Field of 64 Diamond Dance includes 32 Canuck players, one coach
Windsor Selects grad Gibson Krzeminski (Tecumseh, Ont.) earned all-tournament honours to help the Canisius Golden Griffins advance to the NCAA tourney. Photo: Canisius Athletics
June 2, 2022
Canadians taking part in the field of 64
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
From Coral Gables, Florida to Corvallis, Oregon, a total of 32 Canadian players and one coach are wearing the uniforms of 16 teams that will take part in 10 different NCAA regionals across the United States.
Last year 33 players and two coaches took part, up from 28 in 2019.
Without further ado, the Canadians in the field of 64 looking to help their teams punch their ticket to the NCAA Super Regionals.
Canisius Golden Griffins (29-23), Coral Gables Regional
The Canisius Golden Griffins lead the way when it comes to Canadians at a regional. A total of 11 don the gold and blue.
RHP Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) has emerged as the team’s ace. He showed why during the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament when he made a pair of appearances and picked up two wins, including the championship game against Rider. Duffy currently owns an 8-2 record with a 3.67 ERA over 98 innings pitched.
If Duffy is the main man in the rotation, RHP Peyton Consigli (Fonthill, Ont.) is the bulldog out of the bullpen. Consigli, the MAAC Rookie and Relief Pitcher of the Year, has been lights out in 2022 posting a 4-2 record with a 3.15 ERA in 22 games.
University of Pittsburgh transfer Chris Pouliot (Boischatel, Que.) has found a home in Buffalo. He is 8-2 with a 4.12 ERA.
Freshman Aaron Duffy, the younger of the two Duffy brothers, has thrown 40 1/3 innings in 11 starts.
RHP Levi Abbott (Lethbridge, Alta.) has made 14 appearances and two starts.
RHP Lukas Barry (Mississauga, Ont.) has been in three games on the mound.
Vauxhall Jets INF Max Grant (Fredericton, NB) voted Metro Atlantic player of the year.
On the offensive side, the Griffs are led by MAAC Player of the Year, INF Max Grant (Fredericton, N.B.). Grant is hitting .404 with 10 home runs, 52 RBIs and a 1.148 OPS.
INF Josh Niles (St. Thomas, Ont.) owns a .276 average.
MAAC All-Tournament Team selection Gibson Krzeminski (Tecumseh, Ont.) is hitting .270 in 37 games.
INF Kyle Kush (Guelph, Ont.) takes a .241 average to Coral Gables.
Sophomore OF Carlin Dick (Abbotsford, BC) has a .212 average in 46 games played.
Canisius will be joined at the regional by host No. 6 Miami, Arizona and Ole Miss.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Miami
Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (40-18), Chapel Hill Regional.
The team with the second-most Canadians taking part in a regional is the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams with four. The Rams earned their way to Chapel Hill by winning their second consecutive Atlantic-10 Conference championship with a 10-7 win over Richmond.
LHP Campbell Ellis (Georgetown, Ont.) has established himself as a steady starter in his second season. Ellis has made 20 starts and has gone 4-4 with a 3.45 ERA.
In 22 appearances, LHP Jaden Griffin (Lower Sackville, N.S.) has pitched to a 3-1 record with a 4.58 ERA over 39 1/3 innings.
RP Evan Chenier (Georgetown, Ont.) has been summoned from the bullpen 18 times and has tossed 42 1/3 innings.
RHP Justin Humenay (Montreal, Que.) is 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA in six appearances with four starts.
Joining the Rams in Chapel Hill is host No. 10 North Carolina, Georgia and Hofstra.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Georgia
Okotoks Dawgs C Gavin Logan (Oyen, Alta.) earned Pac-12 all-tournament honours with Oregon State.
No. 3 Oregon State Beavers (44-15), Corvallis Regional
The Beavers will host a regional for the second time in three seasons. They come into it well tested, having played fellow regional participants UCLA (twice) and Stanford in their last three games.
C Gavin Logan (Oyen, Alta.) made his way onto the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team thanks to 10 hits in three games played. He’s currently hitting .319 in 38 games played, having made 36 starts.
Dual man Justin Thorsteinson (Langley, BC) played in 10 games as a position player and has appeared in nine games so far on the mound for the Beavers.
OF Micah McDowell (Halifax, NS) holds a .147 average in 13 games.
The Beavers will host Vanderbilt, San Diego and New Mexico State in Corvallis.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. New Mexico State
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (37-20), Louisville Regional
Back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference champions Southeast Missouri State is headed to Louisville to take part in their second straight regional. It took them 10 innings to defeat Belmont in the OVC championship.
RHP Hayden Malenfant (Whitby, Ont.) has appeared in five games for the Redhawks. He threw a scoreless inning in a 14-6 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Game 2 of the conference tournament.
Fellow RHP Joseph Karall (St. Albert, Alta.) has appeared in one game.
Also at the Louisville Regional is No. 12 Louisville, Michigan and Oregon.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane — no it is former Victoria Mariner Jason Willow (Victoria, BC)
University of California, Santa Barbara Gauchos (43-12), Stanford Regional
The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara are back in a regional for the third year in a row. They’ll make the 298 mile trip up state to take part in the Stanford Regional.
Senior OF-INF Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) will look to cap his college career with a lengthy postseason run. During the regular season he hit .258 and stole 15 bases.
While Willow is at the end of his collegiate playing days, freshman RHP Jed Decooman (Vancouver, BC) is just beginning. Decooman did not make an appearance in 2022.
The Stanford Regional also features No. 2 Stanford, Texas State and Binghamton
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Texas State
No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys (39-20), Stillwater Regional
Oklahoma State is the other team with a Canadian that will host a regional. The Cowboys are coming off a 3-2 showing in the Big 12 Tournament, with both of their losses coming at the hands of Texas.
