Malek Named Louisville Slugger All-American
6/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 4, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State junior outfielder Bob Malek has been named to the Louisville Slugger All-American Team as selected by the staff of Collegiate Baseball. Malek becomes the first Spartan baseball player to earn first-team All-America honors since Kirk Gibson in 1978.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound right fielder from Canton, Mich., shared Big Ten Player of the Year honors with Minnesota's Luke Appert and Indiana's Kennard Jones. Malek led the Big Ten in total bases (163) and tied for the league lead in home runs (16). He ranked second in the conference in runs scored (66), doubles (21), RBI (66) and slugging percentage (.744). In addition, Malek finished third in the Big Ten in batting (.402) and hits (88).
Malek, a third-team All-America selection as a sophomore, has batted over .400 each of the last two seasons, including a .427 average in 2001. He already ranks as Michigan State's career leader in hits (245) and RBI (162).
"This is a great honor for both Bob Malek and Michigan State baseball," Spartan head coach Ted Mahan said. "Bob certainly deserves this recognition. He has improved each of his three years in the program and he's been a model of consistency the last two seasons. Bob has all of the physical tools - a short swing and quick bat. But his greatest asset is his ability to use the entire field in each at-bat."
"It's an honor to be mentioned with Spartan greats like Kirk Gibson and Steve Garvey," Malek said. "I played with a lot of confidence this season because of the success I've had here in the past. This year, I just tried to concentrate on doing the little things to become a more complete player. I've never worried about personal stats because I've always put team goals first."
Michigan State finished the 2002 season with a 38-19 overall record, including a 16-12 mark in league play, good for third place and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament.