The George Brown Huskies men's baseball season came to an end in the quarterfinals at the OCAA Championship on Thursday (Oct. 22nd). They put up a great fight against the two-time defending OCAA champions, Humber Hawks, but dropped a 13-8 decision at Kinsmen Stadium.
"We accomplished something as a group that's been out of our reach the last couple of seasons, that being playoffs. Being here with this group of young men is fantastic. It's a great experience for our team and great for George Brown College," head coach AJ Wideman explained. "We're thankful to be at the OCAA Championship. We put in a great effort tonight but came up a little bit short against one of the country's best teams in Humber. It's tough to believe it's over, but we're happy and thankful."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Hawks struck first right out of the gate putting up four runs in the bottom of the first to earn a 4-0 lead. However, the Huskies responded the following inning. They loaded the bases with no outs, and the hit parade started. The next three batters in Christian Bachoumis, Manual Lopez Rodriguez, and Daniel Farrace all drove in at least one run to tie the contest at 4-4. Two batters later, in possibly his final OCAA game, Brandon Nieva brought in the go-ahead run off a double to right field to give the Huskies the one-run advantage at 5-4.
There's a reason why the Hawks are the defending two-time OCAA champions. In the bottom of the third, the team registered four runs to retake the lead at 8-5. Humber went on to score at least one run in the next three innings to seal their spot into the final four.
Despite the loss, the Huskies experienced one of the best seasons in program history. This game marked the first time the program made it to the playoffs since the OCAA inaugurated baseball season in 2013. Huskies head coach Wideman knows that this team played for each other throughout the campaign.
"Everyone was pulling on the same rope all season," Wideman explained. "We had four one-run losses, and the good thing was this group stayed together, encouraged each other and bought into the program. It's great to have a solid group of student-athletes coming back next year to build on this season."
Notable stats
#10 Brandon Nieva
In his final OCAA game, the third baseman went 2-for-3 with two walks, one RBI and one run. He was awarded Huskies player of the game for his efforts.
2021 Men's Graduating Student-Athletes
#9 David De Cassan
The starting pitcher has been with the Huskies since 2017, and from the get-go, has been placed in every situation. He made sure to etched his name in the OCAA record books by breaking the league record for innings pitched in a season with 44 in 2019.
De Cassan has made a total of 30 appearances, including 17 starts and has thrown a school-record 118.1 innings while posting a 6.27 ERA and 56 strikeouts. The pitcher has also been a positive contributor behind the scenes for the Huskies Athletics and Recreation Department and earned the Contribution to Athletics presented by Vital CPR award in 2020 for his efforts. He will be graduating from the Video Design & Production program.
#10 Brandon Nieva
Since being recruited to the Huskies in 2018, Nieva has become an unstoppable force on third base -- the hot corner. He was solid in his rookie season, batting .295 while amassing 13 hits and seven runs batted in (RBIs) in 14 games. However, in the following season, he truly excelled, improving in every offensive category and becoming one of the best hitters in the OCAA. His .364 batting average, 20 hits, three home runs, 15 RBIs, 34 total bases, and .618 slugging percentage all ranked in the Top 10 provincially.
He has played 37 career games for the Huskies while putting up a .299 batting average, three home runs, 35 hits, 25 RBIs. He will be graduating from the Project Management program in the spring.
#12 Kevin Kang
The infielder joined the Huskies team ahead of the 2021 season. He played in eight games while recording a hit, two RBIs, a walk and stolen base. From day one, Kang brought energy and enthusiasm to the team. He will be graduating from the Construction Engineering Technology program in the spring.
#21 Moran Duke Andres
Duke Andres earned a spot on the Huskies 2021 roster and added depth to the pitching staff. He's thrown 10 2/3 innings, allowing 14 hits and striking out a pair of batters in four appearances. He will be graduating from the Culinary Management program in the spring.
#23 Aiden Colangelo
Colangelo was a great addition to the team when he was recruited in 2019 as a transfer athlete from Niagara County Community College of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). This past season, he was one of the best hitters in the OCAA this season. His impressive stats line for the 2021 season was a .439 batting average, 18 hits, five doubles, 15 RBIs, a .520 OBP and .561 SLG. Those stats translated to being near the top among the OCAA. He ranked fifth in the province in batting average, fifth in hits, sixth in RBIs, and fifth in doubles. However, the most important thing he brought this season to the Huskies squad is leadership.
His career numbers stand at 29 games played, .361 batting average, 24 RBIs, 16 runs, six doubles, a .455 OBP and a .434 OPS. He will be graduating from the Business Administration program in the spring.
#27 Riley Annand
Annand was recruited ahead of the 2021 season and became one of the best pitchers for the Huskies. In six appearances, he threw 13 1/3 innings, striking out six, and posted the fifth-best ERA in the OCAA at 2.10. He also held one of the best strikeouts per nine innings at 3.15. He will be graduating from the Video Design & Production program in the spring.
