Elliott, 2025 CBN All-Canadian 1st Team: Jean, Crowson, Wouters, Anderson, Lachance, Gillespie
ABC grad RP Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.), of the Houston Cougars, was voted to the 26th annual Canadian Baseball Network First Team and was named college Player of the Year.
November 5, 2025
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Time for the 26th annual Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian college First Team.
It all began in 2000 with the likes of Jason Bay (Trail, BC), of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who went on the win the National League Rookie of the Year honours with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He finished ahead of Khalil Greene and the San Diego Padres and Akinori Otsuka, also of the Padres.
Also on that first team were LHP Jordan Gerk (Kelowna, BC), of the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, who pitched in the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs systems, 1B Mike Galloway (St. Thomas, Ont.), of the Central Michigan Chippewas, and 3B Nom Siriveaw (Vancouver, BC), of the Eastern Oklahoma Mountaineers, both of the Toronto Blue Jays minor-league system and SS Shayne Ridley (Milton, Ont.), from the Ball State Cardinals, of the Baltimore Orioles organization,
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And for the fifth straight year we are going to build towards our announcements.
The Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian Third Team.
The Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian Second Team.
The 26th annual Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Year.
And finally on deck …. our stats package.
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Most first-place votes on our First Team: RP Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) 38, 3B Connor Crowson (Okotoks, Alta.) 32, DH Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.), LHP Will Anderson (Delta, BC) 30, Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) 30, RHP Blake Gillespie (Arva, Ont.) 29, OF Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.) and OF Jordan Bach (Ladner, BC) 23.
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First team by province: Quebec 5, Ontario 3, British Columbia 2, Alberta 1, Nova Scotia 1 and Saskatchewan 1.
First team by graduating organizations: Academie Baseball Canada 5, Okotoks Dawgs 2, Ontario Nationals 2, Delta Blue Jays 1, FieldHouse Pirates 1, Ontario Blue Jays 1, Saskatoon Diamondbacks 1 and White Rock Tritons 1.
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First, Second and Third teams by province: Ontario 10, British Columbia 8, Quebec 8, Alberta 5, Saskatchewan 3, Nova Scotia 2, New Brunswick 1.
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First, Second and Third teams by graduating organizations: Academie Baseball Canada 8, Okotoks Dawgs 7, Langley Blaze 3, Ontario Blue Jays 3, Great Lake Canadians 2, Ontario Nationals 2, Abbotsford Cardinals 1, Bulletproof Prospects 1, Delta Blue Jays 1, FieldHouse Pirates 1, Fraser Valley Cascades 1, Muenster Red Sox 1, North Shore Twins 1, Prospects Academy 1, Saskatoon Diamondbacks 1 Southeast A’s 1, Toronto Mets 1, Whalley Chiefs 1 and White Rock Tritons 1.
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And away we go … with the First Team ...
Former Delta Blue Jays LHP Will Anderson (Delta, BC) of the UBC Thunderbirds.
Left-handed starter: _ Will Anderson (Delta, BC) University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
In 15 appearances (14 starts), he was 7-2 with a 3.06 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings. He topped all Canadian NAIA pitchers in innings and ERA and was second in wins and strikeouts.
Anderson scored victories over Oregon Tech (6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out five), Corban (six innings three runs -- two earned -- six hits, two walks, fanned three), Warner Pacific (six scoreless, four hits and striking out seven), Eastern Oregon (six innings, three runs, nine hits, whiffing four), Lewis-Clark State (five innings, two runs, five hits and three walks, striking out a pair), College of Idaho (six innings, one run, six hits, one walk, four strikeouts) and Oklahoma Wesleyan (5 2/3 innings, two runs, eight hits, two walks, four strikeouts).
Anderson previously played for the Delta Blue Jays and coach Jack Thompson.
Ontario Nationals RHP Blake Gillespie (Arva, Ont.) celebrating after a no-hitter with the Charlotte ‘49ers.
Right-handed starter _ Blake Gillespie (Arva, Ont.) North Carolina-Charlotte ‘49ers.
He went 7-4 in 15 starts with a 2.42 ERA. And in doing so Gillespie set a modern-day strikeout record with 131 in 100 1/3 innings.
He threw the second no-hitter in ‘49ers program history, leading the American Athletic Conference in strikeouts while tying for the third-most in a single season in conference history.
