HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Brébeuf Claims First Baseball Championship Since 2011

A dominant pitching performance powered the St. Jean de Brébeuf Braves to their first high school baseball championship since 2011.

Playing the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic league final at Bernie Arbour Stadium Tuesday, Carter Delaplante of Brébeuf tossed a no-hitter en route to a 4-0 victory over the St. Thomas More Knights.

The right-hander struck out 14 batters in the seven-inning contest.

Delaplante walked four and hit one other with a pitch. But the only player to make contact to reach base safely -- by way of an infield error in the first inning -- was leadoff batter Adam Poole.

The Braves got all the offence they needed with three runs in the first and one in the second.

"Their pitcher was awesome," More coach Nick Memme said. "He had all his stuff. We had no answers.
"We had runners on. We just couldn't cash them."

Both teams finished the regular season with a 4-1 record. More got the nod for first place, however, due to its 5-3 win over the Braves in September.

"Two really good teams," Memme said.

Griffin Wilson, Delaplante, Luca Impagliatelli and Chase Burton crossed the plate with the Brebeuf runs.

Wilson had two of the Braves five hits yielded by More pitchers Marshall Schwoob (six innings) and Jeremy Duck (two strikeouts in his one inning of work).

"Our pitchers were great, too," Memme said. "That wasn't the problem. We just couldn't hit."

A rep player for the 18U London-based Great Lakes Canadians, Delaplante has committed to play at the junior college level for North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City next season.

"It's very special," Delaplante said of Brébeuf's first baseball championship in 14 years. "The team helped me on the defensive side. We battled hard. We wanted it."

Brébeuf coach Alain de Souza said Delaplante and catcher Maximus de Souza worked well together all season in setting up the pitches.

"They know what they're doing," the Braves coach added. "They're an incredible battery.

"Carter just brought it today. This was his goal. He told me before our first game of the year that he wanted to pitch in the final and bring home the championship. He just loves the game. He did a phenomenal job."

When asked about his pitching strategy, Delaplante said: "I would start the players who I knew could barrel it with a curve and then usually I would pump the fastball."

The Brébeuf coach said it was key that his team got runners on base early in the game, thus puting pressure on the opposition to make plays.

"All year we were able to score early and build off that momentum," he said. "I had a great feeling about this game. We had Carter on the mound and I knew the boys were upset about that loss to STM."

Other Brébeuf players included Owen Vukelic, Eli Wright, Zack Lambert, Ty Vukelic, Tyler Thiessen, Dom Costantini, Jordon Rodereque, Colby Burton, Ryan Green, Ben Casey, John Lyall, Aiden Bertuola and Emerson Shields-de Souza.

In earlier playoff rounds, More downed the Bishop Ryan Celtics and Brébeuf edged the Bishop Tonnos Titans.
"This team doesn't give in and they're not afraid of any one," the Braves coach said. "They've got that 'it' factor. They really do.

"I've had these guys for four years. And we started 0-6. It's been a long time between championships."

Brébeuf qualifies for the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference playoffs next spring.

Delaplante's older brother, Tristan, is also a baseball pitcher. He has committed to a scholarship offer from the Division 1 Alcorn State University Braves in Mississippi. Tristan was a quarterback for the Brébeuf football team.

Click here to see photos on HWCDSB Athletics page.