February 16, 2022

BMOC Week 4

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Welcome to week No. 4 of the BMOC.

There’s plenty to get to as it was another week of strong Canadian performances, so let’s jump right in.

McElwain mashes

It wasn’t fun for opposing pitchers to face Dustin McElwain (Richmond, B.C.) this past week. McElwain started off by going 2-for-3 with a RBI in William Jessup’s 15-4, Game 1 win over Bushnell. McElwain produced two more hits, walked and drove in two in a 10-6, Game 2 victory. There was no slowing him down in Game 3 as he went 3-for-4 with a walk in a 14-5 win. In the finale, he hit a two-run home run to open the scoring in the bottom of the fourth. William Jessup would go on to win the game 7-2.

Dick and Grant named to All-Conference team, Griffs tabbed third

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference released their Coach’s Preseason Poll and two Canadians were named to the All-Conference Team.

Canisius Golden Griffins’ Carlin Dick (Abbotsford, B.C.) was named to the team as an outfielder. Dick hit .328 with a 1.047 OPS in 2021.

Also from Canisius, infielder Max Grant (Fredericton, N.B.) was the other Canadian selection. Grant led the team with a .386 average last year.

The Golden Griffins were picked to finish third in the MAAC. They’ll get their season underway this weekend with a four-game set against the University of Pittsburgh in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Rams picked to repeat

The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams pitching staff is loaded with Canadian arms. Right hander Evan Chenier (Georgetown, Ont.), left-hander Campbell Ellis (Georgetown, Ont.), southpaw Jaden Griffin (Lower Sackville, N.S.), righty Justin Humenay (Montreal, Que.), righty Virot Siharath (Keswick, Ont.), and righty Brendan Wilkinson (Milton, Ont.) are all on the Rams roster that was picked to win the Atlantic 10 title for the second year in a row in the Coach’s Preseason Poll.

Froehlich hits and pitches in Colby’s DH sweep

The man can do it all. Kyle Froehlich (Nipawin, Sask.) went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs in Colby Community College’s season opening 13-0 win over Lamar. In Game 2 of the doubleheader, Froehlich hopped on the mound and hurled four innings, allowing four hits and a walk, while striking out four. The three runs he allowed were all unearned in the eventual 12-4 victory. The effort was good enough for the soon to be Northwestern State University Demon to pick up his first win of the season.

Brown back at it, Black and Lachance provide offence for Frontier

Matt Brown (Oakville, Ont.) turned in another stellar performance for the Frontier Community College Bobcats. Brown threw six innings, allowing two runs on four hits in a 5-2, Game 2 win over Hinds Community College. He struck out five to pick up his second win in as many starts to begin his college career.

In the batter’s box it was Brody Black and Jaycob Lachance doing damage for the Bobcats. Black had eight hits, walked twice, and drove in two. He went 3-for-5, coming within a home run of the cycle, with a walk, and two RBIs in Frontier’s 12-10 Game 1 win.

Lachance chipped in four hits, a walk and four RBIs.

Achen shuts down No. 15 Indiana Wesleyan

Facing the No. 15 team in NAIA is no problem if your Cohen Achen (Calgary. Alta.). Achen spun six scoreless innings for Lindsey Wilson in their 13-0 thumping of Indiana Wesleyan. The right-hander gave up four hits, walked four and struck out eight.

Lund throws seven strong

Jaryd Lund (London, Ont.) provided Salem University with seven innings of one-run baseball in their 3-2, Game 3 loss to Savannah State. Lund scattered five hits, walked one and struck out nine.

Kirkup, Lefebvre steer Barstow offence

Avery Kirkup (Oyen, Alta.) and Lucas Lefebvre (Coquitlam, B.C.) combined for 13 hits in three games for Barstow Community College.

Kirkup got started with a hit and a walk in a 2-1 loss to Antelope Valley, before going 3-for-4 with a walk and a RBI in Barstow’s first win of the season over Imperial Valley. In a 11-9, 10 inning loss to Grossmont, Kirkup again had three hits along with three RBIs.