Gillespie finished with the fourth-most strikeouts in Charlotte history and became the single-season NCAA strikeout leader for a Canadian. He was the first pitcher since Adam Mills and Spencer Steedley in 2007 to record multiple complete-game shutouts in the same season.
Gillespie held opponents to a batting average of .193, fourth-best in program history and had a BB/9 of 1.70 to finish ninth in program history. He tossed three complete games, two complete game shutouts, and two combined shutouts. He made his Niner debut as the starting pitcher in the second game of the Opening Day doubleheader against Northeastern. He later worked four innings and had five strikeouts against No. 4 Arkansas, made his first Friday start against James Madison and threw the program’s second no-hitter by striking out 11 and facing the minimum of 27 batters. A walk accounted for his only baserunner and that baserunner was thrown out trying to steal second.
He struck out a season-high 13 batters in eight innings against Texas-San Antonio, made it back-to-back weeks going eight innings with 11 punch outs with only one run allowed against Memphis, fanned nine batters in six innings with only one unearned run allowed in a quality start against Wichita State, struck out 11 batters in eight innings in against East Carolina in a 6-0 win for Charlotte and logged nine Ks in 6 2/3 innings for a quality start at South Florida.
He went the distance (nine innings) with 12 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Florida Atlantic for his second complete game shutout of the season, was credited with a complete game after throwing eight innings with six strikeouts at Rice in a 2-0 loss, struck out six batters in four innings at Tulane and tied the conference record for most strikeouts in a tournament game with 13 against Wichita State in Charlotte’s opening-game win of the tournament.
Canuck strikeout leaders at NCAA Division I
(Our era of tracking began in 1999)
RHP Blake Gillespie, Arva, Ont. UNC-Charlotte 2025, 131
LHP R.J Swindle, Vancouver, BC, Charleston Southern 2003, 129
LHP R.J Swindle, Vancouver, BC, Charleston Southern 2004, 127
LHP Jeff Degano, Surrey, BC, Indiana State 2015, 126
RHP Matt Duffy, Burlington, Ont. Canisius 2022, 124
RHP Matt Brash, Kingston, Ont. Niagara 2019, 123
RHP Jeremy Herauf, Regina, Sask. Winthrop 2002, 120
RHP Matt Duffy, Burlington, Ont. Canisius 2023, 119
RHP Steven-Ryder Carter, Windsor, Ont. Coastal Carolina 2004, 116
LHP James Paxton, Ladner, BC, Kentucky 2009, 115
RHP Tyler Bremner, San Diego, Santa Barbara 2025 111
RHP Steven-Ryder Carter, Windsor, Ont. Coastal Carolina 2003, 110
LHP Connor O’Halloran, Mississauga, Ont. Michigan 2023, 110
RHP Antoine Jean, Montreal, Que., Houston, 2025, 110
RHP Robert Nixon, Welland, Ont. Adelphi 2011, 104
LHP Connor O’Halloran, Mississauga, Ont. Michigan, 2022, 104
RHP Jordan Marks, Sarnia, Ont. USC Upstate 2021, 101
RHP L.P. Langevin, Quebec, Que. Louisiana-Lafayette 2024, 100
* Bold indicates major-league service time
Gillespie, who played for the Ontario Nationals under coaches Jeremy Jayaweera, Dan Mendham and his father, Shawn Gillespie, earned four All-America honors, the second pitcher to earn four or more All-America honors: Baseball America and D1Baseball Second Team All-American, plus NCBWA and Perfect Game Third Team All-American. He was also American Athletic Conference Pitcher and Newcomer Pitcher of the Year and a unanimous conference First Team All-Conference Selection. Plus, he was named the top pitcher by D1 Baseball after his no-hitter, as well as American’s Co-Pitcher of the Week after his no-hitter and was named National Co-Pitcher of the Week by the College Foundation, as well as picking up Honourable Mention honours from the American after his 13-strikeout game against the UTSA Roadrunners.
Reliever _ Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) Houston Cougars.
Jean was 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 21 games. He fanned 110 in 67 innings. He managed five saves which put him in a tie for fifth among college Canucks ...
Saves by Canucks in 2025
Brandon Langley (New Glasglow, PEI) Western Carolina Catamounts, 8.
Oliver Martel (Marieville, Que.) Mineral Area Cardinals, 7.
