University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Baseball Announces 2007 Team Awards
5/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota Baseball Announces Team Awards
The Minnesota baseball team announced its team awards at the annual team banquet on May 29. The Golden Gophers gave out eight awards, including the Richard “Chief” Siebert Most Valuable Player, the Dianne Olson-Ficenko Dugout Club Player of the Year, the Paul Molitor Batting Champion, the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year, the Paul Fortin Scholarship/Athlete Award, the George Thomas Most Improved Player Award, the David Chelesnik Scholarship Award and the Teammate of the Year Award.
Mike Mee (Richfield, Minn.) was named the Siebert Memorial MVP and received the Paul Molitor Batting Champion Award for 2007. Mee is currently fourth in the Big Ten in batting average at .397, has 43 runs, four home runs, 46 RBI, 12 doubles and a .468 on-base percentage. Mee was one of three players in the Big Ten to be voted First-Team All-Big Ten by a unanimous selection by the coaches. He also received Big Ten All-Tournament honors at the designated hitter spot.
Mee enters the week fourth on the Minnesota career list in hits with 284, which is just three hits away from Luke Appert for third place. He is also tied for second in games played (237), second in at-bats (885), tied for ninth in doubles (49), fifth in total bases (410) and fifth in RBI 178. Mee has the highest batting average of any Golden Gophers at this point in the season since 2001. He is the first player to win both the Siebert Most Valuable Player and Paul Molitor Award in the same year since Sam Steidl did so in 2004.
Kevin Carlson (Edina, Minn.) received the Dianne Olson-Ficenko Dugout Club Player of the Year Award. Carlson enters the week batting .295 with 15 runs and eight RBI. Carlson has played in 49 games this year, mostly starting behind the plate for Minnesota. This past week he batted .429 (6-for-14) with two RBI in the Big Ten Tournament to receive All-Tournament honors at catcher.
Senior Bill Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.) was named the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year. Johnson leads the team with a 2.13 ERA and is tied with a team-high 21 appearances for Minnesota. He is also 4-0 with two saves, has pitched 38.0 innings in relief, struck out 23 batters and held opponents to a .248 batting average. In Big Ten play, Johnson was 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA in nine appearances. He pitched 17.0 innings, gave up 14 hits and struck out 13 batters in Big Ten play. This past week, Johnson made three appearances in the Big Ten Tournament, pitched 6.2 shutout innings and picked up a win in the 4-3 11-inning victory over Penn State on May 26.
John Arlt (Lakeville, Minn.) won the Paul Fortin Scholarship/Athlete Award. Arlt has been a three-time Big Ten All-Academic Honoree and a five-time Minnesota Scholar Athlete. Earlier this year he was honored with a Top Five award that was presented the five best academic male student athletes in Minnesota’s athletic department. Arlt and Matt Nohelty were two of the five award winners
Senior Josh Oslin (Mora, Minn.) received the George Thomas Most Improved Player. Oslin enters the week with a 2.75 ERA and has set a school-record with 11 saves this year. Oslin has made 20 appearances and has struck out 18 batters in 19.2 innings of work. He has also held opponents to a .214 batting average. In Big Ten play, Oslin had a 1.29 ERA and six saves in eight appearances.
One of the most prestigious honors in the program, the David Chelesnik Scholarship Award, was given to Taylor VanderAarde (Hastings, Minn.) The award is presented to an athlete 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. VanderAarde made an amazing comeback, battling back from a serious knee injury he suffered in the summer to play for the Golden Gophers this year. He has played in 18 games this year, scored eight runs, had four RBI, drawn 10 walks and stolen two bases for Minnesota.
Minnesota awarded the Teammate of the Year Award for the third year, given to the player whose attitude and actions most represent that team philosophy of the Golden Gophers program. Junior Tom Steidl (Alexandria, Minn.) received the honors for Minnesota. This past week in the Big Ten Tournament, Steidl was inserted into the game as a defensive replacement at first base after Bryan Jost had been pinch-hit for in the previous inning. Steidl came up in the bottom of the 11th inning and singled off Penn State closer Derek O’Neill, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Steidl came home to score the game-winning run to send Minnesota to its seventh straight championship game when Jeremy Chlan doubled him home. Steidl had batted .235 and appeared in 22 games for the Golden Gophers this year.
