TORONTO - For someone who had only 12 at-bats in 2009, Marcus Knecht made up for lost time this season.
Knecht transferred from Oklahoma State University to Connors State College due to a lack of playing time and the slugger made it a habit of knocking down or cleaning fences.
The former Ontario Blue Jay captured two portions of the triple crown with 23 homers and 87 RBIs. He had the top OPS as well of 1.456.
The North York outfielder was voted the Canadian Baseball Network player of the year after receiving 49 of 51 first place votes.
Brampton outfielder Sean Bignall had the highest average, hitting .458 for Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets.
A third-round choice of Toronto Blue Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish and Canadian scout Jamie Lehman, Knecht hit .268 with five homers and 34 RBIs in 61 games this summer for Class-A Auburn.
Knecht, who played for coach Danny Bleiwas, heads the 11th annual All-Canadian team, which features the player of the year from 2009, Calgary third baseman Jesse Sawyer, plus two champions:
Lefty Shawn Schaefer of Pitt Meadows, B.C., went 14-0 and was in on the celebrations as the Cumberland Bulldogs won the 54th Annual Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
Second baseman Ivan Hartle of North Vancouver won MVP honours for the Iowa Western Reivers at the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. Iowa Western edged top-ranked San Jacinto-North Gators 5-4 in the final, with Hartle scoring the winning run.
Hartle was both the tournament MVP and outstanding defensive player of the tourney, hitting .400 (10-for-25) with three homers and six RBIs. And he handled 25 chances flawlessly.
Sawyer was second in homers with 19 and third with 73 RBIs for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
The rest of the all-Canadian first team includes Ottawa’s Matt McGovern of North Carolina-Pembroke a repeat winner, 31-2 over his college career, Burlington reliever Nathan Lewis of Tarleton State who led with nine saves and Mississauga catcher Peter Bako, from Connors State, who drove in 66 runs in 56 games and transferred to North Carolina State in the fall.
The infield consists of Kitchener’s Brian Burton, of Canisius Golden Griffs, Hartle, Sawyer and Laval, Que. shortstop Carl Moniz from Georgia State.
Joining Knecht and Bignall in the outfield is Greg Wallace from Nanaimo, B.C., of the Evansville Purple Aces.
Burton hit .373 with 17 homers and 68 RBIs in 59 games, while Moniz hit .369 with 13 doubles, 10 homers and drove in 63 runs, tied for fourth most in school history, in 57 games.
Paul LaMantia of Tecumseh, Ont., and the Wayne State Warriors won the DH spot.
LaMantia hit .415 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs in 51 games and was voted MVP in 2010.
11th annual All-Canadian Team
First Team
LHP: Shawn Schaefer, Pitts Meadows, B.C., Cumberland Bulldogs.
RHP: Matt McGovern, Ottawa, North Carolina-Pembroke Braves.
Reliever: Nathan Lewis, Burlington, Ont. Tarleton State Texans.
Catcher: Peter Bako, Mississauga, Connors State Cowboys.
First base: Brian Burton, Kitchener, Canisius Golden Griffs.
Second base: Ivan Hartle, North Vancouver Iowa Western Reivers.
Third base; Jesse Sawyer, Calgary, South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
Shortstop: Carl Moniz, Laval, Que. Georgia State Panthers.
Outfield: Marcus Knecht, North York, Ont. Connors State; Sean Bignall, Brampton, Ont. Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets, Greg Wallace, Nanaimo, B.C. Evansville Purple Aces.
DH: Paul LaMantia, Tecumseh, Ont. Wayne State Warriors.
Second Team
LHP: Sheldon McDonald, Spruce Grove, Alta. UBC Thunderbirds.
RHPs (tie): Jeff Gibbs, East York, Ont. Maine Black Bears, Matthew Whidden, Hamilton, Niagara County Trailblazers.
Reliever: Dan Britton-Foster, Ladysmith, B.C., UBC.
Catcher: Scott Peters, Altoona, Man. Minot State Beavers.
First base: Greg Appleton, Port Coquitlam, B.C. Cumberland.
Second base: Chris Bisson, Orleans, Ont., Kentucky.
Third base: Jordan Castaldo, Toronto, Arkansas State Red Wolves.
Shortstop: Sean Jamieson, Simcoe, Ont. Canisius.
Outfielders: Ryan Fleming, Whitby, Ont., Georgia State; Ryan LaPensee, LaSalle, Ont., Wayne State Warriors, Nolan Bracken, Regina, Dickinson State Blue Hawks.
DH: Ian Choy, Mississauga, Canisius.
Third Team
LHP: Ryan Kennedy, Calgary, Alta., St. Petersburg Titans.
RHP: Brandon Kaye, Langely, B.C. UBC.
Reliever: Christian Kowalchuk, Saskatoon, Arkansas Razorbacks.
Catcher (tie): Aaron Johnson, Sussex Corner, N.B. Illinois FIghting Illini, Dan Welch, Victoria, B.C. Dayton.
First base: Joel Blake, Langley, B.C. South Dakota State.
Second baseman: Jon Cotter, Moose Jaw, Sask., Colby Trojans.
Third base: Michael Page, L’Épiphanie, Que., Northeastern Oklahoma A@M Golden Norse.
Shortstop: Sammie Starr, Toronto, UBC.
Outfield: Shayne Willson, Surrey, B.C. Canisius, Aaron Dunsmore, Spruce Grove, Dayton Flyers, Blake Carruthers, Calgary, UBC.
DH: Nic Lendvoy, Langley, B.C., UBC