Jack Saputo (Windsor, Ont.) Macomb Monarchs. 6.
Virot Siharath (Kewsick, Ont.) Iowa Western Reivers, 6.
Mark Holm (Bracebridge, Ont.) SUNY Niagara Thunder Wolves, 5.
Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) Houston Cougars, 5.
Yet, his 67 innings were the most among Canadian college relievers, ahead of Wes Johnston (North York, Ont.) who worked 62 2/3 innings with the Paris Dragons and Sawyer Jensen (Wheatland County, Alta.) with 65 1/3 innings for the Trinidad State Trojans. Johnston made eight starts. Jean and Jensen were strictly hard-working relievers.
Jean ranked second nationally in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.78) and hits allowed per nine innings pitched (5.37). He was eighth nationally in WHIP (0.90), 17th nationally in a strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50), 18th nationally in ERA (2.55) and 19th nationally in strikeouts (110)
Jean had multiple strikeouts in all 21 appearances ... pitching three or more innings in 13 outings. He was an old-timey reliever like Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle.
For example: Minnesota (three innings allowing four runs on two hits and four walks, striking out three), California (3 1/3 innings, two runs, two walks, five strikeouts), UT Arlington (four innings, one run, two hits, two walks, seven strikeouts), UT Rio Grande Valley (4 2/3 innings scoreless, one hit, one walks, seven strikeouts), Texas Tech (four innings, one run, one hit, one walk, six strikeouts), Central Florida (five innings scoreless, three hits, 11 strikeouts, tying a career high), TCU (4 1/3 scoreless, two hits, two walks, four strikeouts), Baylor (three scoreless, two hits, one walk, eight whiffs), Oklahoma State (five innings, one hit, one run, one walk, eight Ks), Kansas State (6 2/3 innings, two runs, five hits, three walks, eight strikeouts), Utah (four innings scoreless, five hits, six strikeouts), Arizona State (four innings, one run, four hits, six strikeouts), Arizona (three scoreless, two strikeouts) and TCU (four innings, three runs -- two earned -- on four hits, six strikeouts).
Jean led the Big 12 in ERA, K/9, K/BB, H/9, while posting the second most strikeouts, and third most saves, as he became the second relief pitcher in program history with 100 or more strikeouts in a season.
In all, he had 12 scoreless relief appearances, 13 five strikeouts or more appearances, he had 110 strikeouts ninth in program history, his 110 strikeouts were the most by a Cougar pitcher since 2018 and he had four consecutive relief appearances without a walk.
Jean, who played at the Académie Baseball Canada under coaches Robbie Fatal, Maxime Hockoussen and Marc-Antoine Berube, earned Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian college team First Team honours in 2022.
ABC grad Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) gained First Team honors.
Catcher _ Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) McLennan Highlanders.
We are unsure if we have seen this very often: over 100 RBIs from a JUCO player. Lachance knocked in 104 runs while batting .380 with 16 doubles, a triple and 21 homers. He had a 1.153 OPS in 66 games.
Now, we know some now say RBIs are not as important ... but it is tough to slough off 104 RBIs like pesky dandruff.
Against Temple he went 5-for-5, driving in eight with a home run. Then, he had six RBIs facing Tyler with a homer, plus he had five RBIs against Blinn (homer),
He plated four against New Mexico Jr. College (two homers), Cisco (homer), Grayson (four hits), Ranger (four hits, including a homer), Ranger (three hits, two homers), Northeast Texas (four hits, double, homer), Vernon (homer) and Weatherford (four hits, homer).
He knocked in three against Galveston (triple), Blinn (home run), Ranger (double), Coastal Bend (home run), Northeast Texas (double), Midland (three hits, double, homer), Weatherford (double), Vernon (homer), North Central Texas (three hits, homer) and Midland (homer).
Lachance, who earned Canadian Baseball Network Honourable Mention honours in 2024, played for the Academie Baseball Canada and coach Marc Antoine Bérubé.
First base _ (tie) Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, NS) Reinhardt Eagles and Jimmy Dionne (Quebec, Que.) Howard Hawks.
Former Okotoks Dawgs 1B Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, N.S.) of the Reinhardt Eagles.
Crowell batted .395 with 17 doubles, 17 homers and 55 RBIs, with a 1.287 OPS in 53 games.
