Elliott 2021 CBN All-Canadian 2nd team: Chenier-Rondeau, Vallee, Jackson, Jones, Wright
Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.) Cowley Tigers,
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
We decided in 2020 to build up to our Canadian Baseball Network First Team and our Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Year.
This is the 22nd year of this process with the help of stats magician Peter Berryman and voters from across North America.
Up Now ... the Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Second Team.
On Deck ... the 22nd annual Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Year
And finally ... the Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian First Team, players named to our Honourable Mention list and voting.
Already posted ... the Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Third Team.
Second Team
Okotoks Dawg Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) is off to Illinois State
Left-hander - Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) Barton Cougars.
He completed the season 7-2, winning his last four regular season games on the mound and helping the Cougars to a second-place conference finish. Appearing in 13 games with 12 starts, Brunner struck out 65 while walking 28 in 63 1/3 innings. His Region VI third best 3.84 ERA led Barton to a region second-best team ERA.
Brunner struck out 10 or more three times in his abbreviated two-year Barton career, his second best 11 strikeout effort coming this spring in a 4-2 loss at Colby. His Barton career totals consisted of an 11-2 mark with a 3.19 ERA with 115 strikeouts.
This year he scored wins over Western Nebraska (four scoreless, two hits, seven strikeouts), Hutchinson (five innings, five hits, four runs -- three earned -- two strikeouts), Dodge City (6 1/3 innings, two runs on two hits, eight strikeouts), Butler (seven scoreless, four hits, four strikeouts), Pratt (five innings, three hits, one unearned run, six strikeouts), Garden City (5 2/3 innings, four hits, three runs, three whiffs) and Cloud County (seven innings, six hits, two runs -- one earned -- seven strikeouts).
Brunner was selected First Team to the All-Region VI Division I and was also elected to the First Team All-Jayhawk West conference all-stars. The former Okotoks Dawg, who pitched for coaches Jeff Duda, Val Helldobler and Tyler Hollick, earned Canadian Baseball Network First Team honours in 2020.
Former Okotoks Dawg RHP Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.0
Right-hander - Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.) Bellevue Bruins.
Jackson was the workhorse of Canadian pitchers tossing 111 innings in 18 games -- making 17 starts. He went 9-3 with one save and a 2.43 ERA. He walked 42 and fanned 176.
He picked up wins over Midland (seven scoreless, three hits, one walk, seven strikeouts), Warner (seven scoreless, two hits, three walks, five whiffs), Brewton-Parker (seven innings, four hits, one unearned runs, two walks, 12 strikeouts), Waldorf (seven innings, five hits, one run, two walks, 13 strikeouts), Viterbo (seven scoreless, four hits, two walks, 18 strikeouts), Dakota State (seven scoreless, two hits, one walk, 13 strikeouts), Waldorf (nine innings, five hits, six runs, six walks, 21 strikeouts), Waldorf (eight innings, seven hits, two runs, one walk, 14 strikeouts) and Oklahoma Science & Arts (nine innings, six hits, two runs, three walks, 16 strikeouts).
Jackson highlighted Bellevue on the Omaha World-Herald’s All-Midlands team and was named the honorary captain of the squad. Jackson earned second-team NAIA All-American honours and was named the NSAA Pitcher of the Year. A first-team all-league selection, Jackson led the nation with 176 strikeouts and established a new program record for punch outs in a single season and strikeouts per nine innings (14.27). He limited opposing batters to a .170 average. Jackson struck out at least 10 batters nine times, including doing so in each of his final four starts. Jackson dialed up some of his best performances in postseason play. He struck out 16 in a 4-2 complete-game win over No. 9 Science & Arts in his first start of the NAIA opening round and followed up by striking out 10 in a quality start on two days’ rest against Concordia.
Among Canadians, Jackson led in innings pitched and strikeouts, was tied for second (with Iowa Western’s Evan O’Toole and West Texas A & M’s Mathieu Gauthier ... one behind Jordan Marks), was third in ERA (behind O’Toole and Lindsey Wilson’s Cohen Achen -- with a minumum of 50 innings)
Jackson pitched for the Langley Blaze and coach Jamie Bodaly.
Former Boissevain Centennial Aaron Pugh (Boissevain, Man.)
Reliever - Aaron Pugh (Boissevain, Man.) University of Jamestown Jimmies.
Pugh closed the door, when asked, picking up six saves -- to lead all Canadians -- as he went 1-2 with a 1.74 ERA. He walked eight and struck out 28 in 20 2/3 innings, while holding opponents to a .179 average.
