(Windsor, Ontario) - The St. Clair College Men’s Baseball team is pleased to announce some of their incoming players for the 2018 season as they attempt to defend their OCAA Provincial and National Collegiate Championships this fall.
6’3” right handed pitcher Evan Ferguson (Windsor, ON/St. Joseph’s) will be counted on for some innings this season while enrolled in the Paramedic program at St. Clair. Ferguson played baseball locally for the Windsor Selects and is taking a fall break from his second year as a forward with the Lasalle Vipers Junior B hockey team to pitch for the Saints. He was drafted in the 2nd round by the OHL’s Saginaw Spirt and was the 2017 Male Athlete of the Year at St. Joseph’s as a WECSSAA 1st Team All-City performer in baseball and hockey.
6’0” Kyle Gagnon (Belle River, ON/St. Anne) is another Windsor Selects product who can play up the middle at shortstop or second base for St. Clair this fall while he studies in the Business Administration Marketing program academically. Gagnon won an OFSAA Gold and Silver Medal while at St. Anne but contributed to the Selects Junior squad who a pair of Silver medals at the Canadian Championships during his time. He also has hockey roots having played Junior C for the Lakeshore Canadiens for 3 years and the Wheatley Sharks for 2 years.
The Tecumseh Thunder have provided a lift to the St. Clair lineup with the addition of 5’9” infielder Ryley Vernon (Lasalle, ON/St. Thomas of Villanova) who can play third base or second base. Vernon is 3-time OBA Champion and recently won a Silver Medal with the 2018 Thunder Midget team at the National Championships. While at Villanova he was named MVP and was a WECSSAA 1st Team All-City selection. Vernon is enrolled in the Border Services program academically.
Adding to the Saints pitching depth will be 6’4” Michael Beale (Windsor, ON/W.F. Herman) who returns to baseball after a hiatus that saw him go to St. Francis Xavier University (Antigonish, Nova Scotia) for football last year. Beale will study Early Childhood Education in the classroom while transitioning back to the mound. The former Tecumseh Thunder Midget pitcher threw sparingly with the Junior team this past summer but was able to make 6 relief appearances for the St. Clair Green Giants in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate league. His Herman football accolades include 3 OFSAA Bowl wins and the 2016 National Championship as well as being named the WECSSAA Offensive MVP. In 2017 Beale was selected as the WECSSAA Mr. Baseball Award winner and also competed in basketball during his time at Herman.
Another pleasant surprise to the St. Clair lineup is outfielder Jacob Breault (Chatham, ON) who last played summer ball for the Great Lakes Canadians based out of London in 2017.
The Saints started their exhibition season Wednesday splitting a doubleheader with Wilfrid Laurier University at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys. The Saints used a 3-run homer from Jacob Breault and a complete game 4-hit performance from 3rd year pitcher Micah Harris (Cottam, ON) to win their season opener 6-2. St. Clair fell 7-2 in the second game with Evan Ferguson getting tagged with the loss in 4 innings of work.
St. Clair begins their regular season with a 4-game home stand at Lacasse Park against Durham College (Oshawa) on Sat, Sep. 8 and Humber College (Etobicoke) on Sun, Sep. 9. Game times both dates are set for 1:00 and 3:00pm.