He got the season off to an amazing start, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and a homer, knocking in six against Lindsey Wilson. The slugger had three-hit days against Truett McConnell (RBI double), Indiana Southeast (two homers, five RBIs) and Johnson (RBI). He had two hits facing Lindsey Wilson, Lindsey Wilson (double), Midway (double), Brewton-Parker (homer, three RBIs), Truett McConnell (two RBIs), Truett McConnell (double, homer), Faulkner (two homers, four RBIs), St. Andrews (double, solo homer), Tennessee Wesleyan (RBI), Union Commonwealth (RBI), Union Commonwealth (double, homer, two RBIs), Union Commonwealth (double, homer, four RBIs), Kentucky Christian (double, RBI), Johnson (RBI double), Georgia Gwinnett (RBI), Bluefield (homer, two RBIs), Bluefield (double, two RBIs), CIU (two doubles), CIU (double, three RBIs), Milligan (double, homer), Milligan and Ave Maria (two RBIs).
Crowell, who played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Bretton Gouthro and Kurtis Taylor, earned an Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College Team Honourable Mention in 2023.
ABC grad 1B Jimmy Dionne (Quebec, Que.) of the Howard Hawks.
Dionne had a season to remember with a .404 batting average as well as 21 doubles, two triples and 22 homers. He knocked in 79 runs and had a 1.325 OPS in 52 games. He led all Canucks in home runs -- one more than DH Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.), of the McCook Indians, and C Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) of McLennan Highlanders.
Dionne homered three times against Eastern Oklahoma State (five RBIs), Northeast Texas (one homer, three hits, two RBIs), Northeast Texas (one homer, three hits, two RBIs), Northeast Texas (homer, four hits, five RBIs), Grayson (one homer, two RBIs), Clarendon (one homer, three hits, three RBIs), Frank Phillips (homer, double, three RBIs), Frank Phillips (one homer, three hits, three RBIs), Amarillo (two homers, triple, three RBIs), El Paso (home run, five RBIs), Midland (homer, double, three RBIs), Midland (home run, double, two RBIs), New Mexico Jr. College (homer, double, four hits, five RBIs), New Mexico (solo homer), Odessa (homer, three hits, two RBIs), New Mexico Military Institute (homer, three hits, two RBIs), New Mexico Military (solo homer, two RBIs) and New Mexico Military (two homers, three RBIs).
Dionne, who earned a Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College Team Honourable Mention in 2024, played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Tyler Hollick, Val Helldobler and Jeff Duda, as well as the ABC and coach Marc-Antoine Berube.
Ontario Blue Jays grad 2B Mack Mitchell (Toronto, Ont.) of the South Illinois Cougars.
Second base _ Mack Mitchell (Toronto, Ont.) Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars.
Mitchell batted .296 with 10 doubles, 19 homers and 51 RBIs. He finished with a 1.052 OPS in 52 games.
He tied for the OVC lead in home runs. His 19 homers were also the second-most in a single season at SIU. He also led the First team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection team with 51 RBIs, which were the sixth best in the OVC and the fifth-most in a season during SIUE’s Division I era.
Mitchell was fourth on the Cougars in batting average and he reeled off a 26-game on-base streak (Feb. 28-April 12). He also enjoyed a seven-game hitting streak in March. He was third on the team with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. He also topped the team and finished third in the OVC with a .638 slugging percentage.
Mitchell, who played for the Ontario Blue Jays and coaches Joey Ellison, Corey Eckstein and Mike Steed, as well as North York and Leaside, earned a First team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection.
Former Okotoks Dawgs 3B Connor Crowson (Okotoks, Alta.) of the Montevallo Falcons.
Third base _ Connor Crowson (Okotoks, Alta.) Montevallo Falcons.
He batted .368 with 13 doubles, 16 homers and 62 RBIs. He had a 1.096 OPS in 54 games for the purple and gold starting each game. He had 81 hits, scored 51 runs, had a .645 slugging percentage and a .451 on base percentage. He was third in the GSC in hits, second in home runs, 13th in runs scored, fifth in OPS, second in total bases and tied for 14th in on base percentage before the postseason.
Crowson had 23 multi-hit games, 16 multi-RBI games and at one point owned a 19-game hitting streak. Crowson had four homers in four games, one being a walk-off against Mississippi College and had 12 RBIs against Christian Brothers. He had an enormous February where he had eight home runs, 13 RBIs, 28 hits and 14 runs scored.
