University of Minnesota Athletics
Lyons Receives MVP Award
9/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Former Gophers infielder Dan Lyons was honored as the Long Island Ducks Team MVP for the 2015 season. Lyons, who is in his fifth season with the club, led the team in RBI (72), runs (72), walks (41), sacrifice flies (nine) and triples (seven).
The 31-year-old also ranked second in the Atlantic League in slugging percentage (.464), third in total bases (209) and stolen base percentage (.900) and fourth in batting average (.300) and on-base percentage (.368).
During the season, Lyons held a 17-game hitting streak and was tabbed to participate in the Atlantic League All-Star Game.
Since joining the Ducks in 2011, Lyons has played in over 500 games, including 22 postseason contests. He guided Long Island to successive Atlantic League championships in 2012 and 2013 and was named the 2012 Championship Series Most Valuable Player after contributing two game-winning hits.
Lyons played for the Gophers for two seasons (2006-07) and was a key member that helped Minnesota to a 75-44 mark, including a second place finish in the Big Ten and a berth in the NCAA Regionals. He also was recognized as the 2006 Dianne Olson-Ficenko Player of the Year.
The Rochester, Minn. native hit .295 with 80 RBI, 29 doubles and 12 homers and also swiped 23 bases during his tenure as a Gopher. Lyons held a career fielding percentage of .941, primarily as an infielder.
Lyons and the Long Island Ducks begin their quest for a third-straight Atlantic League crown next week when they host two divisional games, Sept. 23-24.
