BMOC Week XIX: Hicks, Lawson, Sebastianelli, Smith, Villalobos, White
Terriers and Junior National Team grad Austin Gomm (Georgetown, Ont.) was a key contributor to the LSU Shreveport Pirates who went an astounding 59-0 this season and won the NAIA World Series. Photo: LSU Shreveport Athletics/X
June 2, 2025
BMOC Week 19
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
Canada has a national champion.
Plus, postseason action continued across other levels of college baseball this past week.
Let’s take a look at which Canadians are still contributing.
Gomm helps Pilots win World Series
The LSU Shreveport Pilots did what no team has done before, run the table from start to finish. With their 13-7 victory over the Southeastern University Fire, they won the NAIA World Series and finished the season a perfect 59-0.
Austin Gomm (Georgetown, Ont.) was a key offensive threat all season long for the Pilots and in five World Series games he had a pair of hits, walked twice, drove in four and stole a base. His first hit of the tournament was a two-run home run to open the scoring in a Game 1 win over Grand View.
Fire extinguished in the final
Three Canadians and the Southeastern University Fire came oh so close to winning the NAIA World Series but ultimately fell to the perfect LSU Shreveport Pilots in the national championship game.
Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) had four hits, walked three times, drove in six and was hit by a pitch over five games. He hit a solo shot in a Game 1 win against Webber International and a two-run shot in a Game 4 victory versus Georgia Gwinnett.
Tyler Hinrikus (Waterloo, Ont.) chipped in four hits, walked twice, drove in a pair and was hit by a pitch. Three of Hinrikus’ four hits were doubles.
Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) started the World Series by going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and four RBIs. In the following four games, he collected five hits and was hit by a pair of pitches.
Ontario Blue Jays alum Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) had four hits and three RBIs in three games for the West Virginia Mountaineers to help them punch their ticket to the Super Regionals. Photo: West Virginia Athletics
White, Mountaineers off to Super Regional
Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) produced four hits, a walk, three RBIs and was hit by a pitch as West Virginia went 3-0 in the Clemson Regional to punch their ticket to the Super Regionals. During a 9-6 win over the hosts, he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. The Mountaineers will face the winner of LSU and Arkansas at Little Rock.
Knight pitches Bison past Jayhawks, Smith hits
With their season on the line, North Dakota State right-hander Logan Knight (London, Ont.) delivered 6 1/3 innings to lead the Bison to a 4-3 win over Kansas in the Fayetteville Regional. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
Dante Smith (Ajax, Ont.) had four hits and drove in four over three games. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI in an 11-10 loss to Creighton that eliminated the Bison.
Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) had eight hits in three games for the Florida Gators. Photo: Florida Athletics
Lawson’s impressive freshman campaign comes to an end
Former Ontario Blue Jay Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) closed out his first college season with a strong performance in the Conway Regional. He collected eight hits, walked once and drove in four in three games. In their opening game loss to East Carolina, he hit a solo shot before going 5-for-7 with three RBIs during a victory over Fairfield. The Gators then fell to ECU again to see their season come to an end. Lawson finishes the campaign second on the team in average at .317 and also hit 10 home runs.
Sebastianelli with three-hit game in World Series
The only two games the SUNY Niagara Thunderwolves lost all season came in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series. Nigel Sebastianelli (St. Catharines, Ont.) chipped in four hits, a walk and three RBIs in four games. He went 3-for-6 with a solo home run in a 8-6 loss to Dallas College Richland that ended their season.
Lachance, McLennan fall in Juco World Series semifinal
Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) and McLennan Community College came up just short of reaching the NJCAA Division I World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., falling in the semifinal to Walters State Community College.
Lachance had nine hits, four walks and eight RBIs in five games. He hit a grand slam during an 18-9 win over Blinn.
The calendar has flipped to June and the college season is winding down.
Come back for one more BMOC in seven days.
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.