 pro scouts, 13 writers (including eight Canadian Baseball Network staffers), six executives, one man who might be an illegal booster and one player.
Hats off: We might do something special for the 25th annual college team. A year ago, we mailed Canadian Baseball Network hats across the country to members of the Canadian Baseball Network First Team. The brains of the website -- Ryan Isaac -- came up with the idea. Hey hat wearers ... Why not send us a picture and we’ll post it on our Instagram page?
Former Mount Pearl Blazers and Ontario Blue Jays LHP Kody Butt (St. Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador)
Second team
Left-handed Starter - Kody Butt (St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador), Williston State Tetons.
Pitching in 12 games and making 11 starts, Butt was 4-1 with a 4.00 ERA. He walked 28 and struck out 92 in 54 innings.
His four wins were against at Adams State (five innings, four hits, one run, five strikeouts), Central Lakes (six innings, one hit, one unearned run, 14 strikeouts), Dawson (six scoreless, two hits, 15 strikeouts) and North Dakota SCS (five innings, four hits, three earned, four strikeouts).
He did not allow earned runs in starts against Dakota-Bottineau (two innings, one hit, four strikeouts) and Miles (three innings, two hits, seven whiffs). Butt earned Mon-Dak Conference Pitcher of the Week, throwing 4 1/3 innings against NDSCS striking out 12 and allowing three runs. That brought his total in his first two games to 9 1/3 innings and 17 strikeouts, allowing four hits and four earned runs, while walking four. In his two seasons at Williston, he has combined for a 6-2 record with a 3.00 in 26 games (15 starts). He struck out 92 in 99 innings.
Butt, who pitched for the Mount Pearl Blazers, for coaches Ryan Sweeney, Kevin Higgins and Steve Donahue, along with the Ontario Blue Jays, earned Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian college Second Team honours as a reliever in 2023.
Windsor Stars RHP Kurt Barr (Saint Joachim, Ont.) of the Michigan Wolverines
Right-hander (tie) - Kurt Barr (Saint Joachim, Ont.), Michigan Wolverines and Ethan Giesbrecht (Altona, Man.), Hutchinson Blue Dragons.
Barr was 5-3 with a team-leading 3.41 ERA, barely qualifying to be among the starters. He pitched in 21 games -- making 11 starts. He struck out 60 in 89 2/3 innings.
His best games were against Penn State (striking out six, allowing one earned run in four innings), Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament opener (6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs and fanning four), Purdue (fanning a career-high seven in 6 2/3), had a combined shut out against Ohio State(five strikeouts in 6 1/3), Minnesota (a complete game, allowing one run and six base runners with four strikeouts), Maryland (two perfect innings in a win), Maryland (3 1/3 innings, with five strikeouts, allowing one run), Penn State (tied a career high of six innings with four strikeouts), San Diego (three strikeouts, one run in five innings), Toledo (six innings and struck out four) and LMU (four innings, four strikeouts).
Barr, who pitched for the Windsor Selects, and coach Don Morris, had wins against Toledo, San Diego, Penn State, Minnesota and Ohio State. On March 18, he earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week when he hurled 11 innings in two games and posted a 0.82 ERA. He gained All-Big Ten Third Team selection as a starting pitcher and also earned Academic All-Big Ten.
Former Altoona Bison RHP Ethan Giesbrecht shared Second Team honours as top RHP.
Giesbrecht was 11-3 in 17 starts for the Dragons with a 3.30 ERA. He struck out 90 in 97 innings.
Giesbrecht scored wins against Rose State (five innings, five hits, two runs, four strikeouts), Coffeyville (five innings, six hits, one earned run, eight strikeouts), Garden City (five scoreless, one hit, seven strikeouts, the school’s first complete-game one-hitter since 2020), Colby (5 2/3 innings, four runs, seven whiffs), Pratt (five scoreless, one hit, four strikeouts), Seward County (five innings, two runs, five Ks), Dodge City (seven innings, three hits, one run, eight strikeouts), Cloud County (eight innings, seven hits, three runs, seven strikeouts), Barton (five scoreless, one hit, four strikeouts), Allen County (three scoreless, two hits, two strikeouts) and Labette (six scoreless, two hits, six strikeouts).
He played for Altona Bisons 18U for coach Ryan Gerbrandt, Altona Bisons 21U under coach Curt Letkemen and Team Manitoba for coach Cody Benson.
FieldHouse Pirates grad Zach Cameron (Hamilton, Ont.) of the Niagara Purple Eagles.
Reliever - Zach Cameron (Hamilton, Ont.), Niagara Purple Eagles.
