BMOC WK XVI: Berg, Clarke, Lantigua, Marklund, Tevlin
OF Austen Swift (Etobicoke, Ont.) of William Jessup is interviewed by ABC10's Lina Washington.
Big Man On Campus Week XVI
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
As the calendar turns to May the college baseball season chugs along. The weather is getting warmer and the performances are heating up. Check out the top Canadians from around college ball.
William Jessup wins first ever conference title
The William Jessup Warriors swept their way through the Golden State Athletic Conference baseball championships to capture the first title in program history. They beat the Master’s University in Game 1, 3-2, helped by a home run by Austen Swift that put them ahead for good in the fifth inning. He also walked twice in the victory. The Warriors rode the momentum to a 5-1 win over Westmount College where Swift had a hit, a RBI and was hit by a pitch. To clinch the championship the Warriors defeated Hope International 8-7. Swift went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run that put his team up 8-7 in the sixth. The Warriors are now off to the NAIA Regional Opening Round.
Lantigua leads Eagles to second straight title
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championship belongs to the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles for the second straight year. John Lantigua (Quebec City, Que.) had himself a good tournament with eight hits in four games, with two of those hits, a RBI and a stolen base coming in the title game. The Eagles defeated York 14-3 in the final. They now await the NAIA selection show on May 10 to see who they will face in the opening round of the NAIA tournament.
Marklund garners conference accolade
Brandon Marklund (North Vancouver, BC) received Appalachian Athletic Conference First-Team honours for his impressive 2018 season. Maryland went 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA seven saves. The seven saves lead the conference. Over 40 1/3 innings he surrendered just 26 hits, walked 15 and struck out 55.
Great Lake Canadians grad Tristan Clarke (Brampton, Ont.) has earned Appalachian Athletic Conference First-Team honours.
Clarke named First-Team
Senior Tristan Clarke (Brampton, Ont.) was also named to the Appalachian Athletic Conference First-Team after hitting .311 in 2018. Clarke hit 12 home runs and drove in 44 runs for the Bulldogs after transferring from the University of New Orleans.
Williams, Johnson County knock off Cloud County
The Region VI playoffs saw Malik Williams (Toronto, Ont.) and Johnson County Community College beat Cloud County 2-1. In Game 1, a 10-4 Johnson County loss, Williams went 3-for-5 with a RBI. Johnson County got in the win column in Game 2 with a convincing 11-1 victory. Williams hit a home run and finished with two hits and three RBIs. They then won a slugfest, 17-12, in Game 3 and Williams went 3-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs. Johnson County moves on to play Barton. Williams is hitting .404 with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs in 56 games played. He was named Kansas Jayhawk Community Conference Player of the Week for Week 13 on May 2nd.
Berg finishes strong after Player of the Week honour
Danny Berg (Saskatoon, Sask.) fresh off being named NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week for the week of April 23rd-29th where he hit .588, followed it up with another good showing last week. In a 6-2 win over Florida Southwestern he went 3-for-3 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. For Game 2, a 10-0 win, he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Schlosser sets a record
Wyatt Schlosser (Saskatoon, Sask.) went 5-for-14 over Minot State’s four game sweep of the University of Mary. One of the five hits was his 19th double of the season in a 6-3 Game 2 win. The 19 doubles is a school record and leads the conference.
No one has played more games for the Goshen Maple Leaf team than London Badgers grad Ryan Hartig (Woodstock, Ont.).
Hartig breaks Goshen record
Ryan Hartig (Woodstock, Ont.) now stands atop the Goshen College record books for all-time games played. He accomplished it by closing out the week with a regular season game and in the Crossroads League Tournament. He had six hits last week and went 3-for-3 with two walks and a home run in Game 1 of the tournament. He finished his season and career going 3-for-4 with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base in a 9-3 loss to Mount Vernon Nazarene that eliminated the Leafs from the postseason.
Stevenson wins his eighth, Martins hits Wilson with a milestone
J.P. Stevenson has consistently delivered wins for the Canisius Golden Griffins. Game 1 against St. Bonaventure was no different. He threw six scoreless innings as the Griffs downed the Bonnies 11-0. He allowed two hits and struck out nine to move to 8-1 on the campaign.
