UBC Thunderbird Baseball Fan Page

Article by Graeme Corbett in the Vernon Morning Star: McNiven up for Beijing.

Update on August 14: Brooks' start vs. Cuba was delayed by rain. When the game finally got going, the Cubans were hitting him hard. He gave up three runs (two of them earned) in the second inning, and was replaced at the beginning of the third.

Update in August 18: Brooks got a win in his second Olympic start, 4-0 against The Netherlands. He went six innings, and didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning.

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Thunderbird LHP Mark Hardy continues to have an excellent summer. On Thursday, April 14, he threw a complete-game one-hitter for the Okotoks Dawgs, in a Western Major Baseball League playoff game against the Swift Current Indians.

Hardy's teammates with the Dawgs include a couple of names known to Thunderbird fans. Jake Bottari of the College of Idaho also had an excellent season with the Dawgs (6-0, 0.71 ERA), as did Jeff Duda of Surrey (7-3, 1.88 ERA). Hardy's numbers for the season were 4-0, 1.89 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched. (Hardy spent part of the season in the Czech Republic.)

The ninth annual UBC Friends of Thunderbird Baseball Fall Golf Classic will take place on Tuesday, September 23, at the Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club in Richmond.

The cost is $275 per golfer ($120 tax receipt), or $1,100 for a team of four ($480 tax receipt). This includes lunch, a power cart, on-course refreshments, and a banquet dinner.There are also sponsorship opportunities, and a dinner-only option. Full details are available in these documents.

• Information letter (PDF)
• Registration form (PDF)
• Golfer's package form (PDF)

Mark Hardy was awarded the 2008 World University Baseball Games "Earned Run Average" Award for posting the tournament’s best ERA: 0.00. Hardy, who pitched a brilliant game in Canada’s victory over the Czech Republic, 4-0, pitched 10 total innings in the tournament, striking out a tournament high 17 batters, while giving up no runs on 4 hits. He becomes the first Team Canada student-athlete to ever be awarded a major trophy at the World University Baseball Games Championships.

Hardy is entering his third year at the University of British Columbia. He was a regular starter for the Thunderbirds in 2008, and had a 6-6 record in 14 starts, with an ERA of 4.67 and 54 strikeouts. He threw three complete-game seven-inning shutouts.

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July 27: Team Canada defeated the Czech Republic 3-1 for fifth place. Alex White batted in two runs, and Scott Webster pitched a perfect inning. Details later.

July 24: A late rally by Team Canada fell short, and Team Canada lost to Korea 5-4. They will play the Czech Republic for fifth place at 4 AM PDT on Sunday. Mark Received the tournament's Best ERA award. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Korea defeats Team Canada 4-3 

July 23: Team Canada defeated the Czech Republic 4-0, on a stellar performance by Mark Hardy: eight innings pitched, 15 strikeouts, only three hits, no walks. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Team Canada defeats Czech Republic 4-0

July 22: Team Canada lost a heartbreaker to the USA, 4-3 in 11 innings. Story from The College Baseball Blog: USA defeats Team Canada 4-3 in 11 innings.

July 21: Team Canada defeated Lithuania 25-0; the game was stopped after seven innings. RHP Adam Reynolds (Guelph) went six innings, allowed two hits, struck out seven. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Team Canada defeats Lithuania 25-0

July 20: Team Canada lost to Japan 7-6 in 11 innings. Mark Hardy pitched two scoreless innings in relief, and Jon Syrnyk was 2-5 with an RBI at the plate. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Japan defeats Canada, 7-6 in 11 innings

July 18: Team Canada lost the first game. Story on The College Baseball Blog:  Chinese Taipei defeats Team Canada 6-4

July 17: Preview in The College Baseball Blog: World University Games preview: Team Canada

July 16: Team Canada got another win  against the Czech Under-18 team, 19-0 this time.

July 15: Team Canada got an easy 23-1 win against the Czech Under-18 team.  Press release: Canada defeats Czech Republic Under-18 National Junior team in exhibition

July 12: Canada's entry in the World University Games Baseball Championship split a double-header with Burnaby Collegiate on Saturday. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Team Canada ends pre-tournament play with double-header split

Team Canada won their third game on Friday, defeating the Burnaby Bulldogs 7-0. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Team Canada gets a shutout

They defeated the Lethbridge Bulls 12-1 on Wednesday. Story on The College Baseball Blog: Team Canada goes to 2-0 in exhibition play

They defeated the Okotoks Dawgs 6-5 on Tuesday. Story on The College Baseball Blog:Team Canada wins first exhibition game

Team Canada' first game in the World University Games tournament is on Friday, vs. Chinese Taipei, in Brno.

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UBC alumnus Brooks McNiven was named to the team that will represent Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

This was not a surprise. Brooks played well for Canada in the last Olympic qualifying tournament, as well as the World Cup of Baseball tournament.

Brooks was drafted in the fourth round by the Giants in 2003. He is in his second season with the Class AA Connecticut Defenders. As of July 15, he has a record of 2-2, and an ERA of 1.30.

Lewis-Clark State alumnus Emerson Frostad was also selected. Some other players of interest are Brett Lawrie of Langley and Matt Rogelstad of New Westminster,

Baseball Canada press release: Baseball Canada Announces 2008 Olympic Team

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