BMOC Week IV: Crowell, Dionne, Miller, Murdoch, Patrick, Walker
Okotoks Dawgs alum Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) had five hits in three games for the Bellevue Bruins this past week. Photo: Bellevue Athletics
BMOC Week 4
February 17, 2025
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
The road to Omaha began this past weekend as the Division I season got underway.
By our count, 202 Canadians are on the rosters of Division I programs.
Add in Division II, III, NAIA and junior colleges and it was a busy week for Canucks.
Which of them stood out? Let’s take a look.
Reinhardt rides four Canadians to 4-0 week
Four Canadians were instrumental in four Reinhardt University victories this past week.
On the mound, Tate Dearing (Surrey, BC) got the start in Game 2 of the Eagles series with Truett McConnell and tossed five scoreless innings to earn the win. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out a pair.
Offensively, Luca Boscarino (Mississauga, Ont.) pounded out four hits, walked four times, drove in four and stole a base. He swatted a two-run home run in an 11-1 Game 1 win over Truett McConnell.
Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) hit a two-run home run and a solo shot as part of a nine-hit week. He also walked three times, drove in seven and stole a base.
Dryden Howse (Okotoks, Alta.) chipped in three hits, three walks and six RBIs. He hit a solo home run in Game 1 of the Truett McConnell series.
With the wins, the Eagles are now 10-0.
Bishop back in the BMOC
For the second straight week Andrew Bishop (Kitchener, Ont.) makes an appearance in the BMOC. This time, Bishop collected five hits, walked twice, drove in five and stole a base as Georgia Highlands swept Lincoln Trail. He went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a stolen base in an 11-9 Game 3 win.
Grant, Wuschke play well for No. 15 Bellevue
The results may not have been what the No. 15 Bellevue Bruins were hoping for but two Canadians played well in their 2-1 series loss to the University of Science & Arts.
Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) produced five hits, including two multi-hit performances in the second and third games, to go along with a pair of walks and three RBIs. He hit a two-run home run in a 9-8 Game 1 loss and a solo homer in a 7-5 Game 2 defeat.
Gavin Wuschke (Regina, Sask.) threw six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits to pick up the only win of the series for the Bruins in Game 3. He struck out one.
Kurt Barr (Saint Joachim, Ont.) struck out eight and didn’t allow an earned run in five innings in his start for the Michigan Wolverines. Photo: University of Michigan
Barr brilliant, Carey makes college debut
The University of Michigan enjoyed their season opening road trip to Puerto Rico, winning all four games.
It was Kurt Barr (Saint Joachim, Ont.) getting the start in the second game against Rice. Barr lasted five innings and gave up an unearned run on three hits and three walks as the Wolverines pulled out a 5-2 win. Eight of the 15 outs he recorded came by way of a strikeout.
In their third game, Tate Carey (Windsor, Ont.) threw two scoreless, hitless innings of relief to help his team to a convincing 19-0 win over Villanova. Carey fanned three in the outing.
LaChance leads Illini to series win
Greg LaChance (Whitby, Ont.) had five hits, walked once, drove in five and stole three bases to help the University of Illinois to a 2-1 series win over Abilene Christian to open the season. In Game 2, an 11-6 victory, LaChance went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and the three stolen bases.
Patrick pounds opposing pitching
It was a good week for Florida Tech’s Cole Patrick (Markham, Ont.) as he had six hits, three walks, three RBIs and a stolen base in four games played. His best performance came in a midweek win over Flagler when he had three hits, including a two-run home run, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base.
Grinberg with three-hit game
Simon Grinberg (Kitchener, Ont.) made the most of the only game on Keiser University’s schedule. He went 3-for-6 with a two-run home run, a double and four RBIs in a 15-7 win over Florida Memorial.
Swift Current 57’s alum Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Sask.) had six hits - including three home runs - in four games for Marshall University. Photo: Marshall University Athletics
Murdoch with monster opening weekend
Marshall University's Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Sask.) enjoyed playing four games at the University of Hawaii to open the 2025 season. Murdoch began his campaign by going 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a two-run home run and a walk in a 9-8 Game 1 loss. He then went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Game 2 and 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI in Game 3. Unfortunately for the Herd, they were swept in the four-game set.
McGarry-Doyle homers in back-to-back games
With just two games on the schedule for Mid-America Christian, Noel McGarry-Doyle (Vaughan, Ont.) was determined to make his mark. The former Toronto Met went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 16-3 thumping of York University. During a 12-7 Game 2 win, he again hit a two-run home run and also walked.