INF David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) had a fine conference tournament, collecting five hits, walking three times and driving in a run. For his efforts, he was named to the All-Tournament team. On the season, he’s hitting .283 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs.
Arkansas, Missouri State and Grand Canyon will make the trip to Stillwater.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Missouri State
Former North Shore Twins RHP Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC) is expected to be a high draft, even though he had surgery.
Oregon Ducks (35-23), Louisville Regional
The Ducks closed the regular season with five straight wins, including a three-game sweep of No. 25 Arizona. The Ducks stumbled and went two and out in the Pac-12 Tournament but still heard their name called during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday.
Starter Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC) began the year as the Ducks Friday night starter but made just three starts before an injury put his season on hold. He was 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA.
The Ducks lineup with No. 12 Louisville, Michigan and Southeast Missouri State in their regional.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Michigan
Michigan Wolverines (32-26), Louisville Regional
The Wolverines took out Maryland and Rutgers on their way to the Big Ten title and securing a berth in their third straight regionals. The Wolverines will look to finish the job this time around after losing to Vanderbilt in the College World Series final in 2019.
LHP Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) has been an instrumental member of the Wolverines pitching staff. He’s made 17 appearances and 16 starts, posting a 5-4 record with a 4.90 ERA. He’ll be off to the Cape Cod League to play for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks this summer, but first will look to pitch his team deep into the postseason.
The Louisville Regional includes No. 12 Louisville, Oregon and Southeast Missouri State.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Oregon
Former FieldHouse Pirate Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) helped the Campell Flying Camels fly into the tournament.
Campbell Camels (40-17), Knoxville Regional
Before the season, I wrote about how there were high expectations in Buies Creek. But things didn’t begin so well for the Camels as they stumbled to a 1-6 start. They turned things around, putting together a 20-3 Big South Conference record and won the conference tournament. This year marks their fourth straight regional appearance.
INF Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) is hitting at a .247 clip. He went 3-for-4 in the Camels’ 3-2 win over Charleston Southern in the Big South championship game.
The Knoxville Regional is hosted to No. 1 Tennessee and will also welcome Georgia Tech and Alabama State.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Georgia Tech
Oklahoma Sooners (37-20), Gainesville Regional
The Sooners won their final five Big 12 Conference regular season series and then ran the table in the conference tournament to clinch a spot in the regionals. Currently one of the hottest teams in college baseball, they will head to Florida with an eye on the Super Regionals.
Redshirt junior RHP Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) has appeared in 19 games and thrown 19 1/3 innings.
No. 13 Florida, Liberty and Central Michigan are also in the Gainesville Regional.
Former North Shore Twins RHP-INF Griffin Palfrey (Vancouver, BC) of the Columbia Lions.
Columbia Lions (30-16), Blacksburg Regional
Ivy League champion Columbia is headed to the Blacksburg Regional. They defeated Penn 2-1 in the best-of-three championship series to move on. The Lions last made a regional in 2018.
RHP-INF Griffin Palfrey (Vancouver, BC) has both played the infield and pitched for the Lions this season. On the mound, he’s appeared in 12 games and made three starts. He’s 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA. He’s hitting .188 in 29 games, making 18 starts.
Columbia will be up against host No. 4 Virginia Tech, Gonzaga and Wright State.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Gonzaga
Dallas Baptist Patriots (34-22-1), Austin Regional
Leading up to Monday’s selection show many saw the Patriots being on the bubble but they ended up being selected to compete in the Austin Regional. They’ll look to channel the success they had in 2021 when they won the Fort Worth Regional.
Sophomore OF Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.) has a .182 batting average in 13 games played.
The other three teams in Austin are host No. 9 Texas, Louisiana Tech and Air Force.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Louisiana Tech
New Mexico State Aggies (24-32), Corvallis Regional
Despite having a losing record, the Aggies earned the right to play in a regional by winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. They won all four games and beat Abilene Christian 7-1 in the championship game.
RHP Josh Laukkanen (Nanaimo, BC) has made 10 appearances and two starts for the Aggies this year.
The Aggies will see host No. 3 Oregon State, Vanderbilt and San Diego upon arriving in Corvallis.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Oregon State
Wright State Raiders (30-25), Blacksburg Regional
A year ago, Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) led the Raiders to the Horizon League championship and a trip to the Knoxville Regional. The Raiders again won the Horizon League crown and they’re off to the Blacksburg Regional this time around.
C Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ont.) has not appeared in a game this season.
In Blacksburg, the Raiders face off with host No. 4 Virginia Tech, Gonzaga and Columbia.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Virginia Tech
Missouri State Bears (30-27), Stillwater Regional
It took six games but the Bears walked away with the Missouri Valley Conference championship. They beat Southern Illinois 13-3 in the final.
Assistant coach Joey Hawkins (Whitby, Ont.) is in the midst of his first season in the dugout. Hawkins played for the Bears from 2012 to 2015, helping them to the Super Regional against Arkansas in 2015, who they’ll see in Stillwater.
His team will take on host No. 7 Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Grand Canyon at the regional.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Oklahoma State
Grand Canyon Antelopes (41-19), Stillwater Regional
A 41-win season lands the Antelopes in the Stillwater Regional. They are making their second straight regional appearance after going 0-2 in Tuscon last season, including a 5-3 loss to this year's host Oklahoma State.
Outfielder Homer Bush Jr. (Toronto, Ont.), son of former Blue Jay second baseman Homer, is hitting .279 in 57 games played. He's made 54 starts and collected 58 hits so far in 2022.
The Antelopes travel to Stillwater to face host No. 7 Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Missouri State.
Game 1: Friday, June 3 vs. Arkansas