Cameron set a pair of school records as he saved 11 games, going 8-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 24 games. He walked 19 and struck out 59 in 59 innings.
The Niagara website described Cameron’s season as “historic” and it was accurate. He ended his career with the best winning percentage, the most wins in program history, the fifth-best ERA, and the third-most wins. He set both the single-season and career saves records. Cameron was the first Purple Eagle to be named the Metro Atlantic Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year. He was also named ABCA All-Region First Team.
His 2.95 ERA in the MAAC was the best as he limited opposing hitters to a .211 batting average against him. Cameron’s 11 saves was sixth in the NCAA and he earned MAAC All-Academic Honours.
Cameron, who played for Jimmy Richardson of the FieldHouse Pirates, gained Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian honourable mention honours in 2023.
Ex Vauxhall Academy Jet and Okotoks Dawgs C Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.)
Catcher - Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.), Bellevue Bruins.
Grant batted .347 with 15 doubles, a triple, 20 homers, 66 RBIs and an impressive 1.148 OPS in 53 games.
On April 16, Grant earned NAIA Player of the Week honours, for hitting safely in all five games in the previous week. He reached base safely at least three times in four of those five games, batting .619 with an OPS of 2.394 which featured a slugging percentage of 1.714. He hit six home runs and drove in 17 runs on the week, with 10 of his 13 hits going for extra bases. He matched a program single-game record with three home runs and drove in nine runs in the series finale against Mayville State. It was the second three-home run game of Grant’s career. The same week he gained Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week and NAIA Ball’s National Player of the Week. Against Mayville, he had a five-hit game (double, triple, three, homers, nine RBIs) and four hits (double, two homers, four RBIs). He also had four hits facing Dakota State (double, homer, three RBIs),
Three times he had three-hit outings against St. Thomas (double), Webber International and Valley City State (homer, two RBIs). He had two-hit games against Briar Cliff (double, RBI), St. Thomas (homer, two RBIs), Valley City (homer, four RBIs), Dickinson State (two RBIs), Dickinson, Waldorf (two RBIs), Midland (homer, three RBIs), Dakota State (double, homer, two RBIs) and Saint Francis (RBI).
Grant, who played for Vauxhall coaches Les McTavish, Jim Kotkas and Joel Blake, plus the Okotoks Dawgs under coaches Bretton Gouthro and Aaron Ethier, gained Second Team NAIA All-America honours and was the Bellevue Male Athlete of the Year and the NorthStar Conference Player of the Year. He was also named First Team All-Conference and won a Gold Glove. He picked up Canadian Baseball Network Second Team honours in 2023, Canadian Baseball Network First Team honours in 2022 and Second Team honours in 2021.
Former White Rock Tritons 1B Trent Lenihan (White Rock, BC) of the UBC Thunderbirds.
First base - Trent Lenihan (White Rock, BC), University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
The T-Birds first baseman batted .401, hitting 18 doubles, two triples and 10 homers, while knocking in 54 runs and finishing with a 1.092 OPS in 55 games.
For the week of Feb. 5 to Feb. 11, he earned Canadian Baseball Player of the Week honours, going 14-for-24 (.583 with three homers and seven RBIs). Lenihan was 2-for-4 (RBI) against Hope International, 4-for-4 (RBI) in the opener of a doubleheader facing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical and 2-for-4 (solo homer) in the nitecap. Then to finish off the trip, he went 5-for-8 (solo homer, three RBIs) in a 14-inning win over Hope.
He had a four-hit games against Eastern Oregon (double, homer, eight RBIs) and Idaho (double, triple, two RBIs). Then he had three hits against Providence Christian, Bushnell (RBI), Lewis-Clark State (double, homer, four RBIs), Oregon Tech (double, two RBIs), Eastern Oregon (solo homer) and Idaho (two doubles, two RBIs).
Lenihan’s two-hit games included Bushnell (double, two RBIs), Idaho (double, homer, three RBIs), Idaho (RBI), Idaho, Corban (homer, four RBIs), Corban (RBI), Eastern Oregon (RBI), Bushnell, Idaho, Lewis-Clark (RBI), Lewis-Clark, Lewis-Clark (double), Embry-Riddle, Lewis-Clark (double) and Arizona Christian (double, two RBIs).
He played for the White Rock Tritons and coach Chad Stang.
Former Mississauga Tigers 2B Blake Simpson (Toronto, Ont.) of Connors State Cowboys.
Second base - Blake Simpson (Toronto, Ont.) Connors State Cowboys.
Simpson hit .419 with 18 doubles, six homers and 62 RBIs this spring. He had a 1.105 OPS in 56 games.
