May 19, 2021

BMOC Week 16

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Awards were handed out, championships were won and top performances were on display.

That’s what this week of the BMOC has in store. Check out all the action below.

Region 18 POY Palmegiani propels Southern Nevada to title

The Region 18 Player of the Year award was handed out and it was given to a familiar name to BMOC readers. The College of Southern Nevada’s Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) took home the honour. Palmegiani has hit .393 on the campaign with 24 home runs, 77 RBIs, a .524 on-base percentage, a .869 slugging percentage and 13 stolen bases. He was also a First Team All-Region 18 selection.

The Coyotes season isn’t over yet though.

His team needed him and he stepped up during the Region 18 playoffs. The Arizona Wildcat commit combined to go 6-for-19 with three home runs and nine RBIs to assist his team in winning the championship. He smashed a three-run and a two-run home run in a 13-4 win over Utah State Eastern. His other blast, a solo shot, came in a 21-11 win over Salt Lake Community College. The strong play earned him the Region XVIII All-Tournament Team honours.

Bedard the GAC Player of the Year

When the regular season ended and the votes were tallied it was Alex Bedard (Levis, Que.) of the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldogs who was named the Great American Conference Player of the Year. Bedard’s season included a .398 average, a .476 on-base percentage, a .634 slugging percentage and 30 steals. The outfielder was named to the All-GAC Defensive Team as well thanks to his .964 fielding percentage.

O’Toole takes home ICCAC honour

Dominant is a good word to describe the performance of Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, NS) of the Iowa Western Reivers this year. O’Toole pitched to a 9-0 record and a miniscule 1.13 ERA over 11 appearances, 10 of which were starts, and 55 innings. Because of these numbers, he was named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

On to the games.

When Game 1 of the postseason rolled around for the Reivers, they gave the ball to, you guessed it, Evan O’Toole. He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings, gave up six hits and struck out five in a 4-3 win over Indian Hills.

Chester Pitcher of the Year

Fynn Chester (Victoria, BC) took home the Region 18 Pitcher of the Year award after posting an 8-2 record with a 3.25 ERA over 63 2/3 innings for the Salt Lake Community College Bruins. Chester also collected First Team All-Region 18 honours. He didn’t let the award distract him from his start against the College of Idaho in the Region 18 tournament. He pitched six innings and worked around 10 hits to allow four runs (two earned) in a 9-6 win. The right-hander walked one and struck out four in the start.

Keller powers Grizzlies to A.I.I. title, named POY

Behind a 3-for-4 game with a three-run home run and seven RBIs from Griffin Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.), the No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies defeated Fisher College to claim their fifth Association of Independent Institutions championship. The Grizzlies now head to Santa Barbara, Calif., for the Opening Round of the NAIA tournament. Not only did Keller win a championship, but he was also named the A.I.I. Player of the year. He has hit an eye popping .495 with 12 home runs, 71 RBIs, a .561 on-base percentage and a .866 slugging percentage.

Adam McKillican (Comox, BC) is also a valuable member of the Grizzlies pitching staff.

Pugh picked to First Team

Aaron Pugh (Boissevain, Man.) was certainly a valuable member of the Jamestown Jimmies pitching staff. In 19 appearances and 20 2/3 innings, Pugh had a 1.74 ERA, six saves and 28 punch outs. He held opponents to a .179 average. These numbers earned him a seat on the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference First Team.

Grandmont recognized for strong season

Northwest Nazarene third baseman Shawn Grandmont (Lethbridge, Alta.) was named to the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference First Team. Grandmont hit .346 with nine home runs and 52 RBIs during the 2021 season. On the bases, he stole 21 bags in 23 tries.

Harold an All-GPAC selection

Colton Harold (Abbotsford, BC) finished 2021 with a .333 average and was named to the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference First Team. Harold’s 12 home runs were tied for sixth in the GPAC. He was tied for ninth in RBIs with 42 and his .655 slugging percentage ranked him 10th in the conference.

