Brandon Hunter's bat was so hot, spontaneous combustion was a possibility.
The remarkable display of hitting Hunter put on at the 2012 Baseball Canada Senior Championship helped him claim a major award from the B.C. Senior Baseball Association. Last week, he was picked as the BCSBA's player of the year.
The 29-year-old local product got the nod largely because of his performance at the August nationals, where he powered the host Prince George Westcana Electric Axemen to the title. During the tournament, Hunter went 10-for-15 at the plate, had 10 RBIs and scored seven runs. He blasted two key home runs -- a two-run shot in a 4-2 semifinal win against the Fort Saskatchewan A's and a grand slam against the Windsor Stars in the final, a game won 9-5 by the Axemen.
For the provincial award, Hunter was up against one of his Axemen teammates, pitcher Jesse Peters.
"Even to just be nominated, and then winning out of all the province, is pretty cool," Hunter said. "It was pretty amazing I beat [Peters] out. He's an amazing pitcher. I couldn't believe his talent when I saw it."
When Hunter looks back at nationals, he has a hard time processing just how well things went for him on the field.
"I still tell people that it was luck," he said with a laugh. "It's by far the best I've ever played. I knew I could play like that but to do it the way I did it -- in Prince George, at nationals -- it's still surreal."
Hunter, a centrefielder when not at the plate, said the depth of talent on the Axemen roster helped him shine as brightly as he did.
"It's pretty easy to hit when there are a lot of big guys in the lineup that can hit just as well as you can," he said. "A lot of pressure was taken off. I didn't feel like I had to do as much. It just came down to 'go out and play.' And I was so relaxed. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be."
Jim Swanson, manager of the Canadian champion Axemen, said Hunter is fully deserving of the BCSBA honour.
"Obviously what Brandon did at nationals was impressive," Swanson said. "Jesse [the winning pitcher in the semifinal] got us there and Brandon put us over the top.
"Brandon was definitely a leader for the Axemen and highly-respected by everybody. And it's tough for him because he doesn't see the calibre of play and pitching for most of the year. The nationals level is a pretty strong step above and he had the skill and the mental ability to rise up in that situation."
Hunter was also the MVP of the Shooters Bar & Grill P.G. Senior Baseball League in 2012. As a member of the Queensway Auto World Red Sox, he rapped out 26 hits and had a .510 batting average.
Hunter is a first-time winner of the BCSBA player of the year award.
