Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Spartan Baseball Presents 2023 Team Awards
5/31/2023 10:04:00 AM | Baseball
Vradenburg garners both John Kobs MVP and Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of Year Awards; Rush collects Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award and Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award to highlight recipients.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. announced the winners of the 2023 team awards.
Michigan State concluded the 2023 season with a 33-22 record, finishing eighth in the Big Ten Conference with a 12-12 league mark and qualifying for the B1G Tournament in Omaha, where the Spartans finished sixth. MSU's 33 wins are its most since 36 in 2016.Â
The Spartans' B1G Tournament run came to close after going 1-2 in Omaha. MSU opened with a 3-2 loss to No. 1 seed and B1G regular-season champion Maryland on May 23, but then bouncing back for a 6-4 Victory for MSU over No. 5 seed Rutgers on May 25 to advance to the May 26 quarterfinal match-up with Nebraska. The Huskers pulled away for a 4-0 win over Michigan State to eliminate MSU.Â
The Spartans won at least one game in six of the eight visits under head coach Jake Boss Jr., as Michigan State was making its first appearance in the B1G Tournament since 2018, and no player on the Spartans' roster had been to the conference tournament. Overall, MSU made its 15 appearance including its eighth under Coach Boss.
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.
Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award in addition to the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award. This marked the fifth-consecutive year that the same player garnered both awards, after teammate Mitch Jebb did so in 2022, following Zaid Walker in 2021, Bailey Peterson in 2020 and Marty Bechina in 2019. Vradenburg was also the recipient of the Steve Garvey Most Improved Player Award.
Senior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush earned the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award, as well as the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight year. The Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award was earned by redshirt-sophomore pitcher Dominic Pianto.
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A native of Pasadena, Calif., Vradenburg led MSU while ranking second in the B1G and 24th in the NCAA in batting average exactly a .400 average, becoming the first Spartan to hit .400 or better since 2002 and becoming the 28th member of MSU's ".400 Club." The Spartan first baseman is the first member of the club since 2002 when Brady Burrill (.414), Chris McCuiston (.404) and Bob Malek (.402) all hit over .400.
Vradenburg earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team accolades, after he led all first basemen in the tournament with a .455 average, going 5-for-11, with one double, finishing with six total bases and three RBI, posting a .545 slugging percentage and added two walks for a .571 on-base percentage.Â
The Spartan first baseman's award collection also includes being named a semifinalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and the USBWA Dick Howser Trophy.
Vradenburg also was third in the B1G and 43rd in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.492), along with ranking fourth in the league and 37th in the nation in slugging percentage (.721). Additionally, Vradenburg also ranked third in the B1G and 36th in the NCAA in hits per game (1.56), while also ranking fifth in the conference and 33rd in the country overall in hits (86). The Spartan first baseman was second in the B1G in on-base + slugging pct (OPS) at 1.213.Â
He also ranks fourth in the league and 34th in the nation in total bases (155). Vradenburg was also third in the B1G and 30th in the NCAA in RBI (69), while ranking second in the league and 41st in the country in RBI/game (1.26). He also was fifth in the B1G and 86th in the NCAA in runs (62), just ahead of teammate Trent Farquhar (59). Vradenburg also led the B1G and ranked 24th in the NCAA in doubles (22), along with second in the league and 34th in the nation in doubles per game (0.40). The 22 doubles tied MSU's single-season doubles record, tying Blaise Salter (2014) & Chris McCuiston (2002) for the top spot. Vradenburg was also sixth in the B1G in triples with four, ranking 70th in the nation and also third on the team, trailing teammates Mitch Jebb (7) and Casey Mayes (5), and just ahead of teammates Sam Busch and Dillon Kark (3).
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Rush, a local product out of Grand Ledge, Mich., earned the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award for the second-straight season. The Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award is 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.
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Rush was third in the B1G and tied for 19th in the NCAA in saves with 10. The Spartan closer led the MSU pitching staff by posting a 5-0 record with a 3.61 ERA, with 43 strikeouts in 26 appearances. One of Rush's gutsiest performances came in the B1G Tournament, when he came on in the fifth inning in the elimination game against Rutgers and finished the game, earning the win in the 6-4 Victory for MSU. As the Spartans' closer, Rush had only pitched more than 2.0 IP in five of his 25 previous appearances this season. He came on in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out, and after yielding a sacrifice fly, rang up a strikeout to end the Scarlet Knights' rally and keep MSU within one at 4-3. Rush went on to finish the game, going a career-high 4.2 IP with four Ks, spraying three hits and walking one while not allowing any runs in facing a career-high 19 batters, earning the win to improve to 5-0 on the season. It was Rush's second-straight outing without allowing a run and his 16th overall outing of the season without a run.
With the 10 saves, Rush becomes just the fourth Spartan pitcher to finish with double-digit saves, finishing fourth on MSU's single-season saves list, as well as tied for No 12 on the single-season pitching appearances list. Â Rush ended his Spartan career with 12 saves, good for tied for No. 5 on MSU's career saves list.