Twice this season, he had back-to-back home runs, including a two-homer day against Tuskegee. In March, he had an RBI in 11 out of 12 games. Additionally, he led the team with six stolen bases during the regular season.
For his efforts, he was named Second-Team All-Conference and won two GSC Player of the Week awards.
Crowson, who earned Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College Team Honourable Mentions in 2022 and 2024, played for the Okotoks Dawgs and coaches Tyler Hollick, Jeff Duda and Val Helldobler.
ABC alumn Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) of the Southeastern Fire.
Shortstop _ Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) Southeastern Fire.
Batting .373, the First-Team All-Sun Conference selection notched 82 hits and drove home 81 runs, a number that’s third all-time in Southeastern single-season history. He started 58 of 62 games, scoring 63 runs and boasting a team-best 15 home runs.
The ability to drive runners home showed in his .642 slugging percentage. He was hit by 13 pitches, and walked 34 times, boasting a .469 on base percentage. Seven times, Villalobos recorded three or more hits. Against Warner, he connected with the game-winning 13th inning grand slam. Most notably, in the Avista NAIA World Series opener against Sun Conference rival No. 5 Webber International, he broke open the scoring with a first inning two-run homer. Finishing the game with a 3-for-4 and four RBIs as the Fire dominated the Warriors 15-2 in seven innings.
The 2024 Sun Conference Tournament MVP ramped up his output from junior to senior season as he was recognized as the Fire’s 13th ever First-Team NAIA All-American, and earned a spot on the Avista NAIA World Series All-Tournament Team and Sun Conference All-Tournament Team. His on-the-field success was matched in the classroom, as he was acknowledged with Sun Conference All-Academic, NAIA Daktronic Scholar-Athlete and CSC Academic All-District.
An ABC grad, he played for coach Maxime Hockhoussen.
Outfielders: Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.) Arkansas Razorbacks, Simon Grinberg (Kitchener, Ont.) Keiser Seahawks and Jordan Bach (Ladner, BC) Southern Illinois Salukis.
Ex-ABC OF Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.), Arkansas Raazorbacks.
Hitting .346 with 12 doubles, two triples and 14 homers, Davalan knocked in 60 runs with a .993 OPS for Arkansas, playing 65 games with 64 starts (49 in left field, 15 in centre).
He was the 14th Razorback chosen in the first round of the draft and the eighth Razorback hitter to be selected in the first round of the draft, joining OF Kevin McReynolds (sixth overall, San Diego Padres, 1981), INF Jeff King (first, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1986), INF Logan Forsythe (23rd, Padres, 2008), INF Zack Cox (25th, St. Louis Cardinals, 2010), OF Andrew Benintendi (seventh, Boston Red Sox, 2015), OF Heston Kjerstad (second, Baltimore Orioles, 2020) and INF Wehiwa Aloy (30th Orioles, 2025).
He earned First Team honours from ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team, First Team All-SEC and the SEC Academic Honor Roll ... And he gained Second Team honours from ABCA/Rawlings All-American, NCBWA All-American and Perfect Game All-American Second Team,
He led the Razorbacks in base hits (93) and stolen bases (10), finishing second in runs scored (71). He had 35 walks compared to 27 strikeouts. During conference play, he slashed .338/.409/.596 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs with 46 hits, including eight doubles, against conference opponents. He hit his first home run against Charlotte and his first home run of SEC play at Ole Miss. He added a go-ahead two-run homer in game two of the SEC Opening Weekend series at Ole Miss and recorded his first career multi-homer game in the series finale at Vanderbilt.
Davalan, who played for the ABC and coach Marc-Antoine Bérubé, earned Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College Team Third Team honours in 2024.
Former FieldHouse Pirate and Ontario Nationals OF Simon Grinberg (Kitchener, Ont.)
Grinberg batted .388 with 19 doubles, 18 homers and knocked in 70 runs. He owned a 1.329 OPS in 53 games.
He led the team in batting average while his home run total was second all-time in a single season. He ranked fourth all-time in doubles and home runs. He managed three-hit outings facing Grace (two doubles, two RBIs), Florida Memorial (double, homer, four RBIs), Webber International (two homers, five RBIs), Webber (two homers, three RBIs), Florida Memorial (double, four RBIs), Warner (double, homer, four RBIs), Southeastern (double, homer, two RBIs), Southeastern (double, three RBIs) and Webber (homer, two RBIs).