He garnered saves against Valley City State (one scoreless, two strikeouts), St. Mary (1 2/3 scoreless, one strikeout), Culver-Stockton (one inning, one run, two hits, two strikeouts), Hastings (one scoreless, one strikeout), Midland (2/3 of an inning) and Concordia-Nebraska (2/3 of an inning, one strikeout) with runners at second and third in an 11-9 game.
He had scoreless outings facing Valley City (one inning, one strikeout), Culver-Stockton (one scoreless, one walk, one strikeout), Concordia-Moorhead (one inning, two strikeouts), Briar Cliff (2/3 of an inning, two strikeouts), Dordt (one inning, one walk, two strikeouts), Concordia-Moorhead (one inning, one walk, one whiff), Dakota Wesleyan (one inning, two strikeouts), Dickinson State (one inning, two whiffs) and Northwestern Iowa (1 1/3 innings, one walk, one strikeout), where he picked up his lone win. Pugh got the final out in the seventh, worked around a couple of base runners in the eighth to get the win, improving his record to 1-2.
Pugh, who played for the Boissevain Centennials under coach Ken Pringle and Team Manitoba under coach Wes Pomarensky, was named to the Great Plains Athletic Conference First Team.
Ex-Great Lake Canadian Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.)
Catcher - Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) Indiana State Sycamores.
Wright led the Sycamores with 16 home runs and 41 RBIs while hitting .305 on the season. Wright slugged .611 with 25 extra-base hits. Overall, Wright drew 39 walks and was hit-by-pitch 13 times for a .453 on-base percentage. He started all 52 games for the Sycamores at both catcher and as DH in 2021. His homers came against Illinois State (three), Evansville (three), Dallas Baptist (twice), Southern Illinois (twice), Pitt, Tennessee, Florida International, Alabama Birmingham, Saint Louis and Valparaiso.
A five-year player for the Sycamores primarily behind the plate, Wright appeared in 172 games, including 161 starts. He recorded a career .284 average to go along with a .436 slugging percentage and a .394 on-base percentage. He tallied 163 base hits, including 22 career home runs and 99 RBIs.
He finished his career with a pair of NCAA Regional appearances, All-MVC First Team honours, an ABCA All-Region Team selection, as well as Academic All-District, and Academic All-MVC honors. Wright became the fourth player in program history to earn Google Cloud Academic All-American status in 2019. Wright was also named an All-Defensive team member at catcher.
Among Canucks, he was tied for fourth in home runs (with Arkansas-Monticello’s Dylan Borman, behind Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani and Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller).
Wright, who played for the Great Lake Canadians under coaches Adam Stern and Chris Robinson, received Canadian Baseball Network Honourable Mention honours in 2019.
Former Okotok Dawgs 1B Tyler McWillie (Watrous, Sask.)
First base - Tyler McWillie (Watrous, Sask.) Colby Trojans.
McWillie wasn’t like slugger Willie McCovey, but he was close to it on the Kansas campus as he hit .375 with three doubles, 12 homers, 41 RBIs and a 1.273 OPS in 42 games.
He homered against Lamar (three RBIs), Dodge City (two hits, three RBIs), Otero (two hits, three RBIs), Seward County (two hits, including a double, two RBIs), Seward County (two hits, five RBIs), Butler (three RBIs), Pratt (two hits, three RBIs), Garden City (two hits, two RBIs), Cloud County (three hits, four RBIs), Hutchinson (three hits, three RBIs) and Allen County (two homers, four RBIs).
He had two-hit games facing Otero (three RBIs), Barton (two RBIs), Cloud County (RBI), Allen County (two RBIs) and Hutchinson (two doubles).
McWillie, an Okotoks Dawgs grad played for coaches Jeff Duda, Val Helldobler and Tyler Hollick, was a Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian college Second Teamer in 2020. This spring he was a First Teamer in the Jayhawk Conference.
Ex-Okotok Dawg Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.)
Second base - Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.) Niagara Purple Eagles.
He hit .391, with nine doubles, three homers, 19 RBIs and a 1.069 OPS in 30 games. His average was the best on the team and third-best in the conference.
He managed three-hit outings against Siena (three RBIs, double, homer), Manhattan (two RBIs, double) and Manhattan (three RBIs, home run). Tucker had two-hit performances against Siena (RBI), Siena, Quinnipiac (RBI), Saint Peter’s (three RBIs, with a double), Manhattan, Fairfield (RBI double), Rider (double, two RBIs) and Rider (RBI).
Tucker earned All-MAAC Second Team honours. A former Okotoks Dawg, Tucker played for coaches Bretton Gouthro and Aaron Ethier, competing in the Best of the West Tournament. Before that he played for the Mount Pearl Blazers under coaches Steve Donahue and Greg Williams competing in Newfoundland Summer Games. He headed south to the Southeastern Community College Blackhawks (.260, eight doubles, four home runs, 41 RBIs) and then Niagara.
