Betts: BMOC - Morrison’s success south of the border started at home
Waterloo Warriors alum Evan Morrison (Wheatley, Ont.) is batting .423 in 40 games with Grand Valley State University this season. Photo: Grand Valley State University Athletics
April 20, 2026
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
It’s hard to believe INF Evan Morrison didn’t have any offers to play college ball south of the border out of high school.
Through 40 games this season, his senior campaign with Grand Valley State University in Michigan, Morrison) is hitting .423 with a 1.091 OPS and 21 stolen bases.
So, it begs the question; how did a player of his calibre get overlooked?
Part of it was education, and part of it was opportunity.
“My junior and senior years of high school were during Covid so going south for tournaments was impossible, which made getting in front of American schools difficult,” said Morrison ( (Wheatley, Ont.)..
“I didn’t have a single offer, partly because at the time all I could do was send showcase clips and video of swings. Still now, but especially coming out of high school, I wasn't a showcase player. In games is where I thrived and showed my skills, so it kind of made sense I didn’t get any offers because my showcase numbers weren’t great.”
At that point it would have been easy, and understandable, to pursue a different path away from the game.
But, that’s when University of Waterloo head coach Ben Norris sold him on the Warriors program and Ontario University Athletic. Combine it with getting into the school’s computer engineering program, and it seemed like a good match.
Skip ahead to the summer of 2023 and Morrison was plying his trade with another Waterloo team, the Bucks, of the Northwoods League as a then pitcher-only. There, he connected with McPherson College and after the following fall season back home, he joined the Kansas school over the Christmas break.
His first season for the Bulldogs went better at the plate than on the mound. As a pitcher, Morrison made four appearances with an 8.56 ERA over 13 2/3 innings. In the box, he hit .438 with a 1.111 OPS in 36 games, 21 of which he started.
While he enjoyed his experience, it wasn’t a great fit, he said.
Another summer, this time as a two-way player, for the Waterloo Bucks helped him land at Grand Valley State University.
“GVSU has been such a great opportunity to get better for me,” Morrison said.
“Our facilities are insane and this is the highest level of coaching I’ve had. That mixed with the culture here has pushed me to put everything I have into this team and has made me a much better overall player and leader.”
Make no mistake, GVSU has benefitted too.
Morrison’s first season in Allendale, Mich., saw him hit .341 with a .916 OPS
“I think as a whole, my play style has remained pretty similar throughout my college career, but I’ve continued to get stronger and more explosive, which has translated to more power,” Morrison said.
“I’ve also become much more aggressive in my approach at the plate and on the bases, which I think has just come with confidence over time. I’ve played enough college baseball games to know what I can do on the field when I’m at my best.”
Morrison admits there’s significant differences between college baseball in Canada versus the United States, mainly around funding, but has nothing but positive things to say about his time back home.
In his opinion, it played an important role in forming the player he is today.
“I loved my experience at the University of Waterloo,” he said.
“We travelled on a glorified school bus and didn’t have our own field to practice on, which looking back, helped make that bond with the team so much better. I’ll never forget how close and how fun our team was.”