He had two-hit games against, CIU (two doubles, two RBIs). CIU (homer, four RBIs), Fort Lauderdale (homer, five RBIs), Midland (solo homer), Midland (solo homer), Midland (homer, two RBIs), Florida Memorial, Florida Memorial (homer, two RBIs), New Co(double, two RBIs) and Houston-Victoria (homer, two RBIs).
Grinberg, who played for the FieldHouse Pirates and coach Jimmy Richardson, as well as the Ontario Nationals and coach Jeremy Jayaweera, was named Sun Conference Player of the Year, First-Team All-Conference Selection, Spring Academic All-Conference and was named Sun Conference Player of the Week. He earned Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College Team First Team honours in 2022.
Ex-White Rock Tritons OF Jordan Bach (Ladner, BC) of the Southern Illinois Salukis celebrates..
Bach batted .309 with 19 homers, two triples, 11 homers and 41 RBIs. He had a .996 OPS in 56 games. His best day was going 4-for-4 against Chicago with a double and four RBIs
He enjoyed three-hit games against Tennessee Tech (triple, two RBIs), Bellarmine (double, two RBIs), Bellarmine (homer, two RBIs), Morehead State (double, homer, RBI) and Missouri State (double, triple),
He had two hits against UT Rio Grande (RBI), Tennessee Tech (double), Tennessee Tech (double, RBI), Arkansas State (double), Bellarmine (double, RBI), UIC, Bradley, Southeast Missouri, Indiana State, Arkansas State (homer, two RBIs), Belmont (RBI), Belmont (homer, three RBIs), Illinois State (homer, two RBIs), Illinois State (double, two RBIs), SIUE (homer), Valparaiso (two RBIs) and UIC.
Bach, who played for the White Rock Tritons and coach Matt Paculan, earned All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention. He was a member of the Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College First Team in 2023.
Former Saskatoon Diamondbacks Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Designated Hitter_Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Sask.) McCook Indians.
He hit .437 with 20 doubles, two triples, 20 homers and 96 RBIs. He had a 1.363 OPS in 57 games.
Wouters was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 All-American team, selected from players on 159 junior college teams playing Division 1. He is the first in McCook program history to achieve first-team status.
Wouters won the Region IX triple crown (average, home runs and RBIs). He scored 57 runs, had 90 hits in 206 at bats and 43 extra base hits. He reached base in 50.4 percent of his plate appearances and slugged .859. He finished the regular season with the third-most RBIs in the nation and tied for eighth in home runs. He was named the Region IX Player of the Year.
For his career, Wouters batted .427 in 109 games with 32 doubles, 30 home runs and 140 RBIs in 379 at bats.
The 96 RBIs establishes a single-season school RBI record, topping the 81 by Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Sask.) in 2023. His .859 slugging mark also sets an MCC record, topping the .793 average previously held by Zack Beatty in 2022. With 177 total bases, he came one base shy of tying the MCC record of 178 held by Murdoch in 2023.
Wouters’ average was the second best in MCC history. His .416 average last season was the second-highest until he topped that this year. The 21 home runs Wouters hit are also the second-most in a season, trailing only the 24 hit by Beatty in 2022.
As a pitcher, Wouters appeared in 20 games in his two years at MCC with a 7-10 record, a 7.57 ERA. He had 120 strikeouts in 82 innings. This spring, he was 4-3 in nine appearances and struck out 51 hitters in 40 /3 innings.
Wouters, who earned Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian College Team Second Team honours in 2024, played for the Saskatoon Diamondbacks under coach Matt Kosteniuk and the Saskatchewan Summer Games team in 2022 that won a bronze medal in Niagara.
Honourable Mention
(Points for first, second and third votes from our 55 voters were awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.)
Former Terrier Russ Kwinter (Toronto, Ont.)
Left-handed starters _ Russ Kwinter (Toronto, Ont.) University of Chicago Maroons, Eric Fields (Brookfield, NS) Danville Area Jaguars.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Henderson (30) 188, Haden Dow (St. John, NB) Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (11) 132, Alexis Gravel (Repentigny, Que.) McNeese State Cowboys (4) 62, Kwinter (3) 45, Fields (1) 13.
