Michigan State Baseball Presents 2024 Team Awards

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. announced the winners of the 2024 team awards.

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.

Senior outfielder Jack Frank was tabbed the recipient of both the John Kobs Most Valuable Player Award in addition to the Kirk Gibson Co-Offensive Player of the Year Award. This marked the sixth-straight year that the same player garnered both awards, after Brock Vradenburg did so in 2022, following Mitch Jebb in 2022, Zaid Walker in 2021, Bailey Peterson in 2020 and Marty Bechina in 2019.

Frank shared the Kirk Gibson Co-Offensive Player of the Year Award with fellow senior outfielder Greg Ziegler, who was also the recipient of the Steve Garvey Most Improved Player Award.

Sophomore pitcher Joseph Dzierwa earned the Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher Award. Senior infielder Dillon Kark was the recipient of the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award. Junior pitcher Dominic Pianto was tabbed as the Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award recipient.

A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Frank earned First Team All-Big Ten and also named to the 64Analytics All-American Right Fielder list. Frank led the Big Ten in B1G only games with a .439 average, as well as a .509 on-base percentage in B1G only games, ranking second in the league, as well as a .724 slugging percentage and a 1.233 in B1G only games, both also ranking second in the conference, in addition to a 1.089 OPS in all games, ranking fifth in the league. In overall games, Frank was tied for seventh in doubles (17), tying with Kark. Frank knocked 11 doubles in B1G only games, also good for second, boosted by four doubles in the final weekend series of the weekend against Nebraska.

In the season finale, Frank went out with a bang in his final game as a Spartan, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, logging three RBI and two runs scored. With the four hits, Frank matched his jersey number with his 21st multi-hit game, as well as his fourth game with four or more hits.

Frank also swiped 19 stolen bases on the season, finishing fourth in the league overall.

Jack Frank Kirk Gibson Co-OPOY Team Award

One of three Spartans to start and play in all 51 games, Frank also led the Spartans in average (.383), slugging percentage (.573) and on-base percentage (.467), along with runs scored (55), hits (80), triples (3), home runs (9), stolen bases (19) and total bases (130), while ranking tied for first in doubles (17) and second in RBI (40) and walks (32).

Frank's 17 doubles are tied for No. 14 on MSU's single-season doubles list, while the 19 stolen bases tied for 17th on the Spartans' single-season stolen base list, matching his 19 swipes from last season.

Additionally, Frank left his mark on MSU's career lists, including tied for No. 2 for doubles (48), No. 3 for runs (155), No. 5 for stolen bases (52), tied for No. 7 for home runs (26) and No. 10 for hits (226).

Greg Ziegler Kirk Gibson Co-OPOY Team Award

Ziegler, a native of Joliet, Illinois, ranked second on the team in average at .373 in playing just 34 games, missing the first month of the season with an injury. He had 31 overall RBI, including 24 in B1G only contests, ranking tied for 14th in the league. Ziegler swiped 10 stolen bases on the season overall, including six in B1G only games, ranking tied for fifth in the conference.

Finishing the season on an 11-game hitting streak (April 30-May 18), Ziegler posted the third-longest hitting streak on the team. He also had a 10-game hitting streak (April 9-27), posting at least one hit in 21 of the final 22 games, as part of at least one hit in 30 of the 34 games with an at bat.

Ziegler logged 12 multiple hit outings, with two hits in nine games and three hits in three contests. He also had eight multiple RBI games with two ribbies in two games, in addition to three RBI in five games and a season-high five RBI vs. Michigan (May 4).

Dzierwa, a native of Haskins, Ohio, was second in the B1G in both innings pitched (84.0) and strikeouts (91), third in the B1G overall in WHIP (1.19), third in B1G only in IP (48.2), sixth in B1G only in strikeouts (43), eighth overall in K/9 (9.7), ninth in the B1G overall in ERA (4.07) and tied for 14th in the B1G overall in BB/9 (2.9).

In his final outing of the season, Dzierwa rang up a career-high 11 strikeouts against Nebraska on May 17, topping his previous career-best of nine Ks done four previous times this season, most recently vs Michigan on May 3. Dzierwa was the only Spartan pitcher to chalk up double-digit strikeouts this season and the first since March 11, 2023 when Adam Berghorst rang up 11 Ks vs. Western Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

Dzierwa's 11 Ks was the first double-digit strikeout outing by a Spartan pitcher at home since April 25, 2021 when Sam Benschoter chalked up 17 strikeouts in 9.1 IP of relief that was also against Nebraska.

With the 91 strikeouts on the season, Dzierwa had a big role in the Spartan pitching staff amassing 420 total strikeouts on the season, finishing No. 3 on MSU's team strikeouts list and the most since 445 in 2019.

Dzierwa made his mark in MSU's record books, as the 91 strikeouts are No. 8 on MSU's single-season Top 10 strikeouts list, the most by a Spartan pitcher since 2016 when Dakota Mekkes rang up 96.

Kark, a native of White Lake, Michigan, tied for seventh in the B1G overall in doubles (17), joined by Frank.

Kark was joined by Frank and teammate Randy Seymour as the only three Spartans to start and play in all 51 games. Kark led MSU in RBI (42), while sharing the team lead with Frank for doubles (17), in addition to second in hits (71), tied for second in triples (1), third in slugging percentage (.466), fourth in runs scored (38), tied for fourth in home runs (4) and fifth in average (.324).

Dillon Kark Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete

Expected to be a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, Kark was also the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala for highest GPA on team. Kark graduated in the spring of 2023 and will earn his master's degree in strategic communication in the fall of 2025.

Pianto, a native of Hendersonville, Tenn., made eight appearances on the mound, logging seven strikeouts in 8.0 IP. Pianto was also instrumental to the Spartan pitching staff and the entire team during MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde's absence from the team from mid-March, undergoing a successful kidney transplant on March 20 before rejoining the team on April 26. Pianto stepped up and helped guide the pitchers while coach Mark Van Ameyde was away. Pianto was in constant contact with Coach Van Ameyde, keeping him updated on the status of the pitchers, as well as providing encouragement to his coach.

MSU honored the nine 2024 spartan seniors making their final appearance at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field: Harrison Cook, Jack Frank, Dillon Kark, Nick Powers, Sam Thompson, Greg Ziegler, along with student managers Jack Behan, Olivia Hans, George Hunt, Chloe Lanning and Ava Woodruff. The Spartans sent their seniors out in style with an 11-6 Victory for MSU over Nebraska on May 18. The Spartans' 11 runs was the most scored on the Huskers by the home team in a Nebraska B1G road game, while matching the most runs scored on them by a B1G opponent, matching 11 scored by Maryland.

Michigan State finished the 2024 season 24-27 overall and 11-13 in B1G action, missing the Big Ten Tournament by one game.

John Kobs Most Valuable Player: Jack Frank
Robin Roberts Most Valuable Pitcher: Joseph Dzierwa
Kirk Gibson Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Jack Frank and Greg Ziegler
Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year: Dillon Kark
Steve Garvey Most Improved Player: Greg Ziegler
Jerry Sutton Student-Athlete Award: Dillon Kark
Craig Hendricks Spartan Spirit Award: Dominic Pianto

Players Mentioned

Adam Berghorst

Harrison Cook

Joseph Dzierwa

Jack Frank

Mitch Jebb

Dillon Kark

Dominic Pianto

Nick Powers

Randy Seymour

Sam Thompson

Brock Vradenburg

Greg Ziegler

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