Lichty lands in All-Conference, Gold Glove team

Huntington Forester standout Daniel Lichty (Denfield, Ont.) was selected to the All-Crossroads League Team. Lichty put together a stellar season that included a .354 average, nine home runs, 47 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. His .945 fielding percentage landed him on the Crossroads League Gold Glove team as well.

But there were still games to be played for the Foresters.

The Foresters of Huntington were 2-0 in the Crossroads League tournament heading into last week when they dropped games to No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan, 8-5, and Mount Vernon Nazarene, 4-2 to see their season come to an end. Lichty chipped in two hits, including a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in the first loss. He gathered two more hits and a RBI in their season finale. In all, he had five hits in the tournament.

Borman named to First Team

An offensive stat line of a .341 average, 15 home runs and 38 RBIs landed Dylan Borman (Camrose, Alta.) a spot on the All-Great American Conference First Team as a shortstop. Borman also got on base at a .403 clip and slugged .765 for the Arkansas Monticello Weevils.

Two Canadian Cardinals named to First Team

It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who follows this column that both Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) and Ben Jones (Toronto, Ont.) of the Mineral Area College Cardinals were named to the All-Region XVI First-Team.

In 42 games played, Hicks had an average of .415 with and flexed his muscle to the tune of 17 home runs and 56 RBIs.

Not to be outdone, Jones .427 with five home runs 36 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.

Three Griffs Freshman land on All-Rookie Team

The future is bright for the Canisius Golden Griffins. Three Griffin freshman were named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie Team.

Carlin Dick (Abbotsford, BC) hit .348 and posted a 1.077 OPS in 17 games.

Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) was 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA over 14 2/3 innings.

And Max Grant (Fredericton, NB) posted a .355 average and a .929 OPS to go along with 13 walks in 22 games played.

The Griffins are set to host Marist in their MAAC best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Purple Eagle Pride

Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, Nfld.) was named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Second Team. Tucker’s .381 average led the Niagara Purple Eagles this season. He had an on-base percentage of .475 and slugged .548. The Purple Eagles are off to Lawrenceville, NJ to take on Rider in a best-of-three MAAC quarterfinal series.

Kauffeldt claims All-Conference honour

The Empire 8 unveiled their All-Conference selections and Houghton College’s Jason Kauffeldt (Oshawa, Ont.) landed on the Second Team. Kauffeldt owned a .256, drove in 30 runs, scored 32 times and was 18-for-20 in stolen base attempts. He was also the Highlanders’ representative on the 2021 Empire 8 Baseball Sportsman of the Year Team. Those selected to the team show the traits of an outstanding sportsman including honour and integrity.

Aidan Massad pitches his way on to Second Team

Thanks to a 4-0 record and a 1.52 ERA, Aidan Massad (Leamington, Ont.) was named to the All-Mountain East Conference Second Team. On top of those numbers, Massad owns a .89 WHIP and has held opponents to a .188 batting average against. He also has 33 punch outs in 23 2/3 innings.

Takamatsu takes home Second Team recognition

Garrett Takamatsu (Burlington, Ont.) has been named to the All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Third Team. Takamatsu is hitting .373 with 47 hits, five home runs, 29 RBIs and 29 runs scored. The accolade wasn’t the only thing the young Canadian had to be proud of last week as he struck for four hits, four walks and two RBIs as Central Oklahoma rallied from being down 1-0 to win their best-of-three MIAA Tournament series with Missouri Southern.

Bouzide an Honourable Mention

Jacob Bouzide (Calgary, Alta.) is an All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association honourable mention for the Fort Hays State Tigers. Bouzide hit .292 with 23 RBIs, 24 runs scored and a .383 on-base percentage this season.

Porcellato a Crossroads League HM

In his first season with Marian University, Matteo Porcellato (Pitt Meadows, BC) played in all 54 games and hit .328. During conference action he was even better, batting .373 with 28 RBIs. This led the league to name him an All-Crossroads League Honourable Mention.

