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World Baseball Challenge in Prince George July 16-26

Friday, 10 July 2009 09:57
The Enbridge Northern Gateway World Baseball Challenge takes place at Citizen Field in Prince George July 16-26.

UBC Head Coach Terry McKaig is coaching the Team Canada entry in this tournament, and Cav Whitely, Shawn Corness, and Wayne Corness are assistant coaches. The Team Canada roster includes the following Thunderbirds (or incoming Thunderbirds): Greg Densem, Alex White, Sammie Starr, Jordan Padrinao, Nic Lendvoy, Brandon Kaye, Eric Brown, Matt Bannister, Taylor King, Dan Britton-Foster, Shawn Hetherington, and Sheldon McDonald. Team Canada’s first game is Saturday, July 18, vs, Team BC. Their second game is Sunday, July 19, vs. the USA National Team, at 7 PM.

There will be free streaming video coverage of all tournament games at http://www.livestream.com/worldbaseball.

Thunderbird alumnus Mike Styrna is on the roster of Team BC. Former Thunderbird Shawn Schaefer is playing for the Prince George Axemen.

July 18: Team Canada 6, Team BC 2: box score Jordan Padrinao and Nic Lendvoy each batted in a run. Team BC was held to three hits; Sheldon McDonald started, went five innings, allowed only one hit. Eric Brown pitched two hitless innings, Mark Hardy allowed one hit in one inning of work. Canada scored four runs on Aaron Myette, who spent six years in the Major Leagues.

July 19: USA 5, Team Canada 2: Story box score A very good effort against a very good team. Sammie Starr scored one of Team Canada’s two runs on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Atkinson (New Mexico), and Nic Lendvoy got the other RBI on a fielder’s choice. UBC supplied all of the pitching. Danny Britton-Foster started, went six innings, allowed three runs on five hits, struck out five, and Canada led 2-1 after five innings. Taylor King allowed one run on three hits in two inninngs, struck out two. Shawn Hetherington pitched the ninth inning, allowed one run on two hits. Starr got two of Canada’s four hits.

July 20: Team Canada 14, The Bahamas 0: box score The main stories here were the non-UBC players; Jordan Rawlyk (Monterey Peninsula JC) pitched five no-hit innings, and Kevin Atkinson (New Mexico) went 5-5 with two HR’s, two doubles, and six RBI. However, Brandon Kaye and Matt Bannister each pitched an inning to complete the no-hitter. Sammie Starr was 2-5 with a double.

July 22: Team Canada 9, Germany 3: box score Huge game for Jordan Padrinao, who went 3-4 with a double and two RBI, made several excellent plays at third base. Also an excellent start by Matt Bannister, who went six innings, allowed two runs on three hits, and five strikeouts against a team that beat USA the previous day. Dan Britton-Foster pitched two innings, allowed one run on two hits.

July 23: Team Canada 15, Prince George Axemen 2: Box score Awesome performances by Jordan Padrinao (4-6 with an double and an RBI) and Taylor King (five innings pitched, three hits, seven strikouts). Mark Hardy and Brandon Kaye each pitched one-hit innings.

July 24: USA 1, Team Canada 0: Story box score Starter Jordan Rawlyk was excellent, reliever Eric Brown was even better (no runs on one hit in four innings), but the USA’s Gerritt Cole (UCLA) was immaculate: complete game shutout, only two hits (one of them by Nic Lendvoy). There was some nastiness over a slide into second by Lendvoy to break up a double play, injuring Cal State-Fullerton star Christian Colon.

July 25: Germany 4, Team Canada 2: Germany gets one more shot against the USA.

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Last Updated on Saturday, 25 July 2009 20:42

Where they are this summer

Friday, 05 June 2009 21:29
The Thunderbirds are providing a substantial amount of talent for the Western Major Baseball League.

Okotoks Dawgs: Dan Britton-Foster, Mark Hardy, Sammie Starr. Britton-Foster’s record as of July 6 is 3-0, 1.16 ERA. Starr is batting .328, 2 HR, 22 RBI.

Edmonton Prospects: LHP Sheldon McDonald (transfer from Northeastern), Mitch Grossell

Lethbridge Bulls: Matt Bannister

Medicine Hat Mavericks: Eric Brown, Geoff Burke, Ashton Florko

Yorkton Cardinals: RHP Jordan Herbison (transfer from Monroe CC). Herbison’s record as of July 6 is 3-1, 1.62 ERA.

Playing for the independent Burnaby Collegiate Bulldogs, coached by Connor Janes: Nic Lendvoy, Alex White,Bob Foerster, Scott Webster, Taylor King, David Hole, Mike Elias, Nic Lindsay, Shawn Hetherington. The Bulldogs are playing their home games at Robert Burnaby Park and Thunderbird Park.

Mississauga Twins (Ontario Intercounty League): Greg Densem, Sean Pisarski

Florko is also playing for the independent (and defending BC champions) Trail Orioles.

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Last Updated on Monday, 06 July 2009 08:04

UBC Baseball Fall Golf Classic coming Sept. 22

Monday, 22 June 2009 19:18
The 10th Annual UBC Baseball Fall Golf Classic is on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club in Richmond. It is organized by the Friends of Thunderbird Baseball.