Lefebvre produced a hit in the 2-1 loss. During the 13-7 win, he went 2-for-4 with a walk. To close out the week he finished 3-for-5 with a walk.

Bulldogs get key contributions from Bloor, Magill

It was a busy week for No. 5 Tennessee Wesleyan as they played five games. Kyle Bloor (Lethbridge, Alta.) started their contest against Taylor University and lasted five innings, giving up two runs on six hits, with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts. The Bulldogs won the game 10-6.

Evan Magill (Ajax, Ont.) went 4-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-0 blanking of No. 19 Middle Georgia State College.

Atamanchuk strong in loss

The end result wasn't what they wanted but the University of Antelope Valley got a strong start from Shaun Atamanchuk (Beaumont, Alta.) in their 6-1 loss to The Master’s University. Atamanchuk worked 5 1/3 innings and surrendered one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Scoreless relief from Theal

Connor Theal (Niagara Falls, Ont.) came on in relief for St. Louis Community College in their game against Nunez and put together four scoreless innings. The right hander walked a pair and struck out six, but St. Louis would end up dropping the game 3-2.

Nine hits for Weisner

Five games gave Ottawa University’s Jonah Weisner (Mission, B.C.) a chance to get into a groove. And get into a groove he did. Weisner finished the week with nine hits, five walks, three RBIs and a stolen base as Ottawa won four of five.

Jamieson jolts Cleary offence

Spencer Jamieson (Burlington, Ont.) was a sparkplug for the Cleary University Cougars all weekend long during their four-game set with Pikeville. When the series was over, he had six hits, two walks, an RBI and a stolen base. As for the results of the games, Cleary split the four contests.

Gurr goes six

Bossier Parish received six innings of work from Seth Gurr (Coaldale, Alta.) in a 12-7 victory over Dallas College-Eastfield. Gurr conceded two runs over five innings in the start. He walked one and struck out seven to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Benson batters opposing pitchers

Five hits, a walk and two RBIs isn’t a bad way to start the season, just ask Indiana University South Bend outfielder Owen Benson. His best performance of opening weekend came in an 8-4, Game 2 win over Rio Grande when he went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.

Osika goes deep

Tristan Osika (Ancaster, Ont.) launched a three-run home run and finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs in Indiana Tech’s 15-4 drubbing of Columbia International. Then the next day he chipped in two hits, a walk and a RBI in a 6-4 loss to No. 19 Middle Georgia State College.

Plaz plays well for Central Methodist

Many of the top teams in the NAIA descended on Sterling, Louisiana to take part in an event dubbed the Cajun Collision. Victor Plaz (Montreal, Que.) showcased his abilities for Central Methodist by contributing four hits, two RBIs and a stolen base over four games. The Eagles completed the event with a 2-2 record.

Ricci has a pair of two-hit games

Mario Ricci (Burnaby, B.C.) got into the lineup in UBC’s first game of the week and their last. The opening game of the week saw the Thunderbirds take down Park University Gilbert 5-4 in part thanks to a 2-for-4 day at the plate from Ricci. He then had two hits, a walk and an RBI in the Thunderbirds 9-2, Game 4 win over Benedictine Mesa.

Collymore powers Mentevallo to sweep

The Falcons of Montevallo were flying high on the weekend as they cruised to a four-game sweep of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, outscoring them 44-3. Khalid Collymore (Mississauga, Ont.) was a threat all series long, pounding out six hits, driving in seven and stealing a base. Three of his six hits were home runs. In a 7-1, Game 3 win, Collymore launched a two-run shot. Then in Game 4, he swatted a solo home run to open the scoring in the bottom of the first and a three-run home run in the second. The Falcons have jumped out to a 7-0 start after two weekends.

Bells beats Arkansas Tech

Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) toed the rubber for St. Mary’s in their game against Arkansas Tech at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, during the Houston Winter Invitational. Bells turned in a gem, going six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight.

Gallagher gets on base

Former Vauxhall Jet Blake Gallagher (Fredericton, N.B.) had himself a fine week for the Minot State Beavers. Gallagher provided eight hits, walked four times, drove in three, and was hit by a pitch in five games. He hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning to open the scoring in Game 1 of their series with Regis. The Beavers finished the week 3-2.