Okawa a GPAC Honourable Mention

Grant Okawa (Mississauga, Ont.) was acknowledged as an All-Great Plains Athletic Conference Honourable Mention for his play this season. Okawa put up a .304 average thanks to 54 hits, 15 of which were doubles in 53 games played.

Hicks added to Buster Posey Watch List

Catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) of the Arkansas State RedWolves has been added to the Buster Posey Award Watch List. The award is given out annually to the Collegiate Catcher of the Year.

Thunderwolves win North District Championship

With the NJCAA Division III North District championship game tied at 10 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves scratched out a run to beat Herkimer for the title. Two Canadians played significant roles in the run.

Cal Brazier (Oshawa, Ont.) went 9-for-12 with four home runs, four walks and 11 RBIs. Brazier homered twice in a 14-6 win over Finger Lakes to open the tournament.

Chris Tani (Oakville, Ont.) also contributed nine hits. Tani walked once, drove in one and swiped five bases, including at least one in every game.

Andrew Bench (Fonthill, Ont.), Matt Ferriss (Vaughan, Ont.), Nolan Gallo (Hamilton, Ont.), Will Jackman (Niagara Falls, Ont.), Noah Lalonde (Scarborough, Ont.), Craig Oliver (Fredericton, NB) and Mike Short (Sackville, NS) are also on the NCCC roster.

Colby takes Region VI Sub Regional

There were three Canadians who really stood out for the Colby Community College Trojans as they won three straight to take the Region VI Sub Regional. The Trojans beat Allen County to open play and then took two straight from Hutchinson.

Brayden Cust (Edmonton, Alta.) didn’t play in the game against Allen County, but was critical for the Trojans in their two wins over Hutchinson. Cust went 3-for-3 with two home runs, three walks, five RBIs and a stolen base in a 16-5 win over Hutchinson. In their second meeting, he slapped three more hits and stole a base in a 12-10 victory.

Kyle Froehlich (Nipawin, Sask.) amassed two hits and a RBI in a 9-4 win over Allen County to get things going. Froehlich wasn’t in the lineup in Game 2, but was in Game 3 and boy did he make a difference. He stockpiled four hits, walked twice and drove in two.

Tucker Zdunich (High River, Alta.) had two hits, a walk and a RBI in the 16-5 triumph over Hutchinson. Zdunich had two more hits and walked twice in the clincher the very next game.

Also calling Colby home are Jared Arnold (Red Deer, Alta.), Kyle Bloor (Lethbridge, Alta.), Matthew Dobberthien (Calgary, Alta.), Joel McGrath (Kindersley, Sask.), Tyler McWillie (Waltrous, Sask.), Zach Olson (Red Deer, Alta.) Chad Picton (Winnipeg, Man.), Cleary Simpson (Red Deer, Alta.), John Vulcano (Cloverdale, BC) and AJ Yamaguchi (Vancouver, BC).

Racers win WHAC championship

The Northwestern Ohio Racers are the champions of the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Racers feature infielder Hunter James (Stratford, Ont.), outfielder Noah London (Toronto, Ont.) and right handed pitcher Kyle Perrett (Toronto, Ont.). Perrett made three appearances in the conference tournament and accumulated three innings. The Racers are now off to Kingsport, Tenn., where they will play Mount Vernon Nazarene in the first game of the NAIA Opening Round.

Cunningham, Napieralski are RRAC champs

Hunter Cunningham (Mission, BC), Owen Napieralski (Delta, BC) and the LSU Shreveport Pilots captured the Rainy River Athletic Conference championship last week. They rallied off five straight wins after dropping Game 1 to come out on top.

Eagles fly high

The Husson College Eagles were staring down Thomas in their best-of-three North Atlantic Conference semifinal. Both Chris Ewanik (Spruce Grove, Alta.) and David LeBlanc (Beaumont, Alta.) came up with huge performances when it mattered the most

Ewanik went 2-for-5 with a RBI in a convincing 12-0 win in Game 1. Ewanik then put up a 3-for-4 effort with a pair of RBIs as the Eagles won Game 2 by a 10-7 score. With the series sweep, the Eagles are off to the next round.