The cost is $275 per player or $1,100 per foursome. A tax receipt for $135 per person or $540 per foursome will be issued. Included is a round of golf, golf cart, lunch, dinner, a no-charge beverage cart and a golfer goodie bag.

There are also sponsorship opportunities.

Registration starts at 11 AM. The welcoming remarks are at 12:30, and the golf starts at 1 PM. Registration is limited to 144 participants.

Information letter

Registration form

Last Updated on Monday, 22 June 2009 19:25

The 2009 MLB draft

Tuesday, 09 June 2009 17:29
NAIA West and Lewis-Clark State

	School	Position	Team	Round
Sean Halton	Lewis-Clark State	1B	Brewers	13
Thomas Peale	Lewis-Clark State	RHP	Marlins	23
Jason Braun	Corban	RHP	Reds	29
Jeremy Wells	Patten	2B	A’s	36
Matt Stabelfeld	Lewis-Clark State	LHP	Rays	41

BC players

	Current Team	Position	Team	Round
James Paxton	Kentucky	LHP	Blue Jays	Comp A
David Narodowski	Kansas	IF	Diamondbacks	15
John Hesketh	New Mexico	LHP	Mariners	20
Terrence Dayleg	Western Kentucky	SS	Marlins	22
Michael Monster		RHP	Reds	25
Brandon Kaye	Douglas College	RHP	Blue Jays	45
Burke Seifrit	White Rock Tritons	RHP	Blue Jays	50

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Last Updated on Thursday, 11 June 2009 10:53

Post-season honours for 2009

Friday, 05 June 2009 14:12
First, if you thought that the Thunderbirds played very well defensively this year, the numbers back you up. They had a fielding percentage of .979, which is the best in the NAIA. The second-place team was Point Loma Nazarene, with a percentage of .976. The Sea Lions defeated the sans-Mark Hardy Thunderbirds in the sectional tournament, and eventually finished second in the NAIA Baseball National Championship.

Mitch Grossell was honoured by the NAIA as a scholar-athlete.

Terry McKaig was named Coach of the Year for NAIA West Plus Lewis-Clark State.

The following players received Rawlings Gold Glove awards for NAIA West Plus Lewis-Clark State:

1B – Scott Webster
2B – Alex White
SS – Sammie Starr
CF – Jon Syrnyk
P – Taylor King

Curiously, no Thunderbirds received national Gold Glove awards.

These players were selected to the NAIA West Plus Lewis-Clark State All-Star team:

OF – Jon Syrnyk
Pitcher – Mark Hardy
Pitcher – Eric Brown
Relief Pitcher – Shawn Hetherington

Syrnyk set a school record for stolen bases in a season, with 24 of them. Webster tied the school record for fielding percentage, 1.000. Ben Chan also had a fielding percentage of 1.000, but it’s not clear yet whether he had enough chances to qualify for the record. (For what it’s worth, DakStats thinks that he did.) The other Thunderbird who fielded 1.000 was Matt Chester, in 2007.

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Last Updated on Friday, 05 June 2009 15:05

Azusa Pacific 15, UBC 12

Thursday, 14 May 2009 16:48
The Thunderbirds led 8-1 after two innings, and trailed 11-8 after five. They took a 12-11 lead with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, led by a two-run home run by 1B Scott Webster. The Cougars tied it 12-12 in the top of the eighth on a home run by Virgil Chavira. The Birds had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the eighth, and they left them loaded. The Cougars didn’t make the same mistake; they loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, and scored three runs on a double by C Ryan Delgado off the left-center field wall.

It still wasn’t over. The Birds loaded the bases again with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but pinch-hitter Jordan Pandoff hit a hard line drive to first base that was snagged with a good defensive play, ending the season.

The Cougars got 19 hits off three Thunderbird pitchers. Dan Britton-Foster started, lasted four innings, and gave up six runs on nine hits. He was replaced by Jeff Hall, who had a really bad day. He recorded only one out, and was lit up for five runs on four hits. He walked two, and threw two wild pitches. Shawn Hetherington went the rest of the way. He allowed only one run over the first three innings that he pitched. He should have been out of the ninth inning with no further damage, but an error set up Delgado’s double and three unearned runs. It was a valiant effort by Hetherington, who was pitching with bad back spasms.

Starr went 5-6, and hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. CF Jon Syrnyk, in his final game for the Thunderbirds, went 3-5 with four RBI. LF Nic Lendvoy was 3-4.

Some words from Coach McKaig: ” Just trust me in the fact that these kids are a special special group. We were on fumes (especially pitching) and they never stopped fighting. Guys playing through injury, pitchers gutting it out while completely spent etc. All the coaching staff could have asked for… These players left everything they had on that field tonight.

“An amazing season. This group really over achieved and their commitment, heart, leadership really came through carrying us till the bitter end.

“Thanks for the support this season everyone. It was a lot of fun. We will reload and be ready to make another run next year.”

Box score

Story from UBC Athletics site: T-Birds Lose Epic Battle to Cougars As Season Ends

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Last Updated on Friday, 15 May 2009 09:15