Jacob Martins (Richmond Hill, Ont.) went 2-for-4 with a walk in a 9-5 loss to Niagara. During Stevenson’s start he went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. In Game 2 of the series he had another two hits, a walk and stole a base.
Liam Wilson (Ayr, Ont.) is the 11th player in Canisius baseball history to record 200 hits.
Prospects Academy's Taran Oulton (St. Albert, Alta.) pitched 7 1/3 innings scoreless for the William Woods Owls in the tourney opener.
Oulton outdoes Columbia in first game of AMC Tournament
Taran Oulton (St. Albert, Alta.) went 7 1/3 innings as William Woods University beat Columbia in Game 1 of the American Midwest Conference tournament. Oulton allowed just four hits, three walks and struck out nine in the 5-0 win. Unfortunately for the Owls they would be ousted from the tournament after going 2-2. Oulton finished the campaign with a 9-4 record and a 2.31 ERA, which lead the team. He threw 93 2/3 innings with four complete games.
Canadians steer Indian Hills
It was a week to remember for Zachery Fascia (Brampton, Ont.). Fascia pounded out 17 hits in seven games for Indian Hills, headlined by a 4-for-5 game with a double and a home run in a 19-8 Game 1 win over Marshalltown. He also homered twice in a 10-9 loss to Des Moines Area. In all he drove in 16 runs.
Justin King (Okotoks, Alta.) was also a force at the plate going 11-for-23 with three home runs. Two of those home runs came in the 19-8 Game 1 win over Marshalltown. In Games 1 and 2 of that series King had six RBIs in each, finishing with 15 on the week. He also showed off his speed stealing a base.
DJ Depiero (Thunder Bay, Ont.) picked up the save in a 7-5 win over Des Moines Area by going a scoreless 1/3 of an inning with a strikeout. He picked up the win in an 18-1 drubbing of Marshalltown in Game 2 of their series. He threw all five, allowing a run on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. His record now stands at 7-3.
Whalley Chiefs grad Kyle Stubbins ( Surrey, BC) worked four scoreless for the Douglas Royals.
Stubbins has win saved by Verslius
Two Canadians took down Olympic College 5-1 for the Douglas College Royals. Kyle Stubbins (Surrey, BC) threw four scoreless innings and allowed three hits to pick up the win. He struck out four before being relieved by Wyatt Verslius (Squamish, BC). Verslius gave up five hits and a run over five innings. He walked one and struck out six to lock down the save.
The Royals used several strong performances to earn a four game sweep of Olympic last week. Liam Mitchell (Surrey, BC) went 7 2/3 innings in Game 3 and the Royals scored three in the bottom of the eighth to secure a 6-3 win. Mitchell allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. He worked around seven walks and struck out eight.
Jay Kim (Abbotsford, BC) had six hits for the Royals including a 3-for-4 game with two RBIs in a 5-1 Game 1 win.
Tom Melanchuk (White Rock, BC) also had six hits and a 3-for-4 game with a walk and RBI in a 7-3 Game 2 win.
Great Lake Canadians grad Dalton Harvey (Cambridge, Ont.) was a work horse for the Illinois State Redbirds.
Harvey gives up one over three
Illinois State turned to Dalton Harvey (Cambridge, Ont.) three times last week for relief. His first appearance came when he threw an innings, giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout in a 5-3 win over Milwaukee. The son of former NHLer Todd Harvey was back in action in Game 1 of a series with Bradley. He worked a scoreless inning and struck out the side as the Redbirds dropped the contest 9-6 in 13 innings. In Game 3 he went two scoreless innings, surrendering a hit and striking out four.
Zinck makes a pair of starts
Zachery Zinck (Bridgewater, NS) was put to the test for Genesee Community College last week. Zinc tossed six innings, giving up five hits, five runs -- three earned -- with five walks and nine strikeouts in a 5-4 Game 1 loss to Corning. Later in the week he lasted 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out seven as Genesee downed Finger Lakes 7-3.
Brettell goes the distance, loses
Getting nine innings out of your starter usually ends in a favorable result. Not this time for the Central Michigan Chippewas as Michael Brettell (Fonthill, Ont.) threw a complete game in a 5-2 Game 2 loss to Eastern Michigan. Brettell allowed five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits. He walks one and struck out five as his record dropped to 5-5.