Former Okotoks Dawg Logan Grant (Calgary, Alta.)
Third base - Logan Grant (Calgary, Alta.) Bismarck State Mystics.
He hit .409 with 11 homers, three triples, eight homers and 58 RBIs. He had a 1.229 OPS in 38 games.
He homered against Miles (plus two others hits, two RBIs), Miles (two other hits, four RBIs), Dakota (another hit, four RBIs), Lake Region State (another hit, four RBIs), North Dakota SCS (double, four RBIs) and Miles (another hit, four RBIs).
He had two-hit games against Dickinson State (RBI), Dawson (RBI), Dawson, Williston State (RBI), North Dakota SCS (double, RBI), Miles (two RBIs), Miles (double, RBI) and Dawson (two RBIs) ... as well as three-hit efforts playing Dakota (triple, three RBIs), Lake Region State (two doubles, three RBIs), North Dakota SCS (double, triple, four RBIs), North Dakota SCS (double, RBI) ND Dawson (two doubles, three RBIs).
When it came to Canucks, he was tied for fourth (with Northwest Nazarene’s Shawn Grandmont, behind Georgia-Gwinnett’s Griffin Keller, Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani and Wright State’s Tyler Black. Grant played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Bretton Gouthro and Aaron Ethier.
Former Toronto Met SS Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.)
Shortstop - Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) Mineral Area Cardinals.
Jones hit .427 -- second highest among Canadian hitters (minimum 150 at-bats) behind OF Griffin Keller of Georgia-Gwinnett -- with eight doubles, three triples, five homers and 36 RBIs. In his 43-game schedule, he had a 1.156 OPS while stealing 24 bases (third behind Mathieu Vallee of Northeast Oklahoma A&M and Alex Bedard of Southwest Oklahoma State).
He had two-hit games against Frontier (triple, four RBIs), Iowa Central (homer, three RBIs), UA Rich Mountain (double), Rich Mountain (double, RBI), Rich Mountain (RBI), Crowder, Missouri Valley (RBI), Missouri Valley, St. Charles, St. Charles, Rend Lake, State Fair, St. Louis, St. Louis (two RBIs), St. Louis (two RBIs), Metropolitan, Metropolitan (homer, two RBIs), Three Rivers (solo homer), Three Rivers (solo homer) and Metropolitan. His other homer (two RBIs) came against Glen Oaks
Jones had three-hit days facing St. Charles, St. Charles (three RBIs), State Fair (double, two RBIs) and Metropolitan (two doubles, RBI).
Looking at Canucks, he was third in stolen bases (behind North East Oklahoma A&M’s and South West Oklahoma State’s Mathieu Vallee). Jones, who played for the Toronto Mets and Chris Kemlo, was a 2020 Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian first teamer.
Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.)
Outfielders - Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.) Cowley Tigers, Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norse and Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.) Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs.
Chenier-Rondeau finished the season after a trip to the JUCO World Series with a .412 average. He had nine doubles, six triples, eight homers and 53 RBIs. He stole 22 bases and owned a 1.248 OPS in 51 games.
His best game came in a 21-0 romp over Labette as he went 4-for-5 with two doubles and six RBIs. He had three hits against Highland, Coffeyville (two doubles, RBI),
Chenier-Rondeau had a pair of hits against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (two homers, four RBIs), Hutchinson (homer, four RBIs), Cloud County, Cloud County (homer, four RBIs), Redlands (RBI), Highland (homer, two RBIs), Coffeyville (double, triple, RBI), Rose State (double, RBI), Seward County (double, homer, four RBIs), Labette Community (triple, RBI), Fort Scott (homer, two RBIs), Fort Scott (triple), Fort Scott (homer, three RBIs), Johnson County (RBI double), Kansas City and Central Arizona.
He led all Canadians in triples, was fourth in stolen bases (tied with Pier-Olivier Boucher, behind Northeast Oklahoma A&M’s Mathieu Vallee, South West Oklahoma State’s Alex Bedard, Mineral Area’s Ben Jones and Northwest Nazerene’s Shawn Grandmont).
Chenier-Rondeau played for the Pirates de Laval under head coach Mathieu Granger and ABC for coach Dave Dufour.
Beep-beep Vallee was a speedster on the bases -- 37 stolen bags... tops among Canadians -- while batting .434 with 18 doubles, five homers and 37 RBIs. He had a 1.202 OPS in 40 games.
Former Bisons de Saint-Eustache and ABC star Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.)
