July 26, 2008

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- University of British Columbia baseball starting pitcher Mark Hardy, representing Canada at the World University Baseball Games in the Czech Republic, has been awarded the 2008 World University Baseball Games ERA award after posting a perfect 0.00 ERA during round-robin play of the tournament.

Hardy’s stat line was one of the stories of the tournament for the tenacious Canadian squad.  Over 10 innings of work, the Campbell River native registered an impressive 17 strikeouts while walking none, giving up just four hits and zero runs.

His performance in Canada’s victory over the host Czech Republic was nothing short of perfection.  Over eight innings, Hardy stuck out 15 batters, a Canadian FISU record, and surrendered just three hits.

The 4-0 win marked two milestones for the Canadian team as it was their first time winning two games at the FISU Championships and registering two shutouts in one round-robin -- they beat an overmatched Lithuanian team 25-0 earlier in the week.

Hardy’s award, a bronzed Rawlings glove, was the first ever won by a Canadian player at the World University Baseball Games.  The team had previously competed in 2002 (Sicily, Italy) and 2004 (Tainan, Chinese Tapei).