Owen Boon Named Most Valuable Player

The Intercounty Baseball League announced that Owen Boon of the Hamilton Cardinals has been named the 2025 IBL Most Valuable Player and the recipient of the John Bell Memorial Trophy.

The John Bell Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The winner is selected by the IBL Board of Governors at the end of the regular season.

Boon delivered a dominant campaign in 2025. Over 12 regular-season appearances, the right-hander posted a 6–1 record, a 1.80 ERA, and 88 strikeouts in 70.0 innings. He becomes only the second player in Cardinals history to earn the league’s top individual honour, joining Tyler Duncan (2023).

Boon’s season was highlighted by a historic performance on July 10, 2025, when he threw the IBL’s first nine-inning no-hitter since 1977, blanking the Kitchener Panthers at home. Boon was also awarded the Ted Earley Memorial Trophy for having the lowest ERA during the 2025 season. 

Before joining Hamilton last November, Boon built a decorated career in the IBL. A London, Ontario native and graduate of Western University, he spent eight seasons with the London Majors, where he established himself as one of the league’s premier pitchers. He earned First Team All-Star honours in 2021 and 2023 and played a key role in back-to-back IBL championships for the Majors in 2021 and 2022. 

Following his time in London, Boon spent the 2024 season with the Etobicoke Rangers of the Central Ontario Baseball Association, where he helped guide the club to a championship before returning to the IBL with the Cardinals.