Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Honor Seniors and Annual Award Winners
5/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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May 22, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - After splitting a doubleheader with Michigan State Saturday afternoon, the Northwestern baseball team honored its seniors and annual award winners with a small banquet in East Lansing. The awards were voted on by the team and presented by head coach Paul Stevens.
Senior catcher Dan Pohlman and sophomore first baseman Mark Ori were voted as team co-MVPs. Pohlman has 40 RBI and is batting .349 overall. What's more impressive is the first-year catcher has thrown out 21 would-be base stealers and has become an accomplished receiver behind the plate.
After starting the season 1-for-21, Ori leads the team with a .382 batting average and is second in the Big Ten Conference with a .413 batting average. He has 71 hits this season, and needs just two to finish eighth on the single-season hits list.
Junior left hander J.A. Happ was presented with the team's Most Valuable Pitcher award, leading the Big Ten with 106 strikeouts. With one game remaining in the regular season, Happ has a chance to lead the conference with a 2.68 ERA. He has pitched 94.0 innings and his 106 strikeouts is just the third time in school history a pitcher has reached the century mark. It is also the second best single-season strikeout performance in Wildcat history.
Two annual team honors were given out as well, the Gordon Rothrock and Terry Beacom awards.
The Gordon Rothrock award is given to the player who is willing to go the extra mile for the team, helping in all facets of the program. The 2004 recipient is junior Evan Blesoff.
The Terry Beacom award is given to a player who demonstrates leadership skills and the willingness to go beyond his means to help the team and his teammates. This year's co-recipients are junior Doug Beatty and freshman Geoff Dietz.
The Northwestern baseball program would like to thank all the parents and supporters of NU baseball for their tireless hard work and dedication throughout the 2004 season.