Believe in Burgmann
Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) appeared in three games for the Washington Huskies, including two against conference rival Arizona State. In a 7-2 Husky win over Seattle he went 1 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings. After allowing a hit in Game 1 loss to the Sun Devils, he threw two scoreless innings with two walks and a strikeout in a 7-3 Game 2 win. The Huskies took the series 2-1 with a win in Game 3.
Christian Lindsey-Young, who was born in Oakville, Ont. threw five scoreless for West Virginia.
Lindsey-Young takes care of Terrapins
Christian Lindsey-Young (Oakville, Ont.) threw five scoreless innings as the University of West Virginia took care of Maryland 9-5 in a midweek game. He allowed two hits, a walk and struck out four to up his record to 3-1.
Fernandez-Beltran ends season with a gem
It’s been a great season for Fernando Fernandez-Beltran of the University of St. Mary’s Rattlers. He finished his regular season by throwing a complete-game, seven-inning shutout in a 5-0 Game 1 win over Newman. He allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out three. During the 2018 regular season Fernandez-Beltran went 8-4 with a 2.01 ERA over 89 2/3 innings. He struck out almost one per inning (86) and walked 33.
Wheeler excellent for Erie
Despite losing 4-of-5 which included a sweep at the hands of Niagara County Community College, Austin Wheeler (Welland, Ont.) performed well for Erie Community College. He he had five hits, a pair of walks and three RBIs on the week.
Quirion a competitor for Clarendon
Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) had a hit and a walk to open Clarendon’s series with New Mexico Military Institute in a 15-10 win. Clarendon dropped the second game 8-7 but received a 3-for-4 performance from Quirion. After a hit in a Game 3 loss he had two hits, a home run, a walk and two RBIs in a Game 4 win to split the series.
Former Ontario National Andy Leader (Kitchener, Ont.) had a five-hit week for the Colby Roughriders.
Colby set for more
Colby Community College is getting read for the opening round of Region VI postseason play against Seward County after taking a pair of games from Independence Community College. Andy Leader (Kitchener, Ont.) went 2-for-5 in the first win and 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three RBIs in the second win.
Bishop homers twice in American Southwest tournament
The University of Texas at Tyler found themselves out of the American Southwest Conference tournament after going 3-2. Game 1 pitted them against Ozarks, who they beat 10-4 behind a hit and RBI from Alex Bishop (Calgary, Alta.). Bishop hit a two-run home run in a 5-4 Game 2 loss to Concordia. The third game of the tournament saw them up against Ozarks again, this time beating them 12-5 with Bishop collecting two hits, another two-run home run, a walk and three RBIs. They then rolled Concordia 15-2 and Bishop had a monster game going 5-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and five RBIs. Concordia would get the last laugh in the next game by eliminating UT Tyler with a 3-1 win. Bishop had two hits in the losing effort.
Jorgenson, Century with busy week
Bryce Jorgenson (Thunder Bay, Ont.) had 10 hits in seven games as Century went 7-1 on the week. Jorgenson had three, two-hit games, three triples, drove in seven and stole three bases.
Hutzal reaches double digit home runs
Peter Hutzal (Calgary, Alta.) has been no stranger to the long ball this season. He hit his 10th of the year in an 11-6 win over Old Dominion, a game in which he had two hits. Old Dominion took the back half of a doubleheader with an 8-2 win but Hutzal hit his 11th home run as part of a 3-for-4 day with a RBI.
Vauxhall grad Shawn Grandmont (Lethbridge, Alta.) had a four-hit game for the Southern Idaho Eagles.
Grandmont, Southern Idaho ready for Region 18 tournament
Shawn Grandmont (Lethbridge, Alta.) started his week with a hit and a walk in Southern Idaho’s 2-0 win over the College of Southern Nevada. He walked twice and drove in a run in another win in Game 2. The College of Southern Nevada took home Games 3 and 4 but Grandmont continued his strong play with a 4-for-5 game with a stolen base in Game 3 before getting the game off in Game 4.
Hrynkiw too much for Rose State
The Connors State Cowboys are on fire having won 11 straight games to close the regular season at 47-7. They swept Rose State in their final regular season and got a strong performance from Tony Hrynkiw. In a 12-1 Game 1 win he went 2-for-4 with a walk and a RBI before going 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs in Game 2. During the finale he had a hit and a walk.
