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Gophers Celebrate Season and Hand Out Team Awards on Tuesday
5/29/2019 10:57:00 AM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS – The Gopher Baseball team handed out its 2019 team awards and celebrated the success of the season at its annual banquet at TCF Bank Stadium on Tuesday night.
The night began with dinner and speeches from the senior class. This year's Gopher graduates enjoyed plenty of their success in their careers (read more). Four seniors stood among the year's award winners, along with two juniors and two sophomores.
Senior pitcher Nick Lackney received the George Thomas Most Improved Player award for his growth during the 2019 campaign and his career. After a pair of starts to begin the season, embracing a move to the bullpen helped Lackney develop into one of Minnesota's most effective relievers. In 18 appearances out of the bullpen, he went 4-3 with 2 saves and a 1.71 ERA, striking out 44 batters in 47.1 innings. This season, the southpaw from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin enjoyed career-best performances in ERA (2.38), wins (4), innings pitched (53.0), earned runs (14), and strikeouts (49).
For overcoming a number of obstacles throughout the season and his career – including an appendectomy as a freshman – sophomore pitcher Ryan Duffy received the David Chelesnik Jr. Memorial Award. Each year the program presents the award to an athlete who best demonstrates the special qualities of courage, determination and perseverance that were exhibited by David 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. Duffy became one of Minnesota's most effective relievers this season, finished 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 15 relief outings, striking out 28 batters in 28.2 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .231.
Every year, the Phil Isaksson Teammate of the Year honor is awarded to the student athlete who most affects Isaksson's positive, unselfish attitude. The left-hander pitched for the Gophers 2008-11 and was a regular in the starting rotation his junior and senior seasons before passing away from cancer in 2015.
Reliever Jeff Fasching took home this year's honors, concluding his career with an outstanding season: 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 21 appearances, striking out 32 batters in 21 innings. The fifth-year senior finished 4-0 in his career, throwing 75.0 innings over 56 appearances.
This year's Paul Fortin Scholarship Athlete Award went to Riley Smith. The senior graduated from the Carlson School of Management with a degree in Marketing, accumulating a 3.41 GPA during his four years at Minnesota.
Beginning in 2018, the Excellence in Athletic Performance Award is bestowed upon the athlete who put in the work off the diamond and the practice field, showing the dedication to improving his body in the weight room throughout the year. This year's honoree, selected by strength & conditioning coach Scott McWilliams, was senior pitcher Jake Stevenson.
Reliever Brett Schulze received the Dugout Club Player of the Year award, moving into the closer role for Minnesota in his junior season, earning nine saves to go with a 5-1 record in 30 appearances, the second-most ever in a single season for the Gophers. He concluded a stretch of 14 consecutive winning decisions earlier this year, a program record for the Maroon & Gold, and currently owns a career record of 18-4. In 163.0 career innings, the right-hander has a 3.81 ERA, 160 strikeouts, and a .247 opponents' batting average.
Unsurprisingly, Minnesota's Friday night ace, Max Meyer, claimed the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year honor. The All-Big Ten Second Team selection led the Gophers in ERA (2.11), wins (5), and innings (76.2) despite missing time at the end of the season due to injury. The team finished 7-4 with Meyer as its starting pitcher in addition to his two saves in five appearances before joining the rotation.
Finally, the Richard "Chief" Siebert Memorial MVP Award went to the team's Paul Molitor Batting Champion, a leader of both the everyday line-up and the pitching staff, junior catcher Eli Wilson. Wilson led the Gophers with a .294 batting average, coming through in the clutch throughout the season with his team-best 63 hits. He slugged five home runs and 15 doubles, drove in 29 RBIs, and scored 32 runs. He slugged .453 for the season and got on base at a .382 clip. Wilson calls his own games from behind the plate and works closely with pitching coach Ty McDevitt and the entire staff on scouting reports.
Team awards were voted on by the team, coaches, and support staff following the last game of the 2019 season.
Additionally, first-year letter winners Easton Bertrand, Zack Elliott, Jacob Hitz, Drew Hmielewski, Gabe Knowles, J.P. Massey, Zack Raabe, Chase Stanke, and Andrew Wilhite received their "M" from M Club Director Quincy Lewis.