Dionne does damage
Jimmy Dionne (Quebec, Que.) had himself a week for Howard College. Over the course of three games, he had 10 hits, including a solo home run and two, two-run home runs, nine RBIs and two stolen bases. The boxscore to the fourth game of the week wasn’t updated by the time of publication.
Jacklin has four hits
Preseason All-SoCon Second Team selection Blake Jacklin (St. Jacobs, Ont.) got his season going with four hits and two stolen bases as East Tennessee State swept Northern Kentucky. Jacklin had three of those hits and one of the stolen bases in a 14-1 Game 1 win.
Great Lake Canadians alum Seth Brown (Hensall, Ont.) had four hits and three RBIs in three games for Dodge City. Photo: Dodge City Athletics
Brown backs Dodge City to two wins
Seth Brown (Hensall, Ont.) contributed four hits, two walks, three RBIs and a stolen base to help Dodge City win two of their three games on the week. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in a 16-15 victory over New Mexico Junior College.
Vanneste helps Coyotes sweep Central Washington
Cal State San Bernadino used five hits, a walk, three RBIs and a hit by pitch from Tyler Vanneste (Warman, Sask.) to help them sweep Central Washington. Vanneste hit a solo home run during a three-hit Game 3 win.
Miller named SoCon Pitcher of the Week
Right-hander Jay Miller (Corner Brook, Nfld.) spun seven scoreless innings to aid the University of North Carolina Greensboro to a 3-0 win over Creighton in Game 2 of their series. Miller surrendered two hits, walked three and struck out nine. For his efforts, Miller has been named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Zeppieri with four knocks
Matteo Zeppieri (Newmarket, Ont.) had four hits, three walks, four RBIs and two stolen bases as Mount St. Mary’s swept Norfolk State. His best came in Game 1 when he went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a walk and four RBIs.
Husu busy for Arizona Western
The schedule was full for Arizona Western this past week as they played five games, winning four. Parker Husu (Victoria, BC) amassed six hits, five RBIs and three stolen bases. He homered in a 17-5 win over California Miramar to start the slate of games.
Vauxhall Academy grad Jack Wheatley (Calgary, Alta.) had a three-hit, four-RBI game for the College of Southern Nevada. Photo: College of Southern Nevada Athletics
Wheatley with three hits in win
Jack Wheatley (Calgary, Alta.) went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the College of Southern Nevada’s 15-5 win over Arizona Western. He then walked in a Game 2 loss.
Walker fans 11 in relief
Ryder Walker (White City, Sask.) was summoned from the bullpen during Taft’s 3-2 loss to Bakersfield and delivered 6 1/3 innings. He yielded an unearned run on three hits, walked one and struck out 11.
Beck has big opening weekend
After dropping Game 1 of their series against Wagner, the Indiana State Sycamores scored 52 runs in the final two games to win the series 2-1. Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) had a hit and a stolen base in a 3-2 Game 1 loss before going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and three RBI as the Sycamores took Game 2, 16-6. He then went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a stolen base and was hit by two pitches in a 36-6 series clinching victory in Game 3.
Irvine earns third win
Every season, there seems to be a few players that make a regular appearance in this column. This year, Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) appears to be one. Irvine allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings to pick up his third win of the campaign as Arkansas at Monticello thumped Southern Nazarene 22-4. The righty walked three and struck out nine.
Jensen goes five
Sawyer Jensen (Strathmore, Alta.) tossed five innings and conceded one run on six hits but it wasn’t enough as Trinidad State fell 4-0 to Utah Eastern. He issued a walk and struck out six in taking the tough luck loss.
Mid-Island Pirates alum Carter Cathers (Nanaimo, BC) had three hits - including a home run - in three games for Cloud County. Photo: Cloud County Athletics
Canadians continue to play well for Cloud County
Carter Cathers (Nanaimo, BC) and Austin Coyle (Kamloop, BC) both had strong weeks again for Cloud County Community College.
In a 2-1 series loss to Seminole State (OK), Cathers had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs.
Coyle collected five hits, a walk, four RBIs and a stolen base. He hit a pair of home runs in a 9-2 Game 2 win
Hall homers three times
Jude Hall (Chilliwack, BC) and Southeastern Louisiana had a strong first series, sweeping Lindenwood in a four-game set. Hall had seven hits, a walk, nine RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. In Game 2, he went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk, four RBIs and a stolen base as the Lions won 18-7. He then hit two, two-run home runs and was hit by a pitch in a 13-3 Game 3 win.
That’s a wrap.
Make sure to come back next week for all the Canadian news 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-Sunday.
Be sure to follow Matt Betts at @Bettsy41 for extensive Canadian baseball coverage all season long.