He had three-hit games facing Arkansas Tech (two doubles, homer, three RBIs), North Central Texas (homer, two RBIs), Arkansas State (three RBIs), Oklahoma Wesleyan (double, two RBIs), Carl Albert State (two doubles, three RBIs), Eastern Oklahoma (homer, four RBIs) and Arkansas Tech (two RBIs).
Simpson added two-hit games facing the Ozarks (two doubles, three RBIs) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Arkansas Tech (three RBIs), Murray State, Carl Albert (double, solo homer), Northeastern Oklahoma, Eastern Oklahoma, Seminole State, Rose State (RBI), Northeastern Oklahoma (double), Eastern Oklahoma Seminole, TSC Post Grad (double, two RBIs), Post Grad (two RBIs), Rose State (three RBIs) and Rose State.
Simpson played for the Mississauga Tigers and coaches Greg Byron and Sean Travers.
Ontario Nationals grad 3B Carter Roth (Stratford, Ont.) of the Colby Trojans.
Third base - Carter Roth (Stratford, Ont.), Colby Trojans.
Roth was second in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference with a.440 batting average, clubbing seven home runs and driving in 51. His 96 hits were second in the KJCCC and set a CCC single-season record. He also had 17 doubles and four triples and struck out only 11 times.
Roth’s best days included a 4-for-4 day against Hutchinson as he knocked in a run with a double and a 4-for-4 against Dodge City.
He had three-hit games playing Western Oklahoma (two doubles, homer, seven RBIs), Odessa (double, RBI), Cloud County (two RBIs), Otero (homer, five RBIs), Butler (double, RBI), Butler (RBI), McCook, McCook (three triples, RBI), Pratt (double) and Seward County (two RBIs).
As well, he had a pair of hits against Western Oklahoma (solo homer), Western Oklahoma (RBI), Crowder, Odessa (RBI), Cloud (double, RBI), Cloud (two RBIs), Barton, Barton, Otero (double, two RBIs), Hutchinson (double, homer, three RBIs), Garden City (two RBIs), Kansas City (double, three RBIs), Pratt (triple, two RBIs), Pratt (double, two RBIs), McCook (two doubles, three RBIs), Seward (double), McCook (RBI), Dodge City and Cowley County (double, RBI).
Roth, who played for the Ontario Nationals and coach Jeremy Jayaweera, was named to the All-KJCCC and Region VI first teams for his play at third base in 2024.
Bellevue Bruins INF Brendan Luther (Mississauga, Ont.)
Shortstop - Brendan Luther (Mississauga, Ont.) Bellevue Bruins.
Luther hit .381 this spring with 10 doubles, a triple, nine homers and 40 RBIs. He had a 1.066 OPS in 47 games.
His best days were a 4-for-4 game against Dickinson State with a homer and three RBIs and he was 4-for-5 against Dakota State with a double and three runs plated. He had three-hit games against Lewis-Clark State, Webber International (two RBIs), Waldorf (double, homer, five RBIs). As well, he had two-hit outings playing Concordia-Neb. (double), Oklahoma City (RBI), Science & Arts, Valley City State, Valley City (solo homer), Dickinson (two doubles, four RBIs), Dickinson (double), Waldorf (homer, two RBIs), Mayville State (homer, two RBIs), Mayville (two RBIs), Mayville (double), Dakota State, Waldorf (RBI) and Loyola.
After playing for coach Denni Berni and Matt Ferreira of the Etobicoke Rangers, Luther began his college career at Okanagan College for coach Geoff White, winning two Canadian College titles (Fall 2021, Spring 2022). When not at Bellevue, where he was Gold Glove winner (SS) and a first-team All-NSAA selection, a CSC Academic All-District selection, Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, he was with the Okotoks Dawgs. There he was an anchor of the Dawgs’ infield in WCBL as an All-Star and WCBL playoff MVP, helping the Dawgs to two league titles. He was a Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian Honourable Mention in 2023.
Mississauga Tigers grad OF David Stanley (Toronto, Ont.) of the Connors State Cowboys.
Outfielders - David Stanley (Toronto, Ont.), Connors State Cowboys; Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, N.S.); Oregon State Beavers and Sam White (Aurora, Ont.), West Virginia Mountaineers.
Stanley batted .426 with 25 doubles, six triples, three homers and 69 RBIs. He had a 1.158 OPS in 60 games.
Not many college players don’t make an out until his third game of the spring. In the season-opening doubleheader, Stanley was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. In the nitecap he was 3-for-3 with two triples and five RBIs. So a 5-for-5 day with a double, triple and six RBIs.