LeBlanc exploded for a 4-for-4 games with a walk and five RBIs in Game 1. One of LeBlanc’s hits was a two-run home run. He walked twice and swiped a bag in Game 2.

Chenier-Rondeau’s offence comes through for Cowley

Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Quebec City, Que.) rattled off five hits to go along with a walk, three RBIs and a pair of stolen bases as Cowley Community College won three straight to take the Region VI Sub Regional. Chenier-Rondeau clubbed three hits and a RBI in a 4-3 win over Coffeyville. He and his team will now take on Kansas City Kansas in the Plains District Tournament starting Thursday.

Seginowich, Szabo prove pivotal in Rams series win

It came down to a winner-take-all Game 3 between No. 9 Angelo State and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in the opening round of the Lonestar Conference tournament.

Let’s take a look at the series from the beginning. Nick Seginowich (Victoria, BC) was 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in the Rams 20-3 Game 1 win. In Game 2 he went 3-for-5, but his side took the loss by a 13-4 score. With the series and the right to move on at stake, he hit a solo home run in a 10-1 win.

Matt Szabo (Sarnia, Ont.) was the starter for the Rams in the deciding game. Szabo threw five innings and gave up a run on two hits in the victory. He walked two and struck out three to gather his third win.

Martin hits safely three times in Yavapai’s postseason series sweep

Daniel Martin (Langley, BC) collectively went 3-for-8 with a RBI in Yavapai’s best-of-three postseason series sweep of Central Arizona. The Roughriders outscored their in-state foe 15-10 in the two games.

Manby mows down Dawson

In Game 3 of the ManDak Conference Tournament, Keith Manby (White Rock, BC) fought his way through 5 2/3 innings to lead Miles to a 5-3 win over Dawson. Manby yielded three hits, two runs (one earned and three walks. He struck out 11 as his team faced elimination after starting the tournament 1-1.

Barclay has four hits as Marauders season comes to an end

Tyrus Barclay (Wyoming, Ont.) did his part in the University of Mary’s series with St. Cloud State to open the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference postseason. Barclay chipped in two hits in a 6-4, Game 1 loss and had two more in an 8-5 loss in Game 2. Unfortunately for Barclay and his teammates, the two losses spell the end of the 2021 season.

Parsons finishes 5-for-10

It didn’t end the way the Cloud County Thunderbirds were hoping as they went 0-2 in the NJCAA Region VI Sub Regional. In their 16-9 loss to Kansas City Kansas College, Jaden Parsons (Vernon, BC) was 3-for-5 with two doubles and a solo home run. Parsons drove in three of the T-Birds nine runs. Next up was a date with Seward County. The slick swinging infielder collected a pair of hits and two RBIs in a 24-10 loss.

Bourassa shines but loses tight one

Landen Bourassa (Lethbridge, Alta.) allowed two unearned runs on five hits over eight innings of work but was saddled with the loss in Game 1 of San Francisco’s series with Sacramento State. Bourassa walked two and struck out six in the 2-1 defeat.

Bells beats Oklahoma Christian to open LSC Tournament

Dylan Bells (Regina, Sask.) tossed eight innings and surrendered three runs on seven hits as St. Mary’s handled Oklahoma Christian 16-3 in Game 1 of their best-of-three Lonestar Conference Tournament series. Bells walked three and punched out seven to pick up his seventh win in 2021.

Kush throws well as Missouri falls to No. 2 Mississippi State

When Jacob Kush (Guelph, Ont.) toed the rubber for the Missouri Tigers on Thursday night, he was up against the No. 2 team in the nation, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Kush lasted five innings and scattered three hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out four to keep his team in the ball game. The Northwest Florida State College transfer was handed the no-decision in the 5-4 loss.

