BMOC Week III: Graham, Krawchuk, McHarg, Simpson, Whent, Zdunich
Edmonton Cardinals alum and Southeast Missouri State left-hander Haden Dow (Saint John, N.B.) has been named to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team. Photo: Southeast Missouri State Athletics
February 13, 2024
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
Big hits and impressive performances on the mound anchor this week’s BMOC column.
Without further ado, let’s see which Canadians stood out for their schools.
Dow dubbed Preseason All-OVC selection
Southeast Missouri State left-hander Haden Dow (Saint John, N.B.) has been named to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team. Dow went 4-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 14 starts in 2023. The Redhawks open the season with a three-game series at Dallas Baptist beginning Friday.
McDowell picked All-Pac-12
Outfielder Micah McDowell (Kentville, N.S.) of the Oregon State Beavers has been selected to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team after hitting .342 with a .936 OPS and 15 stolen bases across 56 games last season. He’ll get his season started on Feb. 16 in Surprise, Ariz. against New Mexico.
Robertson strong in loss
Every season there seems to be a few players who routinely make their way onto the list of top Canadian performers. Mason Robertson (Orillia, Ont.) appears to be one of them. The southpaw spun 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in Allan Hancock’s 6-3 loss to Canyons. He walked two and struck out seven. On the season, Robertson has made three starts and owns a 1.72 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP over 15.2 innings.
Fieldhouse Pirates grad Carter Krawchuk (St. Catharines, Ont.) allowed just one earned run in seven innings in his start for Seminole State. Photo: Seminole State Athletics
Krawchuk goes seven
Speaking of familiar faces, Carter Krawchuk (St. Catharines, Ont.) also fits the bill. Krawchuk worked seven innings, giving up five hits and two runs (one earned) in Seminole State’s (Fla.) 11-6 loss to Indian River State College. He walked five and punched out seven.
Simpson strokes 10 hits
Blake Simpson (Toronto, Ont.) got his season off to a stellar start with 10 hits, two walks, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases for Connors State. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs in a 10-1 victory over Arkansas Tech. The Cowboys won all six games on the week.
Cymbalista has four hits
Colin Cymbalista (Pickering, Ont.) went 3-for-4 with three RBIs as Hutchinson Community College opened play with a 21-10 victory over the Central Christian University JVs. He closed the week with a hit, a walk and a stolen base in a win over Southeast.
Crowell, Zdunich rake for Reinhardt
Reinhardt University won three of four last week and two Canadians were in the thick of it.
Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) collected seven hits, walked twice and drove in seven. He bookended the week with a solo home run and a three-run home run.
Tucker Zdunich (High River, Alta.), meanwhile, stroked nine hits, walked twice and drove in three. He hit a two-run home run in the Eagles only loss against Cumberlands, the same game in which fellow Canadian Crowell hit his solo shot.
Going Yard Baseball Academy alum Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) had four home runs for Washburn. Photo: Washburn Athletics
McHarg hits four home runs
It wasn’t easy keeping Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) in the yard. McHarg hit four home runs, including a solo shot and two, two-run home runs in Washburn’s 9-8, 10 inning Game 1 loss to Union. He hit another two-run shot in a 9-8 Game 2 loss.
Sykes secures first win
Austin Sykes (Toronto, Ont.) supplied Johnson University Tennessee five innings of work in a 4-1 win over Olivet Nazarene. Sykes surrendered one run on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Kourous crushes three-run home run
Mercyhurst University only had one game on the schedule but Zachary Kouros (Toronto, Ont.) made the most of it, going 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, five RBIs and a stolen base in a 16-0 thumping of Notre Dame College.
Whent has himself a series
After not playing in Game 1 of Rio Grande’s series against Brewton-Parker, Josh Whent (Oshawa, Ont.) made sure he wasn’t left off the lineup card again. Whent went 3-for-4 with a walk in a 14-7 Game 2 loss, had a hit in a 17-2 Game 3 loss and was 3-for-5 with three RBIs in a 14-11 Game 3 defeat.
Okotoks Dawgs alum Justin Breen (Fort McMurray, Alta.) had three hits, four walks, six RBIs and was hit by a pitch in four games for Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Photo: Southwestern Oklahoma State Athletics
Breen, Fluet lead SWOSU to sweep
A pair of Canadians helped Southwestern Oklahoma State University to a four-game sweep of Adams State.
Justin Breen (Fort McMurray, Alta.) had three hits, four walks, six RBIs and was hit by a pitch in the series. He hit a two-run home run and a three-run home run in a 12-5 Game 1 win.
Josh Fluet (White Rock, BC) got the start in Game 3 and allowed three unearned runs on two hits over five innings in a 6-3 win. He walked one and punched out three.
Tremblay hits go-ahead inside-the-park home run
Nick Tremblay (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) hit a solo home run and a two-run, inside-the-park home run that broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth to lead Henderson State to a 6-4 Game 2 win over Northeast Missouri State. Tremblay and the Reddies open Great American Conference play this weekend against Breen, Fluet and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Nicoll gets on
Sticking with players in the GAC, Southern Arkansas’ Brandon Nicoll (Coombs, BC) had three hits, including a two-run home run, a walk and three RBIs in a 10-8 loss to Maryville. In a 4-3 Game 2 win, he walked four times.
Graham beats Lindsey Wilson
Nicholas Graham (Abbotsford, BC) threw five scoreless innings for Faulker in their 6-2 victory over Lindsey Wilson. Graham allowed one hit and struck out 11. For his performance, Graham was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Archambault, Jacques deliver wins for NEO
The Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen rode two Canadian arms to victory.
Gabriel Archambault (Laval, Que.) worked five innings and yielded two runs (one earned) on five hits in a 3-2 Game 1 win over Highland Community College. He walked one and struck out six.
Pierre-Luc Jacques (Saint-Nicolas, Que.) came on in relief in Game 2 and threw five scoreless innings. Jacques conceded one hit and struck out five in the 12-5 win.
North Shore Twins alum James Brock (Burnaby, BC) allowed just one earned run in five innings in his start for UBC. Photo: Twitter
UBC splits four games in California
A win to open and close their trip to Fullerton, Calif. sandwiched a pair of losses for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
James Brock (Burnaby, BC) was impressive on the mound in the Thunderbirds’ third game. Brock threw five innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in a 6-4 loss to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also fanned four.
At the plate, Trent Lenihan (White Rock, BC) amassed 13 hits, walked once and drove in six. He hit a solo home run in that 6-4 loss before swatting another solo shot in a 9-7, 14-inning win over Hope International University. The home run came in the top of the 14th to put UBC on top for good. For his efforts, Lenihan was named Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Week.
Jaden Lamothe (Langley, BC) was also an offensive force with eight hits, a walk, three RBIs and two hit by pitches. In the finale, he went 5-for-7 with a walk and two RBIs.
Di Clemente named The Sun Conference Player of the Week
Make it three straight Canadians to be named The Sun Conference Player of the Week to start the season. Kesier University’s Kenny Di Clemente (Oakville, Ont.) is the latest to take home the honour after hitting three home runs and collecting five hits, five walks, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch in a four-game sweep of Columbia International. In the finale, he went 4-for-4 with a two-run home run, a grand slam and another two-run shot en route to finishing with 10 RBIs.
The Division I season gets underway this weekend and that means more Canadians are taking the field.
Check back in seven days for more highlights and notes from around college baseball.
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 to Sunday.
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