The night began with dinner and speeches from the senior class. This year's Gopher graduates enjoyed plenty of their success in their careers (read more). Four seniors stood among the year's award winners, along with two juniors and two sophomores.
Senior pitcher Nick Lackney received the George Thomas Most Improved Player award for his growth during the 2019 campaign and his career. After a pair of starts to begin the season, embracing a move to the bullpen helped Lackney develop into one of Minnesota's most effective relievers. In 18 appearances out of the bullpen, he went 4-3 with 2 saves and a 1.71 ERA, striking out 44 batters in 47.1 innings. This season, the southpaw from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin enjoyed career-best performances in ERA (2.38), wins (4), innings pitched (53.0), earned runs (14), and strikeouts (49).
For overcoming a number of obstacles throughout the season and his career – including an appendectomy as a freshman – sophomore pitcher Ryan Duffy received the David Chelesnik Jr. Memorial Award. Each year the program presents the award to an athlete who best demonstrates the special qualities of courage, determination and perseverance that were exhibited by David 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. Duffy became one of Minnesota's most effective relievers this season, finished 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 15 relief outings, striking out 28 batters in 28.2 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .231.
Every year, the Phil Isaksson Teammate of the Year honor is awarded to the student athlete who most affects Isaksson's positive, unselfish attitude. The left-hander pitched for the Gophers 2008-11 and was a regular in the starting rotation his junior and senior seasons before passing away from cancer in 2015.
Reliever Jeff Fasching took home this year's honors, concluding his career with an outstanding season: 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 21 appearances, striking out 32 batters in 21 innings. The fifth-year senior finished 4-0 in his career, throwing 75.0 innings over 56 appearances.
This year's Paul Fortin Scholarship Athlete Award went to Riley Smith. The senior graduated from the Carlson School of Management with a degree in Marketing, accumulating a 3.41 GPA during his four years at Minnesota.
Beginning in 2018, the Excellence in Athletic Performance Award is bestowed upon the athlete who put in the work off the diamond and the practice field, showing the dedication to improving his body in the weight room throughout the year. This year's honoree, selected by strength & conditioning coach Scott McWilliams, was senior pitcher Jake Stevenson.
Reliever Brett Schulze received the Dugout Club Player of the Year award, moving into the closer role for Minnesota in his junior season, earning nine saves to go with a 5-1 record in 30 appearances, the second-most ever in a single season for the Gophers. He concluded a stretch of 14 consecutive winning decisions earlier this year, a program record for the Maroon & Gold, and currently owns a career record of 18-4. In 163.0 career innings, the right-hander has a 3.81 ERA, 160 strikeouts, and a .247 opponents' batting average.
Unsurprisingly, Minnesota's Friday night ace, Max Meyer, claimed the Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year honor. The All-Big Ten Second Team selection led the Gophers in ERA (2.11), wins (5), and innings (76.2) despite missing time at the end of the season due to injury. The team finished 7-4 with Meyer as its starting pitcher in addition to his two saves in five appearances before joining the rotation.
Finally, the Richard "Chief" Siebert Memorial MVP Award went to the team's Paul Molitor Batting Champion, a leader of both the everyday line-up and the pitching staff, junior catcher Eli Wilson. Wilson led the Gophers with a .294 batting average, coming through in the clutch throughout the season with his team-best 63 hits. He slugged five home runs and 15 doubles, drove in 29 RBIs, and scored 32 runs. He slugged .453 for the season and got on base at a .382 clip. Wilson calls his own games from behind the plate and works closely with pitching coach Ty McDevitt and the entire staff on scouting reports.
Team awards were voted on by the team, coaches, and support staff following the last game of the 2019 season.
Additionally, first-year letter winners Easton Bertrand, Zack Elliott, Jacob Hitz, Drew Hmielewski, Gabe Knowles, J.P. Massey, Zack Raabe, Chase Stanke, and Andrew Wilhite received their "M" from M Club Director Quincy Lewis.
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