February 27, 2024

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

With each passing week, Canadians continue to put together strong performances for their college teams.

From showcasing their power at the plate to getting big outs on the mound, there were no shortage of highlights across all levels.

Let’s check out some of the best from Feb. 19 to 25.

Thunderbirds soar to series win over Bushnell

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds took three of four from Bushnell University to improve to 11-4 ahead of a four-game series at NAIA No. 3 Lewis-Clark State beginning Friday.

The Thunderbirds received three straight quality starts to begin the series.

First up, Sean Heppner (Point Roberts, Wash.) threw six innings and allowed two runs on four hits in the only loss of the series in Game 1, a 4-2 defeat. Heppner walked two and struck out six.

Brother Ryan Heppner (Point Roberts, Wash.) got the ball in Game 2 and also tossed six innings. He surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in a 7-3 win.

It was more of the same in Game 3 as Ryan Beitel (Langley, BC) spun six innings and gave up four hits, one run and a pair of walks. He fanned seven in a 9-2 victory.

On the offensive side, Trent Lenihan (White Rock, BC) and Russell Young led the way.

Lenihan had eight hits, walked once and collected four RBIs. He went 3-for-5 in Game’s 3 and 4.

Young pounded out six hits, worked a walk and drove in a pair. He hit a solo home run to open the scoring in the Game 1 loss.

Brown earns first win at USF

It was a good first impression for Matt Brown (Oakville, Ont.) at the University of South Florida. He worked five innings and allowed one run on three hits in an 11-1 Game 3 victory over Marist. The former Terrier worked around five walks and struck out four.

Hammill with four multi-hit games

Another Terriers alumni had a strong showing for Central Arizona. Elijha Hammill (Oakville, Ont.) had four multi-hit games and nine knocks in all as his team closed out the week with a 3-1 record. Hammill added two walks, five RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. He homered in a 7-3 victory over South Mountain.

Gurney goes deep three times

Austin Gurney (Campbell River, BC) started his week going 4-for-5 with a solo home run, a three-run home run and five RBIs as the University of Pikeville out slugged Midway 14-12. Gurney had a hit and a walk in a 4-3 loss to Bryan College before hitting a two-run home run in an 11-10 victory in the rematch.

Favretto with five home runs

I mentioned power was plentiful this past week, right? Kansas Wesleyan’s Tyler Favretto (Montreal, Que.) flexed his offensive muscle with five home runs, three of the solo variety and a pair of two-run home runs. When the dust settled, Favretto finished with seven hits, six walks, 11 RBIs and a hit by pitch in seven games.

Benton brilliant in William Woods win

Max Benton (Clyde River, PEI) threw a complete game, seven innings to aid William Woods in a 5-2 victory over Mission University. Benton yielded two runs on six hits and punched out six.

Gunderson hits a pair of home runs

Hutchinson Community College’s Cody Gunderson (St. Malo, Man.) collected seven hits and drove in four in four games. Gunderson hit a two-run home run to open the scoring in an 18-3 win over the Central Christian College JV’s. He homered again, this time a solo shot, in a 4-1 loss to McLennan.

Cote shows off power

Josh Cote (Midland, Ont.) got in on the action for Northeastern Junior College with 11 hits, three walks and 19 RBIs. He hit a home run in all six games for the Plainsmen. For his efforts, he was named Region 9 Player of the Week.

Morro mashes opposing pitching

It was a six-hit week for CJ Morro (Cheltenham, Ont.) of the Chattanooga State Community College Tigers. Morro tacked on five walks, six RBIs and a stolen base. He went 3-for-5 with a home run, a walk and three RBIs in a 17-7 victory over Gadsden State Community College.

Martin helps Abilene Christian to series win

Eric Martin (Kitchener, Ont.) finished 3-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two RBIs as Abilene Christian beat Penn, 9-3, in Game 4 to secure a series victory.

Jean earns first victory

Southpaw Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) spun six scoreless innings to lead the University of Houston to a 7-2 Game 2 win over St. John’s. Jean allowed four hits, a pair of walks and struck out six.

