May 4, 2022

BMOC Week 15

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

We’ve hit the month of May and that means college postseason baseball is right around the corner, or in some cases, upon us.

Many teams continue to rely heavily on their Canadian talent to help them bring home the ultimate prize. Let’s take a look at who stood out from April 25 to May 1.

McCabe ties 49ers single-game home run record

Infielder David McCabe (Oshawa, Ont.) put his power on full display during Charlotte’s five games last week. McCabe hit six home runs and drove in 18 as the 49ers went 5-0. The former Ontario Blue Jay hit three solo home runs in a 25-4 Game 2 win over Marshall which tied the 49ers single-game record. When all was said and done, he had 12 hits and added six walks.

McCabe has been named the Dick Howser Trophy National Co-Hitter of the Week and the Conference USA Player of the Week.

Myers the Big South Player of the Week

A home run in all three of USC Upstate’s games against Gardner Webb earned Noah Myers (Tilbury, Ont.) the Big South Conference Player of the Week. Myers collected four hits, a walk and six RBIs. He hit a solo home run in a 10-3 Game 1 loss, a two-run shot in a 9-8 Game 2 win, and a three-run homer in 4-1 win in the finale.

Howard, De Grandpre named to All-Conference teams

Two Canadian Chipola teammates, Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.) and Cedric De Grandpre (St-Simon, Que.), were named to an All-Panhandle Conference team.

Howard was a first-teamer after going 7-2 with a 2.52 ERA over 53 2/3 innings.

De Grandpre was named to the second team thanks to a 7-3 record and a 2.89 ERA over 62 1/3 innings.

Next up for for Chipola is a three-game set with St. Johns River State College in the South Atlantic District Tournament.

Stovman tosses no-no

Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge, BC) threw a seven inning no-hitter in Galveston’s 4-0 blanking of Blinn in Game 2 of their series. Stovman punched out eight to improve to 3-2.

Caskenette named to All-Conference, All-Region teams

Catcher Connor Caskenette (Duncan, BC) has been named to the All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Team and the All-Region I Team thanks to a .355 average with five home runs and 47 RBIs in 2022.

Saul up to old tricks

Eli Saul (Vancouver, BC) was doing what he does best in Game 1 for Sacramento State, shutting down the opposing offence. Saul threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits in the Hornets’ 2-1 win over California Baptist. He issued three walks and struck out seven. Surprisingly, he left with his team down 1-0 but they managed to push across two in the bottom of the eighth for the victory.

Saldias stymies over seven

Right hander Nico Saldias (Ajax, Ont.) surrendered two runs on four hits over seven innings of work in Saint Xavier’s 6-5 win over Olivet Nazarene. Saldias walked one and punched out nine in the start.

Purple Eagles stay not

The Niagara Purple Eagles stretched their win streak to six games with four victories last week and two Canadians played key roles.

Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.) put together seven hits, walked three times, drove in five and was hit by a pitch. He had two hits in all three games of their series with Saint Peter’s.

Matt Ward (Mississauga, Ont.) had six hits, two walks and three RBIs in the three-game sweep of the Peacocks. Ward had a hit in Game 1, two hits in Game 2 and three hits in Game 3.

The Purple Eagles have also won nine of their last 10.

UBC sweeps Oregon Tech to wrap up regular season

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds showed just how important home field can be in 2022. Their last home game prior to this season was March 1 against the Oregon Tech Owls. This season they finished 13-2 at home, including a four-game sweep of those Owls this past weekend.

Ryan Beitel (Surrey, BC) got things started with six innings of work in a 3-2 Game 1 win. Beitel surrendered one run on three hits. He walked two and punched out nine.

Branden Woods (Red Deer, Alta.) got the ball in Game 2 and lasted 7 2/3 innings in a 3-1 win. Woods yielded one run on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Shane Laforest (Belle River, Ont.) started Game 3 and threw 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Offensively, it was Mike Fitzsimmons (Chilliwack, BC), Trent Lenihan (White Rock, BC) and Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) doing the damage.

Fitzsimmons had five hits, three walks, three RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. He hit a solo home run in a 3-2 Game 1 win. In the finale, a 9-6 victory, he was 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk, and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot.

Lenihan chipped in four hits and a pair of RBIs. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Game 4.

McGill also had four hits and added a walk, two RBIs and was hit by a pitch.

Dick, Grant make Griffs offence go

Carlin Dick (Abbotsford, BC) and Max Grant (Fredericton, N.B.) were an offensive force for the Canisius Golden Griffins.

Dick pounded out four hits, two walks, three RBIs and was hit by three pitches in three games. He smashed a two-run home run in a 10-8 midweek win over St. Bonaventure.

