University of Minnesota Athletics
Nohelty Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
12/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota senior centerfielder Matt Nohelty (Rothschild, Wis.) was named to the 2009 Pre-season Brooks Wallace College Baseball Player of the Year watch list, which was released by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Texas.
The Wallace Award is presented to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual induction festivities. The 2009 award banquet will be held Thursday, July 2 in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University.
Last year’s Brooks Wallace award went to Florida State catcher Buster Posey. Posey was the fifth overall pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and will play in the San Francisco Giants organization. The 2007 winner was Vanderbilt pitcher David Price, who came up with the Tampa Bay Rays late in the season and played a key role in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. In 2006, standout pitcher/designated hitter Brad Lincoln of Houston claimed the honors. Nebraska’s Alex Gordon, now with the Kansas City Royals, took home the 2005 trophy. The inaugural award was given in 2004 to Kurt Suzuki of Cal State Fullerton, who is now catching for the Oakland A’s.
The Wallace Award is a dedication to the memory of the former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. A four-year starter, he was named All-Southwest Conference and All-District his senior year. He led the Red Raiders to their first-ever appearance in the Southwest Conference Tournament in 1980. After playing two years in the Texas Rangers organization, he returned to Texas Tech and served as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach. In the summer of 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27. The Plano, TX, native was married to the former Sandy Arnold and they had one daughter, Lindsay Ryan.
Nohelty was joined by eight other Big Ten players on the preseason list. That group of players includes Illinois shortstop Brandon Wikoff, Indiana’s Josh Phegley (catcher) and Matt Bashore (pitcher), Iowa infielder Justin Toole, Michigan pitcher Chris Fetter, Ohio State’s Justin Miller (catcher/infielder) and Purdue’s Dan Black (catcher/infielder).
Last year, Nohelty received First-Team All-Big Ten honors as an outfielder for a second season in a row. He was the first outfielder to claim First-Team honors in back-to-back years since former Golden Gopher Sam Steidl did so in 2003 & 04.
In 2008, Nohelty batted .397 with 53 runs, 94 hits, four triples, 38 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .438 on-base percentage. He finished third in the Big Ten in batting average, second hits, tied for eighth in runs, tied for fourth in stolen bases and was sixth in triples. His 94 hits were the most by a Golden Gopher since 1999, and hits .397 batting average was the highest by a Minnesota player since 2001.
Minnesota will begin the 2009 season with the Big Ten/Big East Challenge where it will face Seton Hall on Friday, Feb. 20 at 12 p.m. (CT), West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. (CT) and Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 9 a.m. (CT).
The Wallace Award is presented to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual induction festivities. The 2009 award banquet will be held Thursday, July 2 in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University.
Last year’s Brooks Wallace award went to Florida State catcher Buster Posey. Posey was the fifth overall pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and will play in the San Francisco Giants organization. The 2007 winner was Vanderbilt pitcher David Price, who came up with the Tampa Bay Rays late in the season and played a key role in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. In 2006, standout pitcher/designated hitter Brad Lincoln of Houston claimed the honors. Nebraska’s Alex Gordon, now with the Kansas City Royals, took home the 2005 trophy. The inaugural award was given in 2004 to Kurt Suzuki of Cal State Fullerton, who is now catching for the Oakland A’s.
The Wallace Award is a dedication to the memory of the former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. A four-year starter, he was named All-Southwest Conference and All-District his senior year. He led the Red Raiders to their first-ever appearance in the Southwest Conference Tournament in 1980. After playing two years in the Texas Rangers organization, he returned to Texas Tech and served as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach. In the summer of 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27. The Plano, TX, native was married to the former Sandy Arnold and they had one daughter, Lindsay Ryan.
Nohelty was joined by eight other Big Ten players on the preseason list. That group of players includes Illinois shortstop Brandon Wikoff, Indiana’s Josh Phegley (catcher) and Matt Bashore (pitcher), Iowa infielder Justin Toole, Michigan pitcher Chris Fetter, Ohio State’s Justin Miller (catcher/infielder) and Purdue’s Dan Black (catcher/infielder).
Last year, Nohelty received First-Team All-Big Ten honors as an outfielder for a second season in a row. He was the first outfielder to claim First-Team honors in back-to-back years since former Golden Gopher Sam Steidl did so in 2003 & 04.
In 2008, Nohelty batted .397 with 53 runs, 94 hits, four triples, 38 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .438 on-base percentage. He finished third in the Big Ten in batting average, second hits, tied for eighth in runs, tied for fourth in stolen bases and was sixth in triples. His 94 hits were the most by a Golden Gopher since 1999, and hits .397 batting average was the highest by a Minnesota player since 2001.
Minnesota will begin the 2009 season with the Big Ten/Big East Challenge where it will face Seton Hall on Friday, Feb. 20 at 12 p.m. (CT), West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. (CT) and Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 9 a.m. (CT).
Players Mentioned
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