Weirsma heading into conference tournament hot
Trevor Weirsma (Vancouver, BC) capped his regular season in style for Concord. Weirsma went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a solo home run and two RBIs in a 9-6 win over Bluefield State. In a four-game set with UVA-Wise he had five hits, three walks and eight RBIs. In Game 2, a 15-3 win he hit two, two-run home runs. Concord split the four-game set and now readies for West Liberty in Game 1 of the Mountain East Conference tournament.
Braun bashes 10 hits
Dustin Braun (Landmark, Man.) hit a solo home run in Game 1 of Central Washington’s series with Montana State Billing and left the yard again with a three-run run in Game 4. In Game 1 he went 3-for-5. Game 2 saw him go 2-for-4 with a RBI. After going 2-for-5 with a RBI in Game 3 he went 3-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs in the finale. Central Washington split the four-game series, dropping the first two games before rebounding to win Game 3 and 4.
Okotoks Dawgs grad Brett Esau (Meadow Lake, Sask.) finished the season with a .345 average, 11 homers and 55 RBIs for the Frank Phillips Plainsmen.
Esau ends strong season
Frank Phillips College may have went 19-36 but Brett Esau (Meadow Lake, Sask.) finished the season hitting .345 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs in 54 games played. He added to those totals in the final week of the regular season with seven hits, including his 11th home run in a 14-6 win over El Paso. He drove in four and walked four times.
Komonosky helps NIACC to three wins
Ben Komonosky (Saskatoon, Sask.) got North Iowa Area off to a fast start with a 3-for-4 game with three RBIs in a 15-4 Game 1 win over Ellsworth. He had a hit, two walks, and two RBIs in a Game 2 win. North Iowa Area took Game 3 by a 16-2 score and Komonosky hit a home run and drove in two. They dropped the final game of the series despite two hits from the Canadian.
Brunton busy for Southeastern Illinois
It’s been a tough few weeks for Southeastern Illinois as they have dropped 12 straight heading into the Region XXIV tournament. Seven of those losses came last week but a bright spot was Ethan Brunton (Victoria, BC) who had six hits, two walks, a RBI and a stolen base. They take on Wabash Valley in the first game of the region tournament.
Brook hits walk-off grand slam
Aiden Brook (Oakbank, Man.) played the hero for Valley City State in Game 2 of the North Star Athletic Association tournament. After coming back from a three-run deficit in the ninth, Brook hammered his grand slam in the 10th to eras another three-run deficit and deliver a 17-13 win over Viterbo. He finished 3-for-5 with a walk and seven RBIs in the game. He had five hits and three walks in three tournament games.
Ontario Terriers grad Luke Tevlin (Toronto, Ont.) had a seven-hit week for the Binghampton Bearcats.
Tevlin takes charge
Luke Tevlin (Toronto, Ont.) had himself a week for the Binghamton Bearcats. In a 4-3 win over the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure he went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Next up was a three-game set with conference rival Maine. Game 1 went the way of the Bearcats 7-4 with Tevlin recording a hit, a walk and a RBI. In Game 2 he went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a RBI but Maine picked up a 4-2 win. Maine took the rubber match 6-1 but Tevlin again went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI.
Western Texas continues winning ways
Two Canadians had strong weeks as Western Texas rides a six game winning streak into the Region 5 tournament. Carson Burns (Orangeville, Ont.) went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in a Game 1 thumping of Luna. In Game 2 he went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four more RBIs. He had a hit and RBI in Game 3 and another hit in Game 4 as Western Texas closed out the sweep.
Marcel Lacasse (Gatineau, Que.) had two hits in each of Games 1 and 2. He walked and drove in a run in Game 1 and hit a double and a home run with two walks and four RBIs. Lacasse walked and drove in a pair in Game 3 and went 3-for-3 with another double and home run. He drove in three to help complete the sweep.
Lui with five hits
Johnny Liu (Mississauga, Ont.) went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a walk in Davis and Elkins Game 1, 10 inning loss to Trevecca Nazarene. In Game 2 he went 3-for-4 with a RBI in a 7-1 loss. Game 3 of the series was cancelled.
Ontario Blue Jays grad Tanner Zeggil (Stayner, Ont.) had six hits for the McCook Indians this past week.