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Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., started all 55 games, with 50 at second base and five at shortstop, while leading MSU and ranking sixth in the B1G with 139 assists, logging 105 putouts in 247 chances for a .988 fielding percentage. He was a part of 23 fielding double plays, ranking tied for 23rd in the B1G.
At the plate, Farquhar ranked eighth in B1G in toughest to strikeout (8.2 AB per K), with just 26 strikeouts in 213 ABs. Farquhar was also fifth in the B1G and 114th in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.467), in addition to ranking 10th in the league in batting average (.343). He also ranked sixth in the B1G and 70th in the NCAA in doubles (19), along with sixth in the league and 117th in the nation in doubles per game (0.35). Additionally, he ranked 10th in the conference and 124th in the country in runs (59), just behind teammate Brock Vradenburg (62), and also ranked 10th in the league and 135th in the nation in runs per game (1.07). The Spartan second baseman was also 11th in the conference in hits (73) and tied for 19th in hit by pitch (11).
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Pianto, a native of Hendersonville, Tenn., posted a 3.912 GPA as an accounting major. He is a  three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, as well as a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® selection, and is on the ballot for CSC Academic All-America accolades to be announced in early June.  On the diamond, Pianto finished with a 1-0 record in 13 appearances with a 5.92 ERA with 16 Ks against just nine walks in 24.1 IP. Pianto earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21, for his performance in Michigan State's 7-4 win over Fresno State on Feb. 19 in the MLB Desert Invitational in Phoenix.Â
Pianto came on with two on and two outs in the first inning with MSU already down 2-0 to Fresno State in the game. He then went the remaining 8.1 innings of relief for a new career-long outing, ringing up a career-high tying four strikeouts, with just three hits and only yielding one earned run without a walk, as MSU rallied for a 7-4 triumph.
The Spartan hurler rang up a total of five 3-up, 3-down innings in the eight innings he started the frame, starting with opening the second with back-to-back strikeouts, then worked around a one-out single in the fourth, another in-order inning in the fourth and fifth, ending with another K, before some defensive miscues led to Bulldog base runners in the sixth and scoring two runs, one earned, before getting out of the jam by fielding position on a comebacker and starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. After retiring Fresno State in order in the seventh and eighth, he worked around a one-out single in the ninth, getting a popup and flyout to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU.Â
John Kobs Most Valuable Player: Brock Vradenburg
Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher: Wyatt Rush
Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year: Brock VradenburgÂ
Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year: Trent FarquharÂ
Steve Garvey Most Improved Player: Brock VradenburgÂ
Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award: Dominic PiantoÂ
Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award: Wyatt Rush
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Michigan State concluded the 2023 season with a 33-22 record, finishing eighth in the Big Ten Conference with a 12-12 league mark and qualifying for the B1G Tournament in Omaha, where the Spartans finished sixth. MSU's 33 wins are its most since 36 in 2016.Â
The Spartans' B1G Tournament run came to close after going 1-2 in Omaha. MSU opened with a 3-2 loss to No. 1 seed and B1G regular-season champion Maryland on May 23, but then bouncing back for a 6-4 Victory for MSU over No. 5 seed Rutgers on May 25 to advance to the May 26 quarterfinal match-up with Nebraska. The Huskers pulled away for a 4-0 win over Michigan State to eliminate MSU.Â
The Spartans won at least one game in six of the eight visits under head coach Jake Boss Jr., as Michigan State was making its first appearance in the B1G Tournament since 2018, and no player on the Spartans' roster had been to the conference tournament. Overall, MSU made its 15 appearance including its eighth under Coach Boss.
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.
Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award in addition to the Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year Award. This marked the fifth-consecutive year that the same player garnered both awards, after teammate Mitch Jebb did so in 2022, following Zaid Walker in 2021, Bailey Peterson in 2020 and Marty Bechina in 2019. Vradenburg was also the recipient of the Steve Garvey Most Improved Player Award.
Senior relief pitcher Wyatt Rush earned the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award, as well as the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight year. The Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award was earned by redshirt-sophomore pitcher Dominic Pianto.
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A native of Pasadena, Calif., Vradenburg led MSU while ranking second in the B1G and 24th in the NCAA in batting average exactly a .400 average, becoming the first Spartan to hit .400 or better since 2002 and becoming the 28th member of MSU's ".400 Club." The Spartan first baseman is the first member of the club since 2002 when Brady Burrill (.414), Chris McCuiston (.404) and Bob Malek (.402) all hit over .400.
Vradenburg earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team accolades, after he led all first basemen in the tournament with a .455 average, going 5-for-11, with one double, finishing with six total bases and three RBI, posting a .545 slugging percentage and added two walks for a .571 on-base percentage.Â
The Spartan first baseman's award collection also includes being named a semifinalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and the USBWA Dick Howser Trophy.
