BMOC Week XIII: Feuerstake, Giesbrecht, Gomm, McGill, O’Halloran, Tweet

North Shore Twins alum Brandon Hupe (Vancouver, BC) had six hits and drove in five runs in four games for the UBC Thunderbirds this past week. Photo: UBC Athletics

April 26, 2023

BMOC Week 13

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

College baseball teams are jockeying for position as the season rolls into the end of April and many Canadians continue to perform at a high level. Let’s take a look at the top highlights from the past week.

UBC splits with Oregon Tech

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will head into the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to take over top spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

A weekend split with top ranked Oregon Tech helped keep their hopes alive.

The Thunderbirds dropped Game 1, 12-2 before winning Game 2, 10-8. An 18-17, 10-inning loss followed in Game 3. The series concluded with a 12-7 UBC victory.

Brandon Hupe (Vancouver, BC) collected six hits, walked twice, drove in five and was hit by a pitch. He hit a solo home run in Game 1.

Trent Lenihan (White Rock, BC) went 4-for-6 with four RBIs in Game 4.

Johnny McGill (Richmond, BC) contributed nine hits, a walk and six RBIs. He gave the Thunderbirds a 17-16 lead in the top of the ninth in Game 3, only to have the Owls answer in the bottom half and win it in the 10th.

North Delta Blue Jays grad Noah Or (Richmond, BC) had a six-hit game for the UBC Thunderbirds. Photo: UBC Athletics

Noah Or (Richmond, BC) had arguably the best single-game performance of the series when he went 6-for-7 with five RBIs in the Game 3 loss. He finished the series with nine hits, a walk, six RBIs and was hit by a pair of pitches.

On the bump, Ryan Beitel (Surrey, BC) threw well in the Game 2 win. He tossed 5 1/3 innings and surrendered five runs (two earned) on six hits. He walked one and struck out five.

UBC (13-7 in CCC play) closes out the season with a four-game series versus Corban University. Oregon Tech takes on Simpson in a four-game set.

O’Halloran goes the distance

With their state and conference rival in town, the University of Michigan received a complete game performance from Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) in an 8-3 Game 2 victory over Michigan State. O’Halloran allowed three runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out five en route to his seventh win of the season.

Abram helps No. 24 Oklahoma State to win

O’Halloran wasn’t the only former Terrier who made a difference on the mound this past week. Righty Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) worked 5 2/3 innings and surrendered two runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out four as No. 24 Oklahoma State beat Kansas 14-3.

Bach, Gilbert with big weeks for NEO

Two Canucks were driving forces in the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M lineup.

Jordan Bach (Delta, BC) collected seven hits, walked twice and drove in nine. He hit a home run in a 13-9 Game 2 loss to Connors State.

ABC alum Anthony Gilbert (Quebec, Que.) had four hits in two games for the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Norsemen. Photo: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Athletics

Antony Gilbert (Quebec, Que.) was in the lineup for two games and delivered four hits and a walk.

Forno, Butt help Teton to sweep

Williston State turned the ball over to a pair of Canadians in two games against North Dakota State College of Science.

Brady Forno (Okotoks, Alta.) picked up his fourth win with six scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out three.

In the back half of the doubleheader it was Kody Butt (St. John’s, Nfld.) on the bump and he threw five scoreless innings to earn his second win. He yielded two hits, walked four and struck out seven.

Feuerstake on fire

Caleb Feuerstake (Watertown, Ont.) amassed eight hits, walked twice, drove in six and was hit by a pair of pitches in four games for McPherson College. During a 6-2 Game 2 loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan, he went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run.

Olson shows off power

Zach Olson (Red Deer, Alta.) hit a two-run home run and a solo shot to help Kansas Wesleyan defeat Avila 20-9 in Game 1 of their series. Olson was back at it with the long ball in Game 2, hitting a solo shot in a 17-3 win. In four games on the week, he had six hits, walked twice, drove in five and stole two bases.

Vauxhall Academy alum Jack Mount (Val Des Monts, Que.) tossed six scoreless innings in his start for the Cloud County T-Birds. Photo: Cloud County Athletics

Mount masterful over six

Right-hander Jack Mount (Val Des Monts, Que.) spun six scoreless innings to lead Cloud County Community College to a 2-0 win over No. 5 Barton. Mount worked around three hits and a pair of walks, while striking out six.

Complete game for Giesbrecht

Ethan Giesbrecht (Altona, Man.) threw a complete game, seven-inning shutout as Hutchinson beat Garden City 3-0 in Game 3 of their series. He allowed five hits, walked three and struck out three. Hutchinson would go on to sweep the four-game set.