(One player received less than five votes.)
Right-handed starters _ Matthew Thompson (Winnipeg, Man.) Williston State Tetons, Tyrelle Chadwick (Kamloops, BC) Illinois State Redbirds and Tate Dearing (Surrey, BC) Reinhardt Eagles.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Gillespie (29) 169, Tyler Bremner (San Diego, Calif.) Santa Barbara Gauchos (10) 112, Kyle Froehlich (Nipawin, Sask.) Texas-Tyler Patriots (10) 86, Thompson 32, Chadwick 19 and Dearing 7.
(Five players received less than six votes.)
Relievers _ Oliver Martel (Marieville, Que.) Mineral Area Cardinals, Brandon Langley (New Glasglow, PEI) Western Carolina Catamounts, Jack Saputo (WIndsor, Ont.) Macomb Monarchs, Sawyer Jensen (Wheatland County, Alta.) Trinidad State Trojans, Virot Siharath (Keswick, Ont.) Iowa Western Reivers.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Jean (38) 208, Tate Carey (Tecumseh, Ont.) (6) 79, Kai Fyke (Langley, BC) Central Arizona Vaqueros (1) 68, Martel (4) 33, Langley 19, Saputo 16, Jensen 8, Siharath 6.
(Two players received less than five votes.)
Former Toronto Mets C Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.).
Catchers _ Connor Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) Southeastern Lions, Colin Fisher (Ottawa, Ont.) Midland Chaparrals, Ayden Hadley (Langley, BC) Barton Bulldogs, Jason Green (Georgetown, Ont.) Niagara Purple Eagles, Louis Felix Anderson (St. Sauveur, Que.) Howard Hawks, Justin Anctil (Montreal, Que.) Panola Ponies and Cassidy Watt (Coquitlam, BC) Dakota State Trojans.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Lachance (30) 180, Logan Grant (Chestermere, Alta.) Bellevue Bruins (6) 71, Tyler Favretto (Montreal, Que.) Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes (5) 64, Hicks (2) 48, Fisher (2) 20, Hadley 15, Green (1) 11, Anderson (1) 8, Anctil (1) 6 and Watt (1) 5.
(Five players received less than five votes.)
First base _ Austin Gomm (Mississauga, Ont.) LSU-Shreveport Pilots, Robin Villeneuve (Gatineau, Que.) Texas Tech Red Raiders, Andrew Bishop (Kitchener, Ont.) Georgia Highlands Chargers, Riley Nelson (Toronto, Ont.) Vanderbilt Commodores, Taeg Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) Missouri State Bears, Tom Poole (Calgary, Alta.) Dallas Patriots and Dawson Walters (Toronto, Ont.) McPherson Bulldogs.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Crowell (15) 95 and Dionne (15) 95 (tie), Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) Florida Gators (12) 85, Ty Doucette (Dartmouth, NS) (6) 65, Gomm (2) 30, Villeneuve (1) 25, Bishop (2) 21, Nelson (1) 14, Gollert 9, Poole 7 and Walters (1) 6.
Second base _ Ben Morrison (Medway, Ont.) Indiana Tech Warriors, Curtis McKay (Dorchester, Ont.) Niagara Purple Eagles, Anthony Esposito (Montreal, Que.) Genesee Cougars, Ryan Dauphinee (White Rock, BC) Central Baptist Mustangs, Tyler Vanneste (Warman, Sask.) Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes and Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.) Southeastern Fire.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Mitchell (13) 112, Yosuke Fujie (Misson, BC) Campbellsville Tigers (11) 98, Joey Marino (Surrey, BC) Cloud County T-Birds (7) 65. Morrison (9) 62, McKay (3) 42, Esposito (3) 28, Dauphinee (2) 16 and Villalobos (1) 5.
(Three players received less than two votes.)
Great Lakes Canadians 3B Will Moore (Paris, Ont.) of the Indiana Hooisers.
Third base _ Will Moore (Paris, Ont.) Indiana Hooisers, Hudson Hoy (Spruce Grove, Alta.) Northeastern Plainsmen, Nolan McCrossin (London, Ont.) Kankakee Cavaliers, Aaron Marsh (Nanaimo, BC) UBC Thunderbirds, Brodie Guenther (Warrman, Sask.) West Virginia State Yellow Jackets and Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) Florida Gators (
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Crowson (32) 188, Jakob Poturnak (Vancouver, BC) Sacramento State Hornets (7) 85, Edouard Tardif (Trois-Riveres, Que.) Northeastern Oklahoma Golden Norse (1) 42, Moore (3) 34, Hoy (3) 31, Hoy (2) 26, McCrossin 20, Guenther 7 and Lawson (1) 5.
