June 1, 2017

JNT alums in NCAA Tournament

By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
OTTAWA - The NCAA Tournament field of 64 teams is set with play set to begin today and tomorrow across 16 regional sites.

The road to Omaha, and the College Baseball World Series, is that much closer for the 64 participating schools that include six Junior National Team alums.

According to the Canadian Baseball Network, there are 13 Canadians scattered on teams that are regionals-bound.

The Kentucky regional boasts Junior National Team alums on each of the four participating teams including two on the host club (Tristan Pompey and Zach Pop), while Indiana (Matt Lloyd), NC State (Mathieu Deneault-Gauthier) and Ohio (Christian Botter) each have one.

Tristan Pompey (Milton, Ont.) is coming off a splendid sophomore campaign that saw the outfielder achieve First-Team All-SEC status after hitting .369 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs. Pompey represented Canada at the 2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Osaka, Japan.

Reliever Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.) has not appeared in a game since April 29th, but prior to that registered 20 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings, while carrying a 3.48 ERA. He helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2014 COPABE U-18 Pan American Championships in La Paz, Mex.

One of the top two-way talents in all of NCAA Division 1 Baseball, Matt Lloyd (Okotoks, Alta.) led the Hoosiers with a .317 average, while recording nine saves out of the bullpen. The junior was second on the club with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. In 2014, he helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2014 COPABE U-18 Pan American Championships in La Paz, Mexico.

North Carolina State freshman Mathieu Deneault-Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) made history as the first French-Canadian player in Wolfpack history and went on to appear in 10 games and make two starts in 2017. Gauthier represented Canada at the 2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Osaka, Japan.

Ohio University senior Christian Botter (Maple, ON) was invited to two camps with the Junior National Team program in 2012 and 2013 before embarking on a four-year career with the Bobcats. The right-hander has appeared in just five games with the Bobcats in 2017.

Senior Guillaume Gingras (Lévis, Que.) is a key piece of the St. John’s University Red Storm where he’s hit .336 with five home runs and 37 RBI in 48 games. Gingras attended Monroe (NY) College before transferring to St. John’s for his junior and senior seasons. In 2012, he attended Spring Training with the Junior National Team program.

Canadian Baseball Network: Pompey, Lloyd lead 13 Canucks headed into NCAA Field of 64