Zeggil with some knock
Tanner Zeggil (Stayner, Ont.) has six hits for McCook Community College this past week. However, they only picked up one win in five tries.
Diaz dazzles, Hyland hits
The ball was handed to Indigo Diaz (Vancouver, BC) in the regular season finale for the Iowa Western Reivers. He picked up his ninth win by throwing five scoreless innings of one hit baseball. He walked one and struck out eight in a 6-0 win over Southwestern.
Kobe Hyland (Spruce Grove, Alta.) had five hits and two RBIs in the four game sweep. The Reivers (47-5, 24-0) will again see Southwestern in Game 1 of the Region XI tournament. It is a favorable matchup as they are a perfect 8-0 against Southwestern and have outscored them 73-5 in the eight games.
Turino a tough out
A 2-for-5 performance for Matt Turino (Scarborough, Ont.) in a 6-5 Jefferson loss to Rend Lake was the start. Their next opponent was Three Rivers in the NJCAA Sub Regional. Game 1 saw Jefferson pick up an 11-4 win behind a hit, three walks, two RBIs and a stolen base from Turino. They again picked up the win in Game 2 by a 25-8 score. Turino went 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and two stolen bases.
ABC grad Nicolas Dore (Saguenay, Que.) helped the Sussex County Skylanders. earn a regional playoff berth.
Sussex County set for playoffs
Sussex County Community College are off to the Region XIX playoff against Lackawanna after four games last week. In a 6-5 win over Sullivan County to open the week Nicolas Dore (Saguenay, Que.) went 2-for-4. A set with Delaware Tech in the Region XIX playoff was next and Dore had five hits in the series. In Game 2 he went 3-for-4 with a RBI. Sussex County took 2-of-3 to win the series.
Cloud County battles to the end
Tauren Langley (Edmonton, Alta.) and the Cloud County T-Birds fought but came up short against Johnson County dropping the three-game series 2-1. In Game 1 Langley went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk and an eye popping seven RBIs. He finished his season going 3-for-3 with a walk and a RBI.
Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) finished his campaign hitting .355 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs. He also went 7-2 on the mound with a 3.14 ERA. Even more impressive was his 117 strike outs over 66 innings pitched.
Skirrow appears twice, shut down St. John’s
Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) threw a scoreless 1 1/3 innings and struck out every out he recorded in relief during an 11-5 Liberty loss to Virginia Tech. He was given the ball in Game 3 of the Flames series with No. 20 St. John’s. Skirrow tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. He walked five and struck out six.
North Delta Blue Jays grad Malcolm Boehm (Ladner, BC) had a pair of homers for the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds.
Boehm collects five hits
Eastern New Mexico’s Malcolm Boehm (Ladner, BC) went 3-for-3 with two, two-run home runs in a 14-10 win over Dallas Christian College. He finished the week with five hits in all and nine RBIs.
Feuerstake with huge Game 2
Caleb Feuerstake (Waterdown, Ont.) had a hit, a walk a RBI and a stolen base in Mineral Area’s 9-6 win in their first game against MCC-Maple Woods. In Game 2 he went off for a 5-for-5 game with a walk, two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and two stolen bases.
Johnson helps complete sweep of No. 16
Sweeping the No. 16 is one way to conclude your regular season. Ryan Johnson (Winnipeg, Man.) went six scoreless innings and allowed only three hits as Lubbock Christian University won Game 4 of their series with No. 16 Arkansas Fort-Smith by a 5-4 score. The 6’5 216 pound lefty walked three and punched out four in the outing and was given the no-decision. Johnson and the Chaparrals will open Heartland Conference tournament action against St. Mary’s.
Muenster Red Sox grad Parker McRae (Nipawin, Sask.) picked up a win for Miles Pioneers.
McCrae beats Western Nebraska
Miles Community College took 5-of-6 from Western Nebraska and it was Parker McCrae (Nipawin, Sask.) who picked up the victory with a complete game shutout in a Game 1 win. He allowed five hits, two walks and struck out five in the 2-0 win.
It was another action packed week in college ball. Champions were crowned, there were individual recognitions and plenty of great performances. Check back next week as Canadians continue to compete down the stretch.
If you know someone deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com. Please note our season runs Monday-Sunday.