University of Minnesota Athletics
Baseball Announces Team Awards
6/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Luke Appert (Cottage Grove, Minn.) received two of the honors claiming the Richard "Chief" Siebert Most Valuable Player Award and the Paul Molitor Batting Champion Award. Appert was the team leader in batting average (.373), runs (53), doubles (27), total bases (123), on-base percentage (.476) and stolen bases (15). His .373 batting average helped him claim the Paul Molitor Batting Champion Award for a second straight season. Last season Appert claimed the Paul Molitor Award with a .361 batting average. He joins Robb Quinlan (1998 & 99) as the only player to receive the award in back-to-back seasons since it started in 1985.
Scott Welch (Missoula, Mon.) was named the Gopher Dugout Club Player of the Year. Welch led the team in homers (5), RBI (46), batted a career-high .351 and had 19 doubles on the season. Welch batted .362 with three homers and 26 RBI in Big Ten play. He finished his career fifth on the school list in batting average in Big Ten play at .370.
Glen Perkins (Stillwater, Minn.) was named the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year. Ironically enough Perkins passed Winfield's mark of 109 strikeouts in 1973, on the way to setting the single-season record for strikeouts at 117. Perkins became the first pitcher in the history of the Big Ten to go 8-0 and conference play, and added a ninth victory over a conference team in the Big Ten Tournament. Perkins was 10-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 117 strikeouts on the season. As a freshman this season he threw the fourth most innings in a season of any Gopher pitcher at 105.1.
David Roach (Clearwater, Fla.) received the Paul Fortin Scholarship/Athlete Award. Roach batted .297 on the season with three home runs and 23 RBI. He finished the season with a .996 fielding percentage only making two errors in 480 chances. Roach did not make an error in the final 57 games of the season. In his final two seasons, he made only three errors in 797 chances. Roach tied for first on the team in triples and fifth on the squad in doubles (13).
Jeff Moen (Glenwood, Minn.) received the George Thomas Most Improved Player. Moen finished the season with a 2.39 ERA and was 1-1 with a school record nine saves on the season. He was a perfect 9-for-9 in save opportunities this season, and only allowed thee of 25 inherited runners to score on the season. Last season Moen was 0-2 with a 4.37 ERA and did not record a save.
One of the most prestigious honors in the program, the David Chelesnik Scholarship Award, was shared by Nick McCauley (Richland Center, Wis.) and Chad Drexler (Coon Rapids, Minn.). The award is presented to an athlete (s) who best demonstrates the special qualities of courage, determination and perseverance that were exhibited by David Chelesnik. The special scholarship is given in memory of an outstanding student-athlete who died of bone cancer on Labor Day, 1984, after completing one year of a lifelong dream - to play for the Golden Gophers. McCauley and Drexler receiving the award, marked the first time two players have been honored in the same year.