Irvine shines in Lassen win

Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) pitched six strong innings in Lassen’s 6-5, Game 1 win over Feather Rivers. Irvine conceded two hits and an unearned run to go along with a pair of walks. He struck out six in and was handed a no-decision.

Duffy appears twice, Martins mashes MAAC pitching

Just across the border two Canadians showed out for the Canisius College Golden Griffins.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series between Canisius and Quinnipiac spilled over into Monday and it was one of those Canadians taking the mound. In Game 4, up 2-1 in the four-game set, the Golden Griffins gave the ball to freshman Matt Duffy and he delivered. Duffy spun six scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, a walk and struck out five to earn the win. The former Great Lakes Canadians hurler was back on the mound in relief in Game 4 against Monmouth. The righty gave up one run on four hits with six strike outs over five innings in the 7-1 win.

Jacob Martins (Richmond Hill, Ont.) played in seven of eight games for the Griffs and had eight hits, three walks, four RBIs and was hit by a pitch. The final contest of the week, a 7-1 win over Monmouth in Game 4 of their series, saw him go 3-for-4 with a walk and a RBI.

Lussier sharp again

Jordan Lussier (Winnipeg, Man.) was Illinois State’s Game 2 starter against Missouri State. Lussier scattered five hits over five innings and surrendered three runs (two earned) in the 4-3 win. He walked three and struck out two in the outing.

Grant has seven knocks for Mystics

Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) was phenomenal for his squad this past week during postseason play. Grant piled up seven hits, a walk and six RBIs in four games, three of which were Mystic wins. He assembled a 3-for-4 game with two doubles, a walk and three RBIs in an 11-3 win over Dawson in the first game of the Region XIII playoffs.

Sechopoulos strikes for College of Charleston

Four games, six hits, three RBIs, a stolen base and a hit by pitch. That was the offensive output Ari Sechpolous supplied the College of Charleston as they went 2-2. Sechopoulos bashed a solo home runs and finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base in Cougars’ 6-3 midweek win over The Citadel. The most hits he collected in a game was three in a 7-6 loss in Game 2 of their series with the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Piotto rakes in five hits for Raiders

Konner Piotto (Abbotsford, BC) provided some offence for Wright State this past week in their sweep of Oakland. Piotto punched five hits and walked once in the four games. He put together a 3-for-4 effort in an 8-7, Game 3 win.

Luchies leads Lower Columbia to sweep

Opposing pitchers should be on high alert when Eric Luchies (Victoria, BC) steps into the box and last week was a great example of why. Luchies poked a hit and stole a base for Lower Columbia in an 8-6, Game 1 win over Tacoma. He went 3-for-4 in a 7-4 win in Game 2. Another hit in a 4-1, Game 3 win was followed by a 3-for-4 performance with an RBI in a 5-3 victory in Game 4.

Saul stymies San Francisco

Eli Saul (Vancouver, BC) cruised through eight scoreless innings in Sacramento State’s 4-0 blanking of the University of San Francisco in Game 4 of their series Sunday. Saul limited the Dons to four hits and struck out six on route to picking up the victory.

Carinci with a pair of multi-hit games

It was a quicker exit in the Region VI Sub-Regional Opening Round than Highland was looking for as they went 0-2, but it wasn’t from a lack of production from Justin Carinci (Toronto, Ont.). He went a combined 4-for-10 in the two games, a 15-14 loss to Hutchinson and a 12-9 loss to Allen County. The freshman also walked and drove in four total.

***

From accolades to big numbers, this week had it all. For those teams still alive and those in the NCAA Division I wrapping up their regular seasons, Canadians will play a crucial role in the outcomes in the coming weeks. Don’t miss out on any of it, remember to check back here every week for the top highlights from around college baseball.

Do you know someone deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column? Please email Matt Betts at mattbetts41@gmail.com. Please note our week runs Monday-Sunday.

Looking for even more coverage of Canadians in college baseball? Follow Matt Betts on Twitter at @Bettsy41.