BMOC Week II: Bourgeois, Graham, Facchini, Macleod, Pare, Robertson, Shepherd
UBC outfielder Jonny McGill (Richmond, B.C.) had three hits in two games to lead the Thunderbirds to a doubleheader sweep over Central Washington. Photo: UBC Athletics
February 6, 2024
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
It’s only the second week of the college baseball season and already we’re seeing repeat top Canadian performers.
Plus, new names make their presence felt as more teams get their seasons underway.
Let’s take a look at who stood out over the past seven days.
Canadian Saints selected to All-Conference team
Their season hasn’t even started yet and two D’Youville University Saints are already garnering attention.
Outfielder Ethan Hammond (Oakville, Ont.) and right-handed pitcher Sam Worthen (Guelph, Ont.) have been tabbed Preseason All-East Coast Conference Second Team selections.
Hammond hit .365 with a 1.056 OPS in 2023, while starting all 47 games.
On the mound, Worthen made 22 appearances, throwing 32 1/3 innings with a 5.01 ERA and eight saves.
Murray a preseason first team pick
Justin Murray (Markham, Ont.) has made his way on to the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team after leading Benedict College last season with a .418 average. Murray also posted a 1.189 OPS and stole 21 bases.
UBC begins season with doubleheader sweep
The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds started their season with two wins over Central Washington University. Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) went 2-for-4 with a walk in an 8-7 Game 1 win before collecting a hit and walking again in a 4-3 victory in the back half of the doubleheader.
Former Windsor Select and Riverside Royals RHP Matteo Pare (LaSalle, Ont.), who also played for the Junior National Team, struck out eight in five scoreless innings in his start for Pensacola State Community College. Photo: Eugenio Matos.
Pare helps shutout Mineral Area
Matteo Pare (Windsor, Ont.) tossed five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out eight as Pensacola State Community College blanked Mineral Area 6-0. The win was Pare’s second on the young season.
Facchini, Moseni lead Antelope Valley to 4-0 start
After two wins to open the season, the Antelope Valley College Marauders were back at it this past week with a 20-4 win over Victory Valley and a 20-11 victory over Ventura.
Ryan Facchini (Burlington, Ont.) picked up the win in relief against Victor Valley with 5 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on two hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts.
Moseni, meanwhile, had back-to-back three hit games. He went 3-for-4 with a RBI and two walks in the first game and 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a stolen base in the second.
Krawchuk back in the BMOC again
Remember those aforementioned returning faces from last week? Carter Krawchuk (St. Catharines, Ont.) is one of them thanks to his 5 2/3 innings of work for Seminole State College (Fla.). Krawchuk surrendered two runs (one earned) and worked around seven hits and a walk to earn his second win of the season in a 9-2 victory over St. Petersburg College. He struck out four along the way.
Ontario Blue Jays alum Mason Robertson (Orillia, Ont.) allowed just one unearned run, while striking out seven, in five innings in his start for Allan Hancock. Photo: Twitter
Another familiar face
Allan Hancock’s Mason Robertson (Orillia, Ont.) is also 2-for-2 in this column. Robertson worked five innings and yielded an unearned run on three hits with seven punch outs in a 3-1 loss to Canyons.
Robertson strong for Arizona Western
Former Toronto Met hurler Mac Robertson (Oshawa, Ont.) spun six scoreless innings for Arizona Western College as they downed Northeastern Junior College 6-5 in Game 3 of their series. The righty scattered five hits, walked two and struck out seven.
Bourgeois and Macleod strike for Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds of Cloud County Community College got production from a Canadian pitcher and hitter in their 2-1 series loss to Des Moines Area Community College.
Noah Bourgeois (Surrey, BC) scooped up the win in relief on opening day thanks to four scoreless innings. He conceded four hits, walked one and struck out four.
At the plate, Cam Macleod (Vancouver, BC) went 3-for-3 with a double and a two-run home run in the 8-2 Game 1 win. He was back at it in Game 3, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a 10-6 loss.
Cymbalista with three hits
Colin Cymbalista (Pickering, Ont.) had three hits, walked three times, drove in four and stole a pair of bases as Hutchinson Community College took a pair of victories from Southeast. In an 11-1 thumping, Cymbalista hit a home run.
Ontario Prospects alum Shaine O’Keefe threw four scoreless innings for Blue Mountain College. Photo: Blue Mountain Athletics
O’Keefe pitches well in loss
Blue Mountain College’s 4-3 loss to Lane College wasn’t caused by a lack of performing from Shaine O’Keefe (Toronto, Ont.). The senior threw four scoreless, hitless innings and issued three walks, while punching out five.
Graham throws zeros in Faulkner’s blowout win
Opening day starter Nicholas Graham (Abbotsford, BC) went four innings and didn’t allow a hit or a run as Faulkner University cruised to a 25-1 Game 1 win over Oakwood. Graham walked one and struck out nine. Faulkner would go on to sweep the three-game series and outscore their opponent 68-3.
Achen at it again
No stranger to this column, Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.) delivered a win on opening day for Lindsey Wilson College. Achen threw six innings and allowed one run on three hits as the Blue Raiders beat St. Andrews University 10-1. He walked three and struck out 14.
Washburn splits four games in Florida
Washburn University made the trip from Kansas to the Sunshine State for four games to open their season. Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) collected eight hits, walked once, drove in five, stole a base and was hit by a pitch. During an 8-3 win over Barry University, McHarg went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the top of the first to get this team on the board and finished with five RBIs.
Vauxhall Jets alum Tyler Boudreau (Middle Sackville, NS) allowed just two runs in five innings in his start for Midland College. Photo: Forrest Allen, Midland College Athletics
Boudreau beats Alvin
Tyler Boudreau (Middle Sackville, NS) lasted five innings and gave up two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts as Midland College downed Alvin 12-2 on opening day.
Shepherd launches three home runs
Highland Community College's Dylan Shepherd (Barrie, Ont.) hit three home runs and finished with nine hits, two walks and 10 RBIs in three games played. He went 5-for-5 with a double, two home runs and four RBIs in a 19-1 Game 1 win over the Ottawa University JVs.
Barbieri named The Sun Conference Player of the Week
Opening weekend for Ave Maria was no easy task, as they defeated National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics No. 17 Vanguard, beat a team who received votes for the Top 25 in Arizona Christian and lost to No. 11 Hope International.
Francesco Barbieri (Brampton, Ont.) was critical to his team’s success. Barbieri went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a stolen base in a 13-11 victory over Vanguard. Against Arizona Christian, which ended in a 13-9 win, he was 3-for-5 with a solo home run to open the scoring in the first and a two-run home run in the second. He also walked and finished with four RBIs. To close out the weekend he had a hit in a 10-5 loss. For the second time in two weeks, The Sun Conference Player of the Week goes to a Canadian. Last week it was Keiser University’s Simon Grinberg (Kitchener, Ont.), this time it’s Barbieri garnering the honour.
The season is picking up steam and Canadians are right in the middle of the action each week.
Check back on Tuesday for the best performances from Feb. 5 to 11.
Do you know of a player deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column? Email Matt Betts at mattbetts@canadianbaseballnetwork.com. Please note that our week runs Monday-Sunday.
Be sure to follow Matt Betts at @Bettsy41 for extensive Canadian baseball coverage all season long.