Grant on the other hand produced 13 hits, a walk, nine RBIs, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. He had four hits in both the 10-8 win over St. Bonaventure and a 12-7 Game 1 victory over Siena. In Game 2, a 9-2 win, he hit a two-run home run.

Blunt halts offenses, Hammond, Oliver hammer baseballs for D’Youville

The Saints of D’Youville received strong performances on the mound from starter Kyle Blunt (Watford, Ont.) and in the batter’s box from Ethan Hammond (Oakville, Ont.) and Oliver Craig (Fredericton, N.B.).

Blunt made his first start in a midweek game against Mansfield. Blunt tossed five innings and conceded two runs on five hits. He walked one and punched out seven. Back on the mound against Staten Island later in the week, he spun five scoreless innings in a 3-2 win. He worked around seven hits and a pair of walks to earn the win.

Hammond came up with nine knocks, three walks, and three RBIs. He twice had a three-hit game and finished a home run short of the cycle in a 14-9 Game 1 loss to Mercy.

Oliver chipped in five hits, five RBIs and a stolen base. He launched a home run in a 3-2 victory over Staten Island.

Saskatoon Diamondbacks alum Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) had seven hits - including two home runs - in three games for Cumberland. Photo: Cumberland Athletics

Machibroda leads Phoenix past Thomas More

Fresh off being named the Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week, Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, Sask.) provided Cumberland University with seven hits, including two home runs, three walks and 12 RBIs as the Phoenix won their Mid-South Conference Tournament Opening Round series 2-1 over Thomas More. He hit a grand slam in a 16-5 Game 1 win. The Phoenix will now face Georgetown in the Mid-South Conference Championships.

Mendham helps Cowboys sweep Texas

It was a statement series for the No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowboys as they went on the road and swept No 10 Texas in a three-game series. David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) hit a pair of solo home runs in an 8-6 Game 1 win. He followed it up with a solo shot and two RBIs in a 14-3 Game 2 thumping. To round out his weekend, he had a hit and a walk in a 10-8 Game 3 win. During a midweek contest, he also walked twice in a 12-6 win against Wichita State.

Letson goes the distance

Adam Letson (Elmira, Ont.) threw a complete game, seven innings to pick up the win in Lakeland’s 6-2 defeat of Edison State. Letson scattered six hits, walked two and struck out one.

MacNeil shuts out Concord

Ontario Terriers grad Owen MacNeil (Georgetown, Ont.) spun a complete game, seven-inning shutout for the University of Charleston in their 7-0 Game 1 win over Concord. MacNeil yielded two hits, walked two and punched out 11.

Lund throws complete game

Sticking with the theme of complete games, Jaryd Lund (London, Ont.) threw a seven-inning complete game to help Salem defeat Virginia State 6-1 in Game 1 of their three-game set. He conceded four hits, walked one and struck out nine.

Sanasie-Edwards offence helps St. Clair to 4-2 week

In what was another busy week for the St. Clair Community College Skippers, Ethan Sanasie-Edwards (Mississauga, Ont.) was up to the challenge. Sanasie-Edwards amassed eight hits, six of which came in three, two-hit games. He also walked four times and drove in four. The onetime Ontario Terrier hit a home run in a 9-4 Game 3 win over Delta.

Savoie with eight hits out of the leadoff spot

Eddy Savoie (Saint-Eustache, Que.) chipped in eight hits and three RBIs for No. 13 West Texas A&M in their four-game series against St. Edwards to close out the regular season. The Buffs split the series. Next up is a three-game series with Oklahoma Christian to open the Lone Star Conference Championships.

MacDonald kicks Kankakee offence into high gear

Six hits came off the bat of Kankakee’s Braeden MacDonald (Coruna, Ont.) this past week. MacDonald walked three times, drove in six and stole a base. He hit a home run in back-to-back games against Carl Sandberg.

Ottawa clinches conference regular season crown

Jonah Weisner (Mission, BC) supplied 10 hits, a walk, seven RBIs and five stolen bases as No. 13 Ottawa University completed their week 4-0 to clinch the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship. He went 4-for-5 with six RBIs and a stolen base in a 10-0 Game 3 win over Sterling in the final game of the season.

Takamatsu finishes regular season hitting .326

The regular season is in the books for Garrett Takamatsu (Burlington, Ont.) and the Central Oklahoma Bronchos. They beat East Central in a midweek contest before taking two of three from Emporia State to wrap things up. Takamatsu had nine hits, nine RBIs, two stolen bases and was hit by a pitch. He swatted a two-run home run in the midweek win. The next game, a 15-1 Game 1 win over the Hornets, he hit another two-run shot. On the season, he hit .326 with 18 home runs, 62 RBI, and a 1.134 OPS. The Bronchos now head into the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

Boscarino bashes

Luca Boscarino (Mississauga, Ont.) collected himself six hits, a walk and six RBIs in five games for Connors State. He hit a home run in a 20-1 drubbing of Oklahoma Wesleyan.