Vradenburg also was third in the B1G and 43rd in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.492), along with ranking fourth in the league and 37th in the nation in slugging percentage (.721). Additionally, Vradenburg also ranked third in the B1G and 36th in the NCAA in hits per game (1.56), while also ranking fifth in the conference and 33rd in the country overall in hits (86). The Spartan first baseman was second in the B1G in on-base + slugging pct (OPS) at 1.213.Â
He also ranks fourth in the league and 34th in the nation in total bases (155). Vradenburg was also third in the B1G and 30th in the NCAA in RBI (69), while ranking second in the league and 41st in the country in RBI/game (1.26). He also was fifth in the B1G and 86th in the NCAA in runs (62), just ahead of teammate Trent Farquhar (59). Vradenburg also led the B1G and ranked 24th in the NCAA in doubles (22), along with second in the league and 34th in the nation in doubles per game (0.40). The 22 doubles tied MSU's single-season doubles record, tying Blaise Salter (2014) & Chris McCuiston (2002) for the top spot. Vradenburg was also sixth in the B1G in triples with four, ranking 70th in the nation and also third on the team, trailing teammates Mitch Jebb (7) and Casey Mayes (5), and just ahead of teammates Sam Busch and Dillon Kark (3).
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Rush, a local product out of Grand Ledge, Mich., earned the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award for the second-straight season. The Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award is 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.
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Rush was third in the B1G and tied for 19th in the NCAA in saves with 10. The Spartan closer led the MSU pitching staff by posting a 5-0 record with a 3.61 ERA, with 43 strikeouts in 26 appearances. One of Rush's gutsiest performances came in the B1G Tournament, when he came on in the fifth inning in the elimination game against Rutgers and finished the game, earning the win in the 6-4 Victory for MSU. As the Spartans' closer, Rush had only pitched more than 2.0 IP in five of his 25 previous appearances this season. He came on in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out, and after yielding a sacrifice fly, rang up a strikeout to end the Scarlet Knights' rally and keep MSU within one at 4-3. Rush went on to finish the game, going a career-high 4.2 IP with four Ks, spraying three hits and walking one while not allowing any runs in facing a career-high 19 batters, earning the win to improve to 5-0 on the season. It was Rush's second-straight outing without allowing a run and his 16th overall outing of the season without a run.
With the 10 saves, Rush becomes just the fourth Spartan pitcher to finish with double-digit saves, finishing fourth on MSU's single-season saves list, as well as tied for No 12 on the single-season pitching appearances list. Â Rush ended his Spartan career with 12 saves, good for tied for No. 5 on MSU's career saves list.
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Farquhar, a native of Highland, Mich., started all 55 games, with 50 at second base and five at shortstop, while leading MSU and ranking sixth in the B1G with 139 assists, logging 105 putouts in 247 chances for a .988 fielding percentage. He was a part of 23 fielding double plays, ranking tied for 23rd in the B1G.
At the plate, Farquhar ranked eighth in B1G in toughest to strikeout (8.2 AB per K), with just 26 strikeouts in 213 ABs. Farquhar was also fifth in the B1G and 114th in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.467), in addition to ranking 10th in the league in batting average (.343). He also ranked sixth in the B1G and 70th in the NCAA in doubles (19), along with sixth in the league and 117th in the nation in doubles per game (0.35). Additionally, he ranked 10th in the conference and 124th in the country in runs (59), just behind teammate Brock Vradenburg (62), and also ranked 10th in the league and 135th in the nation in runs per game (1.07). The Spartan second baseman was also 11th in the conference in hits (73) and tied for 19th in hit by pitch (11).
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Pianto, a native of Hendersonville, Tenn., posted a 3.912 GPA as an accounting major. He is a  three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, as well as a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® selection, and is on the ballot for CSC Academic All-America accolades to be announced in early June.  On the diamond, Pianto finished with a 1-0 record in 13 appearances with a 5.92 ERA with 16 Ks against just nine walks in 24.1 IP. Pianto earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21, for his performance in Michigan State's 7-4 win over Fresno State on Feb. 19 in the MLB Desert Invitational in Phoenix.Â
Pianto came on with two on and two outs in the first inning with MSU already down 2-0 to Fresno State in the game. He then went the remaining 8.1 innings of relief for a new career-long outing, ringing up a career-high tying four strikeouts, with just three hits and only yielding one earned run without a walk, as MSU rallied for a 7-4 triumph.
The Spartan hurler rang up a total of five 3-up, 3-down innings in the eight innings he started the frame, starting with opening the second with back-to-back strikeouts, then worked around a one-out single in the fourth, another in-order inning in the fourth and fifth, ending with another K, before some defensive miscues led to Bulldog base runners in the sixth and scoring two runs, one earned, before getting out of the jam by fielding position on a comebacker and starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. After retiring Fresno State in order in the seventh and eighth, he worked around a one-out single in the ninth, getting a popup and flyout to end the game and seal the Victory for MSU.Â
John Kobs Most Valuable Player: Brock Vradenburg
Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher: Wyatt Rush
Kirk Gibson Offensive Player of the Year: Brock VradenburgÂ
Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year: Trent FarquharÂ
Steve Garvey Most Improved Player: Brock VradenburgÂ
Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award: Dominic PiantoÂ
Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award: Wyatt Rush
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