MONTREAL --
Christopher Stanford, a catcher from Quebec City and
Rocky Hroch, a pitcher from Temecula, Calif., both received two trophies, including being named co-winners of McGill University's baseball's most valuable player honours at the team's annual awards gala, Saturday, where the players and staff celebrated another stellar season culminated by the presentation of their national championship rings. The event was held, for the fourth consecutive year, at the Vargas Steakhouse in downtown Montreal.
Under the guidance of head coach and field manager
Jason Starr, the
Redmen posted a 31-11 record overall, including a 15-1 regular season mark in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association and an 8-2 post-season run en route to capturing their third consecutive
CCBA title.
Stanford, a 21-year-old international development studies transfer from the NCAA's Franklin Pierce University, also received the team's Silver Slugger Award as most outstanding hitter, while Hroch, an international management junior, was also named as most outstanding pitcher.
Other major awards went to outfielder
Sasha Lagarde (most outstanding defensive player) of Pierrefonds, Que., pitcher
Collin Murray (most improved player) of Lynnfield, Mass., and
Louis-Xavier Labrosse (rookie of the year) of Montreal.
Stanford, who measures 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, batted .407 with 48 hits in 118 at bats. He scored 34 runs and knocked in 38 RBIs in 38 games overall, drawing 13 walks and was hit by a pitch seven times. He had 10 doubles, one triple and pair of homers, including a walk-off-the-field solo shot with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning in the CCBA national final last fall, as McGill rallied to edge the University of Montreal 3-2.
Hroch, the ace of the pitching staff, posted a stingy 2.09 earned-run average and a stellar 8-1 record in 11 appearances overall, 10 of them starts. He allowed 30 hits in 50.1 innings, registering 61 strikeouts, 28 walks and five hit batsmen.
Lagarde, a 25-year-old transfer from the NCAA's Mercer University, is an education major in teaching English as a secondary language. The six-foot, 215-pound centrefielder batted .330 with eight doubles, one triple and a homerun. He scored 26 runs in 30 games overall, collected 19 RBIs, walked 11 times and was hit by a pitch on on six occasions.
Murray, a 19-year-old arts sophomore, saw duty in eight games out of the bullpen. The six-foot, 195-pound right-handed reliever allowed seven hits in 11.1 innings and had a 2.47 earned-run average. He walked seven, struck out nine and hit one batter.
Labrosse, who transferred from Université Laval, is a 21-year-old economics freshman. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound shortstop batted .354 with 14 RBIs. He scored 17 runs in 24 games, drew 11 walks and was hit by a pitch twice.
Each championship ring, produced by Jostens, boasts 96 brilliant cubic zirconia, including a continuous perimeter of 46 stones. The gold-tinted words "NATIONAL CHAMPIONS" are prominently displayed. The name "McGILL" sits proudly across three championship trophies, representing the back-to-back-to-back national titles won in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The McGill Athletics logo sits front and centre, with the player's name headlining the left shank. Five stones below the name represent the five national titles won by the team, dating back to 1994. A baseball diamond on the right shank is made up of three red stones for bases to signify the three-peat. The player's jersey number and team nickname reflects the McGill jersey worn with pride.
2016 McGILL REDMEN BASEBALL TEAM ROSTER
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill University Athletics & Recreation
514-398-7012