Cuvilier produces on the mound and in the box, Ouelette offers up six hits

The man can do it all. Layton Cuvilier (Hantsport, N.S.) threw a complete game, five-inning no-hitter with seven strike outs in Sullivan County’s 12-0 Game 3 win over Orange County. Over the course of the four-game series, he also had five hits, five walks, seven RBIs and three stolen bases.

Alex Ouellette (Middle Sackville, N.S.) had at least one hit in all four of their games this past week. Ouellette had six hits in total to go along with five RBIs. Three of his hits went for extra bases.

NCCC gets offence from Ferris, Tani

Matthew Ferris (Vaughan, Ont.) and Chris Tani (Oakville, Ont.) provided plenty of offence for Niagara County Community College in their three-game set with Onondaga.

Ferris had five hits, walked four times and drove in two. He doubled three times in the series.

Tani, on the other hand, collected five hits, two walks, seven RBIs and four stolen bases. He hit a home run and finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two stolen bases in a 9-1 Game 3 win.

The Thunderwolves dropped the opener but would go on to win the series 3-1.

McGarry-Doyle mashes during busy week for Blackhawks

Looking at Southeastern Community College outfielder Noel McGarry-Doyle’s stats from the past week can be overwhelming, so let’s summarize. The former Toronto Met pounded out 12 hits, walked five times, drove in nine and stole three. The Vaughan, Ont., native swatted a home run in a 12-2 win over Southwestern.

Williams keeps up offensive output

Malik Williams (Toronto, Ont.) has been a consistent performer for Lipscomb this season and it continued this past week. Williams had seven hits, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base in four games. He hit a solo home run in a 10-2 midweek win over Tennessee Tech. The Bisons took two of three from Central Arkansas over the weekend.

Warkentin wallops three home runs

Eastern Michigan infielder Daniel Warkentin saved his best for last. Warkentin hit three solo home runs in a 19-4 Game 4 win over Bowling Green. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in a 6-5 Game 1 win. In a 6-3 Game 3 win, he walked and was hit by two pitches.

Torresan supplies hits

Matt Torresan (Burlington, Ont.) amassed six hits, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base for Iowa Lakes in five games.

Batista beats Lake Region State, Scrappy Scragg gets on base

Two Canadian Buccaneers were crucial contributors for Dawson.

Dylan Batista (Calderon, Ont.) hurled five innings and gave up an unearned run on two hits in Dawson Community College’s 11-1 drubbing of Lake Region State in Game 1 of their four-game series. Batista worked around five walks and struck out five.

In six games, Nathan Scragg chipped in 10 hits, two walks, five RBIs and four stolen bases for Dawson Community College. The Buccaneers were 3-3 in the games he played.

Palmiere and Smith last five for Teton

Tyler Smith (Winnipeg, Man.) threw five innings and allowed two runs on five hits as Williston State dropped a 2-1 decision to North Dakota College of Science in Game 1. Smith walked two and struck out nine.

Derek Palmiere (Okotoks, Alta.) surrendered one run on two hits over five innings in Williston State’s Game 2 victory. Palmiere issued two walks and struck out three.

Vulcano does both for Trojans

On the mound in Colby’s game against McCook, John Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) tossed two innings and surrendered a run on one hit. He issued three walks. In the other five games he played in, the Vauxhall Jets grad put together seven hits, walked once and drove in three. He had three hits, one of which left the yard, in an 18-7 Game 2 win over Seward County.

Farrell an offensive rock for Rockhurst

Devon Farrell (Saskatoon, Sask.) had a strong series for Rockhurst against Lindenwood. In four games, he had five hits, a walk, two RBIs and was hit by a pitch. Unfortunately for his side, they lost the series 3-1.

Georget gathers four hits

The series between Nebraska Wesleyan and Central came down to Game 3 and Paul Georget (Stettler, Alta.) came through with a 2-for-4 performance for the former in a 9-5 win. The first two games saw him have a hit, a walk and an RBI in each.

Villalobos brings the offence for Whitecaps

Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) chipped in seven hits, a walk, five RBIs and a stolen base for Galveston. He swatted a home run in a 6-4 win over Spartan Academy.

Manias, Vasquez lead Howard to sweep

A pair of Canucks helped Howard College sweep a four-game set from El Paso.

Aaron Manias (Uxbridge, Ont.) chipped in seven hits, a walk, eight RBIs and a stolen base. He was 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs in a 21-2 Game 2 win.

Julio Vasquez (Cambridge, Ont.) had six hits, three RBIs and two stolen bases. He went 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBIs and a stolen base.