He went 4-for-6 against Eastern Oklahoma State with two doubles and three RBIs and was 4-for-4 against Oklahoma Wesleyan (double, six RBIs). His three-hit games were against North Central Texas (double, two RBIs), Carl Albert State (RBI), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (RBI), Post Grad (two doubles, two RBIs), Seminole State (double, RBI), Seminole State (three doubles, two RBIs) and Rose State (double, three RBIs).
Stanley had two-hit games against Arkansas Tech (homer, four RBIs), TCS Post Grad (double, RBI), Northeastern Oklahoma (two RBIs), Northeastern Oklahoma (three RBIs), Eastern Oklahoma (RBI), Seminole State, Arkansas State-Three Rivers (double, homer, two RBIs), Rose State (triple), Northeastern Oklahoma (two RBIs), Carl Albert (three RBIs), Eastern Oklahoma, Oklahoma Wesleyan, Arkansas Tech (double, two RBIs), Post Grad (solo homer) and Eastern Oklahoma (RBI).
Stanley played for the Mississauga Tigers and coaches Greg Byron, Sean Travers and Ryan Asis.
Former Okotoks Dawgs OF Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, N.S.) of the Oregon State Beavers.
McDowell batted .379 with 12 doubles, two triples, six homers and 33 RBIs. He posted a 1.157 OPS while starting 39 games.
He finished with 15 multiple-hit games and nine multi-RBI efforts. Some of his memorable days at the yard were going 3-for-5 with an RBI against UC Irvine ... going 4-for-5, driving in two against Tulane ... going deep twice, including a fifth-inning grand slam to tie a career-high with six RBIs against UCLA ... homered and went 3-for-4 against UCLA ... went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI playing Washington State ... tripled and was 2-for-3 facing Washington ... doubled twice with an RBI playing Washington ... tripled and was 2-for-5 against Portland, extending his hit streak to 17 games ... was 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBIs, including a double, a home run at Utah ... homered and finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs facing CSUN ... doubled home two against CSUN ... 2-for-3 with a double in a win over Michigan … 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double playing Texas Tech ... Drove in two facing Minnesota ... homered, doubled and finished 3-for-4 in the season-opening win over New Mexico.
McDowell, who played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Tyler Hollick, Val Heldobler, Jeff Duda and Alan Cox, gained a spot on the Canadian Baseball Network Third Team in 2023 and was selected to the Corvallis Regional All-Tournament Team this spring.
Ontario Blue Jays grad Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) of the West Virginia Mountaineers.
White hit nine doubles, a triple, 10 homers and 43 RBIs, while batting .305. He had a .904 OPS in 60 games, making 59 starts.
He led the Mountaineers with 65 hits and 47 runs scored. Some of his more memorable games: hit two home runs and drove in three at Western Kentucky ... Reached base five times in a win over Oklahoma State ... Was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in a win at Kansas ... Went 3-for-4 with two home runs at Cincinnati ... Hit a home run and drove in three in a win over Penn State ... Had five RBIs while hitting a home run in a win over Kansas State and had two hits and drove in two against Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tucson Regional.
White, a former Ontario Blue Jay, who played for coaches Corey Eckstein and Mike Steed, earned an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention this spring.
Saskatoon Diamondbacks and Team Sask grad Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.) of the McCook Indians.
Designated hitter - Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.), McCook Indians.
He hit .416 with 13 doubles, nine homers and 44 RBIs, while composing a 1.130 OPS in 52 games.
Two of his best games came when he went 4-for-6 with three RBIs against Labette and then went 4-for-4 with a double, two homers and two RBIs against Colby. He also went 4-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs against Lamar on May 9.
Wouters had three-hit outings against Clarendon (RBI) and Luna (two homers, five RBIs). Plus, he produced two-hit games against Dallas-Brookhaven (homer, two RBIs), Northeastern (three RBIs), Dallas-Brookhaven (double), Labette (double, RBI), Clarendon (two RBIs), Northeast, Northeast, Hesston (double, two RBIs), Northwest Oklahoma JVs (homer, two RBIs), Dallas-Richland (double), Lamar (double), Lamar (double, RBI), York JVs (double), Colby (double), Trinidad State (two doubles, two RBIs), Doane, Western Nebraska (RBI), Western Nebraska, Southeast (double, RBI), Northeastern (RBI) and Western Nebraska.
Besides playing with the Saskatoon Diamondbacks, coached by Matt Kosteniuk, Wouters was also a member of Team Sask that won a bronze medal in Niagara Falls at the Canada Games, coached by Greg Brons, Matt Kosteniuk and Blaine Kovach.