Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Baseball Presents 2022 Team Awards
5/25/2022 4:15:00 PM | Baseball
Jebb collects both John Kobs MVP and Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of Year Awards, Bischoff collects Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award, Steve Garvey Most Improved Player Award.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. announced the winners of the 2022 team awards.
MSU finished the 2022 season 24-30 overall and 8-16 in Big Ten Conference action.
All of the awards were voted on by the players with the exception of the Offensive Player of the Year award, which is based on various statistical data over the course of the season.
Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award. This marked the fourth-consecutive year that the same player collected both accolades, as Zaid Walker in 2021, Bailey Peterson in 2020 and Marty Bechina in 2019.
Graduate senior pitcher Kyle Bischoff earned the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award, as well as the Steve Garvey Most Improved Player Award. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year. The Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award went to junior outfielder Casey Mayes, and the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award went to junior pitcher Wyatt Rush.
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, led MSU and ranked tied for eighth in the B1G with a .356 average, also topping the team and ranking fifth in the B1G with 78 hits. He also leads the team in stolen bases and walks, ranking eighth in the conference with 20 stolen bases and sixth in the league with 38 walks. Additionally, Jebb led the Big Ten and ranked 17th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 13.7 ABs - on just 16 Ks in 209 ABs. He was also tied for second on the team and tied for seventh in the B1G with three triples. Jebb also had MSU's longest hitting streak (14 games) and reached base streak (19 games), along with team-high for multiple hit games (23) and multiple RBI games (12).
In the field, the Spartan shortstop was third in the B1G with 29 fielding double plays, and sixth in assists with 138. Jebb was named Big Ten Player of the Week on March 16, for this first career B1G weekly honor, for his performance during MSU's four games during the week of March 7-13 in Greenville, South Carolina at Fluor Field, highlighted by belting two HR in the same game including a leadoff HR and then a two-run walk-off HR to cap the Spartan comeback in a 10-8 Victory for MSU over Cincinnati.
Bischoff, a Macomb, Michigan native, had a standout season in his one season for the Green & White, transferring to MSU from Toledo. He led MSU and the Big Ten with 12 saves, ranking No. 2 on MSU's single-season saves list behind Jeff Kinley's school-record 13 saves in 2014. Bischoff had a 2-1 record, leading MSU with a 3.51 ERA, tallying 36 strikeouts in 41.0 IP. During a span of just over a week during the season, he earned three saves and a win. He earned back-to-back saves in MSU's wins over Oakland on April 19 and over Eastern Michigan a night later, then came on in early relief in MSU's win at Northwestern on April 24, coming on in the first inning with the bases loaded and pitched a career-high 6.1 IP of relief to earn the win. He then collected the save in MSU's win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 27.
Bischoff was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List. At Toledo, Bischoff only had five appearances with an 0-1 record, tallying nine strikeouts in 6.0 IP in 2021.
Farquhar, a Highland, Mich., native, started all 54 games at second base, leading the Big Ten in fielding double plays with 39, helping MSU lead the B1G and rank fifth in the NCAA with 53 double plays, as well as leading the conference and ranking sixth in the country with 0.98 double plays per game. He posted 143 assists and 115 putouts. At the plate, Farquhar hit .271 with 29 RBI, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with six home runs, including his first grand slam of his Spartan career in MSU's season-finale at Nebraska on May 21. Farquhar was also second on the team with a .392 on-base percentage and eight hit by pitches, along with third in both runs scored (37) and doubles (13). He had a nine-game hitting streak, ranking fourth on the Spartan squad, as well as ranking second with an 18-game reached base streak. Farquhar was also fourth on the team in multiple hit games (14) and tied for fourth in multiple RBI games (6).
Mayes, a native of Wichita, Kansas, was the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala on April 11, 2022, for having the highest GPA on the baseball team. He is currently a two-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree. This season on the diamond, Mayes led MSU and the Big Ten as part of ranking tied for third in the NCAA with seven triples, including two in the Penn State series and added one at Michigan on May 17, scoring on an error on the play for a "Little League" home run. Mayes was second on the team with a .306 average, ranking second on the team in hits (68), third in total bases (104), tied for third in stolen bases (11), fourth in slugging percentage (.468), fifth in home runs (4), runs scored (29) and RBI (28), and tied for fifth in doubles (10).
Rush, a Grand Ledge, Michigan, native, earned the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award, the award given to the most positive team player who is enthusiastic, trustworthy, conscientious, hard-working, and good humored in honor of Spartan Baseball alum Craig Hendricks. Rush was a veteran mentor to the younger Spartans, particularly the younger MSU pitchers, providing mentorship and leadership on and off the field. For the season, Rush made 21 appearances on the mound with two starts, posting two saves to go with a 3-3 record and a 4.33 ERA, logging 26 strikeouts in 43.2 IP. He tied his career-high with five strikeouts in 2.2 IP of relief at Abilene Christian (Feb. 27), one of five outings with multiple strikeouts, adding three outings without yielding a hit and eight appearances without a run.
John Kobs Most Valuable Player: Mitch Jebb
Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher: Kyle Bischoff
Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year: Mitch Jebb
Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year: Trent Farquhar
Steve Garvey Most Improved Player: Kyle Bischoff
Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award: Casey Mayes
Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award: Wyatt Rush
MSU finished the 2022 season 24-30 overall and 8-16 in Big Ten Conference action.