Graversen goes deep as part of five-hit week

Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.) of the William Penn Statesmen made his presence felt in a four-game set with Kansas Wesleyan. Graversen had two hits and a RBI in a 9-6 Game 1 loss, and another two-hit game in Game 3. His loudest knock came in a 3-1 Game 3 win, when he hit a solo home run. The Statesmen took the series 3-1.

Clapperton shines despite 1-4 week for UT Permian Basin

Infielder Michael Clapperton (Calgary, Alta.) did what he could to help the University of Texas Permian Basin to victory. Clapperton contributed eight hits, walked twice, and drove in a pair over five games. He had three hits and a RBI in each of the first two games of the week, leaving the yard in the second contest, a 22-13 slugfest loss to Texas A&M Kingsville. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they escaped with just one win.

Buffs blast Eastern New Mexico

The Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds found out the hard way why the West Texas A&M Buffs are the No. 15 ranked team in NCAA Division II. Eddy Savoie (Saint Eustache, Que.) aided his team with five hits, four walks and five RBIs, while being plunked five times. The Buffs swept the four-game series.

Geekie gathers five hits

Noah Geekie (Strathclair, Man.) went 5-for-10 with an RBI in three games played for Emporia State. The Hornets won two of the three games he played in and were 3-3 on the week.

James, Racers off to fast start

If you’re the Northwestern Ohio Racers it’s hard not to be pleased with a 7-1 start to the season. They picked up four of those wins last week and Hunter James (Stratford, Ont.) played a key part. James came up with eight hits, a walk, three RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases. He hit a two-run home run in the only loss of the week, and season, in Game 2 of their series with Bryan. The infielder helped his team get right back on track in Game 4 by going 4-for-6 with a stolen base in a 10-7 Game 4 win.

The schedule only gets tougher for the Racers as their next three series come against ranked opponents. They visit No. 19 Middle Georgia State College for four games next week before playing a four-game set at No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett the following week. On March 5 and 6, they host No. 7 Indiana University Southeast.

Earle wins in relief

Lucas Earle (Orillia, Ont.) picked up his first win of the season in Allan Hancock’s 9-3 victory over San Diego Mesa. Earle worked four scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out four.

Villalobos provides value with his bat

Galveston College took down Baton Rouge in Game 1 of their three-game set behind a 3-for-4 performance from Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.). The 6-foot-2 infielder also drove in three runs and stole two bases. Games 2 and 3 didn’t go as well for the Whitecaps as they dropped them 4-3 and 8-4, respectively. Villalobos had a hit in Game 2 and smashed a solo home run in the finale.

Tremblay mashes for Mineral Area

Antoine Tremblay (Trois-Rivieres, Que.) played in all four of Mineral Area’s games last week and had eight hits, four walks, two RBIs, and two stolen bases. In three of the four games, Tremblay managed multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 contest with a walk and a RBI in a 9-7 loss to Copiah-Lincoln. The Cardinals went 1-3 on the week.

Hogg hammers out five hits in Marian sweep

After dropping a three-game series against Truett McConnell the previous week, the Marian Knights came out with something to prove, and they did just that against Tougaloo College. Jackson Hogg (Surrey, B.C.) supplied five hits, drove in two, and stole a base as the Knights swept the four-game set.

Hectic week for Tremblay, Trinidad State

The Trojans of Trinidad State packed six games into seven days last week and came away with a 4-2 record. Nick Tremblay (Sainte-Hilaire, Que.) finished 5-for-10 with a pair of walks, four RBIs and a stolen base.

Irvine wins his third

Connor Irvine (Victoria, B.C.) got the start for Lassen College in their opener against Yuba and tossed six scoreless innings to pick up his third win of the season.

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As the weeks pass, the list of Canadians making an impact on the field continues to grow. That will surely continue this week as the Division I season gets underway on Friday. Catch all the highlights right here in the BMOC.

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 college baseball coverage all season long.