Now, two months ago if I were asked the question, "How good will UBC’s Baseball team be this year?", my
answer would be negative.  After losing Shawn Schaefer to Junior Hockey (There’s more to it but shh), and a ton of players on the 2006
roster due to their ages, I would’ve thought that if UBC could manage a
couple of wins a month, it’d be a miracle.  

But now, here we
are, beginning of April, and UBC is on fire!  With an 11-9 record
(Which is good for Second in the Conference, including LC-State), guys
like Andrew LaFleur, Brett Murray, Doug Grant and even a couple young
guys like Jon Syrnyk and Nic Lendvoy have been key for UBC, in their
chase to repeat as NAIA Region I Champions.  

The guy who
most benefited from Shawn Schaefer’s absence, is Brendan Rolfe who
headed into Saturday’s Double-Header against Albertson with a 3-0
record and a 0.67 ERA!  Statistically (at least in most categories)
he’s better than the other two starters (Grant and LaFleur), and aside
from Toronto Freshman Greg Chong (who’s pitched in 15 less innings than
Rolfe), leads the team with the best ERA.

Even if Rolfe has a
0.67 ERA, or if Jon Syrnyk has 12 RBI, the real MVP for UBC is Senior
Brett Murray.  The 3B/CP has an average of .351 and has hit 3 Homers,
including one at Nat Bailey Stadium against Oregon Tech.  On the other
side of the ball, Murray is 1-1 with Five saves this season, making his
final UBC season one to remember.  The Vancouver native has only not
played in one game all year, but in the 17 he has played in (Once
again, this is heading into Saturday’s action), they have all been
starts, before making his way to the mound in the 9th.

Now,
the question most people ask when there is a UBC player on fire is,
will they get drafted?  For Murray (Who is comparable to Steve Kleen,
the 2005 Canadian who pitched and played 1st base in College at
Pepperdine), the chances are slim.  Last year only One UBC player got
drafted, Connor Janes who had one of the best seasons in UBC History,
but with Murray being "Good", "Great" in some cases and "Wow" in
others, the chances aren’t as good for him as for Chris Kissock of the
Lc-State Warriors, but a trip to the NAIA World Series could change
that for anyone of these T-Bird players.

There are only two
players on this year’s UBC squad that I think could get drafted, and
they are both beside each other in your programs.  #38 and #39.  Murray
and Rolfe.  You might ask why not Doug Grant?  Or Tyler Willson? Well,
the fact is Grant hasn’t been the more consistent Pitcher this season
(Comparing him to Rolfe or Andrew LaFleur), and despite a great Junior
season, Tyler Willson has yet to impress in 2007. 

Jeff
Francis never appeared in the NAIA World Series with UBC, yet is
enjoying a successful MLB career as we speak.  Connor Janes did appear
in the NAIA World series with the ‘Birds, and is probably on a flight
right now to who knows where, playing where ever the D-Backs want him
in their system.  This year, will it be Murray? Rolfe? Grant? Willson?
Wilkie? Kornberger?  Only time will tell…but so far UBC is off to a
great start and with the way they’re playing we could be looking at an
NAIA World Series title this season!

 J