(Two players received less than three votes.)
Shortstops _ Nathan Houston (Regina, Sask.) Arizona Western Matadors, Brando Leroux (Markham, Ont.) Florida Atlantic Owls, Manny Alberto (Aurora, Ont.) Three Rivers Raiders, Anthony Gilbert (Quebec, Que.) Campbellsville Tigers, Seth Brown (Toronto, Ont.) Dodge City Conquistadors and Tyrus Hall (Victoria, BC) Bossier Parish Cavilers.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Villalobos (21) 148, Core Jackson (Wyoming, Ont.) Utah Utes (20) 142, Nigel Sebastianelli (St. Catharines, Ont.) SUNY Niagara Thunderwolves (4) 54, Houston 25, Leroux 21, Alberto (1) 19, Gilbert (1) 7, Brown (1) 6 and Hall (1) 6.
(Four players received less than six votes.)
Former Ontario Blue Jays OF Lucas Alberti (Toronto, Ont.) of the George Mason Monarchs.
Outfielders _ Lucas Alberti (Toronto, Ont.) George Mason Monarchs, Aidan McAskie (Toronto, Ont.) Charleston Southern Buccaneers, David Stanley (Mississauga, Ont.) Connors State Cowboys, Leo Griffin (Boucherville, Que.) Hutchison Blue Dragons, Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) Washburn Icabods, JJ Dutton (Toronto, Ont.) Morehead State Eagles, Mitchell Middlemiss (Chilliwack, BC) UBC Thunderbirds, David Alvarez (Woodbridge, Ont. ) Northwest Florida State Raiders, Matthew Evans (Tillsonburg, Ont.) Cloud County T-Birds, Justin Carinci (Ajax, Ont.) Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jackets, Nick Groves (London, Ont.) Illinois Fighting Illini, Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (Burlington, Ont.) Sacramento State Hornets, Davis Germann (Toronto, Ont.) Morehead State Eagles, Kaden Zarowny (Strathmore, Alta.) UBC Thunderbirds, Austin Coyle (Kamloops, BC) Cloud County T-Birds, Zach Laurie (Peterborough, Ont.) Glenville State Pioneers, Blake Jacklin (St. Jacobs, Ont.) East Tennessee State Buccaneers and Dante Smith (Ajax, Ont.) North Dakota State Bison,
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Davalan (27) 183, Grinberg (18) 142, Bach (23) 139, Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) UBC Thunderbirds (17) 138, Noel McGarry-Doyle (Maple, Ont.) Mid-America Christian Evangels (11) 102, Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) Indiana State Hooisiers (14) 95, Noah Cassie (Vancouver, BC) Mineral Area Cardinals (4) 73, Turner Zdunich (High River, Alta.) Colby Trojans (4) 66, Max Hartman (St. Albert, Alta.) Washington State (5) 53, Alberti (5) 51, McAskie (8) 50, Stanley (4) 35, Griffin (4) 26, McHarg (3) 26, Dutton (3) 18, Middlemiss 15, Alvarez 13, Groves 12, Pimentel-Guerrero 12, Carinci 8, Germann 8, Zarowny 8, Coyle 6, Laurie 6, Jacklin 5 and Smith 5.
(Eight players received less than five votes.)
Designated Hitter _ David Krahn (Kangley, BC) UBC Thunderbirds, Brendan Clelland (Sherwood, Park, Alta.) Northeastern, Kyle Yip (Calgary, Alta.) UBC Thunderbirds, Tyler Favretto (Montreal, Que.) Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes and Eliott Marin (L’Assomption, Que.) Northeastern Oklahoma A@M Golden Norse.
Voting (first-place votes in brackets) _ Wouters (32) 187, Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alta.) Bellevue Bruins (2) 96, Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) West Virginia Mountaineers (11) 87, Clelland (1) 27, Yip 17, Krahn (1) 11, Favarotto (1) 5 and Marin (1) 5.
(Two players received less than five votes.)