Vallee was Mr. 5-for-5 against Seminole State which included a double, a homer and four RBIs. Vallee had three-hit outings against Arkansas Baptist, Connors State, Eastern Oklahoma State (two RBIs), Rose State (two doubles, solo homer), Connors State (two doubles) and Rose State (two doubles, two RBIs).
As well he managed two-hit games against Pitt State University (double), Arkansas Baptist (RBI), Arkansas Baptist (homer, five RBIs), Connors State (double, two RBIs), Eastern Oklahoma State (double, two RBIs) and Rose State (solo homer).
Among Canucks he was atop the list in stolen bases. Vallee, who played for the Bisons de Saint-Eustache under coach Luc Desgroseilliers and the ABC for coach Robert Fatal, earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Honourable Mention in 2020.
Former Diamants de Québec Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.)
Bedard fell two hits shy of batting .400 as he batted .396 with 10 doubles, five triples, six homers and 37 RBIs. He stole 31 bases and had a 1.107 OPS in 39 games.
He went 5-for-6 against Southern Nazarene with three RBIs and a triple in his best game and had a four-hit outing facing Ouachita (three RBIs, triple). He had three-hit outings going up against Oklahoma Baptist (double, RBI), Oklahoma Baptist (double, RBI), Ouachita (double, triple, three RBIs), Southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas Tech (double, triple, homer, three RBIs) and Arkansas-Monticello (homer, two RBIs).
Bedard had a two-hit games against Southern Arkansas (double), Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma Science & Arts (three RBIs), Southeastern Oklahoma (homer, two RBIs), Cameron (two doubles), Harding (RBI), Northwestern Oklahoma (homer, two RBIs) and Northwestern Oklahoma (double, homer, two RBIs).
He was third in batting average -- minimum of 150 at-bats -- (behind Georgia Gwinnett’s Griffen Keller and Mineral Area’s Ben Jones). Bedard, who played for Diamants de Québec and coach Dominik Walsh, may be the first player ever to make the Canadian Baseball Network all-college team five times: Second Team in 2021, First Team in 2020, Second Team in 2018, honourable mention in both 2017 and 2019.
Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.)
Designated hitter - Soren Graversen (Calgary Alta.) of the William Penn Statesmen.
Graversen batted .330 with seven doubles, two triples, nine homers and 42 RBIs. He finished with a 1.095 OPS in 44 games.
He homered against St. Xavier (four RBIs), Harris-Stowe State (double, two homers, four RBIs), Park (three hits, double, homer, two RBIs), Jamestown (single, three RBIs), Grand View (two RBIs), Grand View (three RBIs), Clarke (solo homer) and Graceland (three RBIs).
He had a three-hit game against Grand View (double), and two-hit outings facing Northwestern (RBI), St. Mary (double), Lincoln (double, four RBIs), Culver-Stockton, Culver-Stockton (triple, three RBIs), Clarke (triple, two RBIs), Central Methodist.
Graversen played for the Okotoks Dawgs and was coached by Val Helldobler and Jeff Duda.
Most first-place votes on our Second Team: OF Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.) Cowley Tigers 21, SS Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) Mineral Area Cardinals 18, OF Mathieu Vallee (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norse 18, RHP Corey Jackson (Calgary, Alta.) Bellevue Bruins 17, C Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) Indiana State Sycamores 17, Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.) William Penn Statesmen 16, 1B Tyler McWillie (Waltrous, Sask.) Colby Trojans 10 and RP Aaron Pugh (Boissevain, Man.) Jamestown Jimmies 9.
Most first-place votes on our Third Team: DH Bryce Arnold (Burlington, Ont.) 13, OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) 13, LHP Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) 10, RHP Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, NS) 10, OF Zach Olson (Red Deer, Alta.) 8, RP Mat Szabo (Sarnia, Ont.) 5, 1B Matt Coutney (Edmonton, Alta.) Old Dominion 5.
Second and third team by province: Alberta 8, Ontario 7, Quebec 3, British Columbia 2, Saskatchewan 2, Manitoba 1, Newfoundland 1 and Nova Scotia 1.
Second and third team by graduating teams: Okotoks Dawgs 6, Academy Baseball Canada 2, Great Lake Canadians 2, Ontario Blue Jays 2, Prospects Academy 2, Toronto Mets 2, Vauxhall Academy 2, Bisons de Saint-Eustache 1, Boissevain Centennials, Edmonton Cardinals 1, Diamants de Québec 1, FieldHouse Pirates 1, Langley Blaze 1, Mount Pearl Blazers 1, Okanagan Athletics 1, Pirates de Laval 1, Prairie Baseball Academy 1, Regina White Sox 1, Spruce Grove White Sox 1, St. Francis Academy 1 and Team Manitoba 1.