Babiuk slams Mayville State

Jaden Babiuk (St. Albert, Alta.) had four hits in two games for Valley City State as they split a pair with Mayville State.

Sauve has four-hit games, Tremblay adds four hits

Benji Sauve (Mascouche, Que.) and Nick Tremblay (Saint-Hilaire, Que.) played well for Trinidad State.

Sauve accumulated four hits, a walk, four RBIs and a stolen base in three games. He put together a 4-for-4 performance with four RBIs in a 16-1 Game 3 win over Lamar.

Tremblay had two hits, an RBI and two stolen bases in a pair of games.

The Trojans took two of three from Lamar.

Bushey and Tremblay torch opposition

Mineral Area got lots of offence from Liam Bushey (Mission, BC) and Antoine Tremblay (Trois Rivieres, Que.) in their four games.

Bushey had six hits, three walks and six RBIs. He hit a home run in a 13-11 loss to State Fair.

Tremblay stroked five hits, walked twice and drove in a run.

Tanner has four multi-hit games

Dawson Tanner (Russell, Man.) racked up 10 hits, two walks and 12 RBIs as South Suburban went 4-1 on the week. Tanner went 3-for-4 with a home run in a 5-1 victory over Oakton.

Crowell, Grant produce in eight game week

The regular season slate came to an end with eight games last week for Bismarck State.

Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) collected 10 hits, five walks, 14 RBIs and stole a base. He launched a home run in a 17-3 Game 2 win.

Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) also had a huge week. He had 12 hits, drove in 14 and swiped three bases.

Grant closes the regular season with an astounding .496 average. Crowell wasn't far behind hitting at a .486 clip.

Cazorla, Crowson, Grinberg great for Bossier Parish

Seth Gurr (Coaldale, Alta.), Alejandro Cazorla (Okotoks, Alta.), Connor Crowson (Okotoks, Alta.), and Simon Grinberg (Kitchener, Ont.) of the Bossier Parish Cavaliers were another set of teammates that performed at a high level.

Gurr picked up his ninth win of the season by allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits over seven innings in the Cavaliers’ 8-5 victory over Northeast Texas. Gurr walked one and struck out five.

Cazorla had six hits and a walk in four games.

Crowson also had six hits, walked twice and drove in four. He went 4-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs in an 8-3 victory over Navarro.

Grinberg smashed four home runs and finished with six hits, a walk and eight RBIs.

Cratty cranks out four homers

There was no shortage of power from Rhys Cratty (Surrey, BC) this past week. Cratty hit a home run in all four of Southwest Baptist’s games against Maryville. He hit a three-run shot in the opener and a solo shot in games 1, 2 and 3. Overall, he had 10 hits, a walk, and eight RBIs.

Feuerstake and McPherson riding high into KCAC Tournament

It has to be a good feeling to sweep your final series heading into the conference tournament. The No. 17 McPherson College Bulldogs did just that by taking all three against Friends University. Caleb Feuerstake (Waterdown, Ont.) played a key role in all three wins. He went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and was hit by a pitch in a 11-5 Game 1 win. In Game 2, he walked and drove in a run. To cap it all off, he was 2-for-4 with a stolen base in an 11-4 victory in the final game of the series. The Bulldogs finish the regular season 38-10. Feuerstake owned a .391 average in 48 games. Next on the schedule is the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

Sugi strokes hits for Kaskaskia

Kenneth Sugi (North Vancouver, BC) put together a five-hit week for Kaskaskia. He walked twice and drove in five as his squad went 2-3.

Draayer drives in three

After recently committing to the University of British Columbia, David Draayers (Abbotsford, BC) continued to show what the Thunderbirds are getting. Draayers went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in Northeastern’s 9-2 Game 1 win over Southeast. He had a hit and walked three times in a 10-8 Game 2 win, before collecting a hit and an RBI in a 21-11 Game 3 loss.

Mather makes things happen for Kangaroos

Mackenzie Mather (Kemptville, Ont.) provided a lot of production for SUNY Canton. Mather had seven hits, a walk and four RBIs. To open the week, he hit a three-run home run in a 22-6 loss to St. Lawrence

Ironside outstanding in Marshalltown win, named ICCAC Athlete of the Week

Josh Ironside (St. Albert, Alta.) earned his second win of the year in Marshalltown’s 6-5 win over Kirkwood. Ironside threw six innings and allowed two runs on six hits with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts. For his start, he was named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week.

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It’s one of the most exciting times of the year for college baseball fans as teams head down the final leg of their campaigns and into the postseason. The pressure cooker only gets hotter from here. Check back next week to see which performances make the weekly 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 Canadian baseball coverage all season long.