The Minnesota baseball team announced its team awards at the annual team banquet on May 29. The Golden Gophers gave out eight awards, including the Richard “Chief” Siebert Most Valuable Player, the Dianne Olson-Ficenko Dugout Club Player of the Year, the Paul Molitor Batting Champion, the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year, the Paul Fortin Scholarship/Athlete Award, the George Thomas Most Improved Player Award, the David Chelesnik Scholarship Award and the Teammate of the Year Award.
Mike Mee (Richfield, Minn.) was named the Siebert Memorial MVP and received the Paul Molitor Batting Champion Award for 2007. Mee is currently fourth in the Big Ten in batting average at .397, has 43 runs, four home runs, 46 RBI, 12 doubles and a .468 on-base percentage. Mee was one of three players in the Big Ten to be voted First-Team All-Big Ten by a unanimous selection by the coaches. He also received Big Ten All-Tournament honors at the designated hitter spot.
Mee enters the week fourth on the Minnesota career list in hits with 284, which is just three hits away from Luke Appert for third place. He is also tied for second in games played (237), second in at-bats (885), tied for ninth in doubles (49), fifth in total bases (410) and fifth in RBI 178. Mee has the highest batting average of any Golden Gophers at this point in the season since 2001. He is the first player to win both the Siebert Most Valuable Player and Paul Molitor Award in the same year since Sam Steidl did so in 2004.
Kevin Carlson (Edina, Minn.) received the Dianne Olson-Ficenko Dugout Club Player of the Year Award. Carlson enters the week batting .295 with 15 runs and eight RBI. Carlson has played in 49 games this year, mostly starting behind the plate for Minnesota. This past week he batted .429 (6-for-14) with two RBI in the Big Ten Tournament to receive All-Tournament honors at catcher.
Senior Bill Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.) was named the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year. Johnson leads the team with a 2.13 ERA and is tied with a team-high 21 appearances for Minnesota. He is also 4-0 with two saves, has pitched 38.0 innings in relief, struck out 23 batters and held opponents to a .248 batting average. In Big Ten play, Johnson was 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA in nine appearances. He pitched 17.0 innings, gave up 14 hits and struck out 13 batters in Big Ten play. This past week, Johnson made three appearances in the Big Ten Tournament, pitched 6.2 shutout innings and picked up a win in the 4-3 11-inning victory over Penn State on May 26.
John Arlt (Lakeville, Minn.) won the Paul Fortin Scholarship/Athlete Award. Arlt has been a three-time Big Ten All-Academic Honoree and a five-time Minnesota Scholar Athlete. Earlier this year he was honored with a Top Five award that was presented the five best academic male student athletes in Minnesota’s athletic department. Arlt and Matt Nohelty were two of the five award winners
Senior Josh Oslin (Mora, Minn.) received the George Thomas Most Improved Player. Oslin enters the week with a 2.75 ERA and has set a school-record with 11 saves this year. Oslin has made 20 appearances and has struck out 18 batters in 19.2 innings of work. He has also held opponents to a .214 batting average. In Big Ten play, Oslin had a 1.29 ERA and six saves in eight appearances.
One of the most prestigious honors in the program, the David Chelesnik Scholarship Award, was given to Taylor VanderAarde (Hastings, Minn.) The award is presented to an athlete 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. VanderAarde made an amazing comeback, battling back from a serious knee injury he suffered in the summer to play for the Golden Gophers this year. He has played in 18 games this year, scored eight runs, had four RBI, drawn 10 walks and stolen two bases for Minnesota.
Minnesota awarded the Teammate of the Year Award for the third year, given to the player whose attitude and actions most represent that team philosophy of the Golden Gophers program. Junior Tom Steidl (Alexandria, Minn.) received the honors for Minnesota. This past week in the Big Ten Tournament, Steidl was inserted into the game as a defensive replacement at first base after Bryan Jost had been pinch-hit for in the previous inning. Steidl came up in the bottom of the 11th inning and singled off Penn State closer Derek O’Neill, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Steidl came home to score the game-winning run to send Minnesota to its seventh straight championship game when Jeremy Chlan doubled him home. Steidl had batted .235 and appeared in 22 games for the Golden Gophers this year.
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