Gollert gives Oral Roberts seven strong

Southpaw Harley Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) conceded two runs on five hits over seven innings of work but Oral Roberts dropped Game 2 of their series with North Dakota State 4-2. He walked two and struck out four.

Knight knows his role

Logan Knight (London, Ont.) came on in the sixth inning and threw 5 1/3 innings of relief for Ventura College in their game against Oxnard. He allowed one run on five hits and issued a pair of walks. He punched out four in the outing. Ventura would go on to win the game 3-1 in 12 innings.

Okotoks Dawgs left-hander Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) allowed just two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his start for Emporia State. Emporia State Athletics

Brunner pitches into the sixth

Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) lasted 5 1/3 innings in Emporia State’s 4-3 Game 2 loss to Missouri Western State. He allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out four.

Wilkinson stellar but suffers first loss

Even when he suffers a loss Central Arizona’s Matt Wilkinson (Ladner, BC) finds a way to pitch well. Wilkinson threw five innings, giving two runs (one earned) on three hits in a 2-0 loss to Eastern Arizona. He walked four and struck out seven.

Pouliot pitches Griffs to win

Only two of the five runs Chris Pouliot (Boischatel, Que.) surrendered were earned and the Canisius Golden Griffins pushed across 15 runs in a high scoring victory over Quinnipiac. Pouliot scattered seven hits over six innings and struck out 11. It was his first win of the season.

Saldias strikes out five

Nico Saldias (Ajax, Ont.) tossed six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and a pair of walks as Saint Xavier beat Trinity International 11-1 in Game 2 of their weekend series. Saldias struck out five, bringing his season total to 75 over 60 innings.

Langley Blaze alum Brandon Nicoll (Coombs, BC) had six hits in four games for Southern Arkansas this past week. Photo: Southern Arkansas Athletics

Nicoll not slowing down

It wasn’t No. 11 Southern Arkansas’ best week, as they went 2-2, but Brandon Nicoll (Coombs, BC) sure played well. The smooth swinging infielder had six hits, a pair of walks, a RBI and was hit by two pitches. In a 4-3 Game 2 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma, he went 3-for-4 with a solo home run.

Gomm keeps hitting

Austin Gomm (Georgetown, Ont.) had another impressive five-game stretch for Parkland College. The former Junior National Team shortstop amassed eight hits, worked five walks, drove in eight and stole two bases. He homered in each of the final three games of the Cobras series with Central Illinois.

Zapp with big series

Five hits in a three games from Brian Zapp (Waterloo, Ont.) helped propel Miami (Ohio) to a series victory over Kent State. In addition to the hits, Zapp also walked once and drove in eight. He went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and four RBIs in the only loss of the series in Game 3.

Tweet with five-hit game

Dawson Tweet (Russell, Man.) saved his best game for last for William Jewell College, going 5-for-5 with a two-run home run, five RBIs and two stolen bases in a 9-4 Game 4 win over Rockhurst. In the previous four games during the week, he had four hits, a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. The RBI came via a solo home run in a 5-2 Game 2 loss.

ABC and Junior National Team alum Robin Villenueve (Gatineau, Que) had six hits - including two home runs - in four games for Weatherford College. Photo: Baseball Quebec

Villenueve hits home runs No. 20, 21

It’s been tough for opposing pitchers to keep Weatherford College’s Robin Villenueve (Gatineau, Que.) in the yard this season. Take last week as an example. Villenueve hit home run No. 20 in a 5-4 Game 3 win over Cisco before hitting No. 21 in an 11-3 win to secure the series sweep. In total, he had six hits, four walks and nine RBIs in the four games. Weatherford is now 38-9.

Batista fans nine

Making his first appearance in the BMOC, Dylan Batista (Calderon, Ont.) sure earned it with his performance last week. Batista threw six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in Dawson Community College’s 4-3 loss to North Dakota State College of Science. The sophomore walked two and struck out six.

Duffy named MAAC Pitcher of the Week

For the third time this season, Canisius right-hander Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) has been named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week. Duffy threw six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in a 7-6 Game 1 win over Quinnipiac. He issued a pair of walks and fanned 11 en route to improving to 4-2.

Mah mashes three home runs

Jayden Mah (Nanaimo, BC) had a huge week for Missouri Valley College that featured six hits, three walks and six RBIs. Mah hit a solo home run in a 5-4 Game 2 win over Benedictine. He followed it up with a solo home run in a 6-5 victory in Game 3 before hitting a two-run shot in a 12-9 Game 4 loss.

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One week remains in April and it marks the end of the regular season for some schools. Make sure to bookmark the BMOC and check back in seven days for another rundown of the top performers.

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.

Be sure to follow Matt Betts at @Bettsy41 for extensive Canadian baseball coverage all season long.