Pare improves to 4-0

Make it four starts and four wins for Pensacola State Community College right-hander Matteo Pare (Windsor, Ont.). He pitched five scoreless innings and gave up three hits in a 10-0 win over Enterprise State. The one-time Windsor Select struck out five along the way.

Beck backs Marauders offence

Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) had himself a fine week, amassing eight hits, three walks and 11 RBIs. Beck went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and a three-run home run in the Maurauders’ 18-8 Game 4 loss to Minnesota State University-Mankato.

Groves gives Purple Eagles punch

Leadoff man Nick Groves (London, Ont.) had five hits, two walks, three RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch in Niagara University’s three-game series with Queens. He saved his best performance for last, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk, three RBIs, a stolen base and a hit by pitch as the Purple Eagles salvaged a win in Game 3.

Hall the heart of Bethel’s lineup

Jared Hall (Chilliwack, BC) helped kickstart the Bethel University lineup with eight hits, two walks, eight RBIs and a pair of stolen bases as his team swept a four-game series from Michigan-Dearborn. Hall closed the series with a 4-for-5 game with a two-run home run and three RBIs.

Luchies aids Lower Columbia in sweep

Owen Luchies (Victoria, BC) did his part in Lower Columbia’s four-game sweep of Bellevue by throwing six innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits in a 10-4 Game 3 victory. He walked three and struck out seven.

Macintosh strikes out 10

Cloud County’s Jack Macintosh (Penticton, BC) struck out 10 in a complete game, seven-inning 3-2 win over Southeast. He scattered six hits.

Dow helps Redhawks avoid sweep

Lefty Haden Dow (Saint John, NB) came up with a seven stellar innings to help Southeast Missouri State from being swept by St. Thomas. Dow conceded three runs (two earned) on five hits with five strikeouts in a 10-3 Game 4 win.

Morin delivers win over Gardner-Webb

Felix Morin (Quebec, Que.) threw five innings and surrendered one run on four hits with four punch outs as Canisius beat Gardner-Webb 8-5.

Foti evens record

Looking for a series split, Brescia University turned to Jonathon Foti (Brampton, Ont.) on the mound in Game 4 of their series with Rochester. Foti turned in six innings and gave up one run on five hits in a 7-2 win. He issued four walks and struck out 10.

Lewis lasts six as Earlham secures series win

Six innings and three runs (two earned) from Braeden Lewis (Oshawa, Ont.) was enough for Earlham College as they downed the University of Olivet 14-4 in Game 3 to win their series. Lewis allowed six hits, walked three and struck out five.

Hazell handles Wolf Pack

Andrew Hazell (Brantford, Ont.) worked five scoreless innings of relief as the University of San Francisco picked up a 7-2 Game 3 victory over the University of Nevada. Hazell gave up two hits, walked five and struck out six to earn the win.

Marsh lasts seven in loss

Despite getting seven innings from starter Matt Marsh (Havelock, Ont.), Mineral Area College fell 4-3 in Game 3 of their series with Coahoma. Marsh yielded one run on five hits, walked three and struck out 10.

Whent with nine hits

A busy week didn’t bother Josh Whent (Oshawa, Ont.) as he put together nine hits, a walk, five RBIs and four stolen bases in seven games.

Achen named NAIA Pitcher of the Week

Lindsey Wilson right-hander Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.) threw a complete game, seven innings in a 4-0 win over Goshen. Achen allowed four hits, walked four and struck out 16. He also fanned a pair in an inning of work during a midweek victory over Bryan College. He was later named the NAIA Pitcher of the Week, becoming the first Blue Raider to ever garner the honour.

Vulcano powers Ottawa to 4-0 week

There’s that power word again. Ottawa University infielder Johnny Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) had three, two home run games as the Braves closed the week with a 4-0 record. Vulcano went 4-for-5 with a solo and a three-run home run in a midweek win over Kansas Wesleyan. To open their series with Southwestern College, Vulcano hit a solo shot, a grand slam and walked to lead his team to a 12-4 victory. A hit and an RBI followed in a 12-1 Game 3 win. During the finale, a 7-5 win, he hit a solo home run and a two-run home run to put his team on top for good. He was also hit by a pitch in the game.

That’s a wrap for the final weekend of action in February.

Check back in seven days for the top performers as the calendar flips to March.

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.