All of the awards were voted on by the players with the exception of the Offensive Player of the Year award, which is based on various statistical data over the course of the season.
Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award as well as the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award. This marked the fourth-consecutive year that the same player collected both accolades, as Zaid Walker in 2021, Bailey Peterson in 2020 and Marty Bechina in 2019.
Graduate senior pitcher Kyle Bischoff earned the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award, as well as the Steve Garvey Most Improved Player Award. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year. The Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award went to junior outfielder Casey Mayes, and the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award went to junior pitcher Wyatt Rush.
Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, led MSU and ranked tied for eighth in the B1G with a .356 average, also topping the team and ranking fifth in the B1G with 78 hits. He also leads the team in stolen bases and walks, ranking eighth in the conference with 20 stolen bases and sixth in the league with 38 walks. Additionally, Jebb led the Big Ten and ranked 17th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout - with just one K every 13.7 ABs - on just 16 Ks in 209 ABs. He was also tied for second on the team and tied for seventh in the B1G with three triples. Jebb also had MSU's longest hitting streak (14 games) and reached base streak (19 games), along with team-high for multiple hit games (23) and multiple RBI games (12).
In the field, the Spartan shortstop was third in the B1G with 29 fielding double plays, and sixth in assists with 138. Jebb was named Big Ten Player of the Week on March 16, for this first career B1G weekly honor, for his performance during MSU's four games during the week of March 7-13 in Greenville, South Carolina at Fluor Field, highlighted by belting two HR in the same game including a leadoff HR and then a two-run walk-off HR to cap the Spartan comeback in a 10-8 Victory for MSU over Cincinnati.
Bischoff, a Macomb, Michigan native, had a standout season in his one season for the Green & White, transferring to MSU from Toledo. He led MSU and the Big Ten with 12 saves, ranking No. 2 on MSU's single-season saves list behind Jeff Kinley's school-record 13 saves in 2014. Bischoff had a 2-1 record, leading MSU with a 3.51 ERA, tallying 36 strikeouts in 41.0 IP. During a span of just over a week during the season, he earned three saves and a win. He earned back-to-back saves in MSU's wins over Oakland on April 19 and over Eastern Michigan a night later, then came on in early relief in MSU's win at Northwestern on April 24, coming on in the first inning with the bases loaded and pitched a career-high 6.1 IP of relief to earn the win. He then collected the save in MSU's win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 27.
Farquhar, a Highland, Mich., native, started all 54 games at second base, leading the Big Ten in fielding double plays with 39, helping MSU lead the B1G and rank fifth in the NCAA with 53 double plays, as well as leading the conference and ranking sixth in the country with 0.98 double plays per game. He posted 143 assists and 115 putouts. At the plate, Farquhar hit .271 with 29 RBI, as well as ranking tied for second on the team with six home runs, including his first grand slam of his Spartan career in MSU's season-finale at Nebraska on May 21. Farquhar was also second on the team with a .392 on-base percentage and eight hit by pitches, along with third in both runs scored (37) and doubles (13). He had a nine-game hitting streak, ranking fourth on the Spartan squad, as well as ranking second with an 18-game reached base streak. Farquhar was also fourth on the team in multiple hit games (14) and tied for fourth in multiple RBI games (6).
Mayes, a native of Wichita, Kansas, was the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala on April 11, 2022, for having the highest GPA on the baseball team. He is currently a two-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree. This season on the diamond, Mayes led MSU and the Big Ten as part of ranking tied for third in the NCAA with seven triples, including two in the Penn State series and added one at Michigan on May 17, scoring on an error on the play for a "Little League" home run. Mayes was second on the team with a .306 average, ranking second on the team in hits (68), third in total bases (104), tied for third in stolen bases (11), fourth in slugging percentage (.468), fifth in home runs (4), runs scored (29) and RBI (28), and tied for fifth in doubles (10).
Rush, a Grand Ledge, Michigan, native, earned the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award, the award given to the most positive team player who is enthusiastic, trustworthy, conscientious, hard-working, and good humored in honor of Spartan Baseball alum Craig Hendricks. Rush was a veteran mentor to the younger Spartans, particularly the younger MSU pitchers, providing mentorship and leadership on and off the field. For the season, Rush made 21 appearances on the mound with two starts, posting two saves to go with a 3-3 record and a 4.33 ERA, logging 26 strikeouts in 43.2 IP. He tied his career-high with five strikeouts in 2.2 IP of relief at Abilene Christian (Feb. 27), one of five outings with multiple strikeouts, adding three outings without yielding a hit and eight appearances without a run.
John Kobs Most Valuable Player: Mitch Jebb
Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher: Kyle Bischoff
Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year: Mitch Jebb
Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year: Trent Farquhar
Steve Garvey Most Improved Player: Kyle Bischoff
Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award: Casey Mayes
Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award: Wyatt Rush
Check out the 2022 Spartan Baseball highlight video!! #GoGreen | #REACH pic.twitter.com/37rN9oAXoC
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) June 13, 2022
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballJake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Jan. 26 2026
Monday, January 26
Pursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25