Awards and Honors

League Honors:
1st Team All-League OF: Chris Burr
1st Team All-League Utility: Brendan Finn
1st Team All-League IF: Austin Colby
2nd Team All-League OF: Nick Larson
2nd Team All-League IF: AJ Larson
2nd Team All-League Utility: Eric Johnson

Gold Glove: Chris Burr
Gold Glove: AJ Larson
Gold Glove: Brendan Finn

Team Honors:
MVP: Chris Burr - Chris had a great year of consistency and production. He anchored the lineup from the three and four holes all season and hit .631 (third on team) with 33 runs (2nd) and 32 RBI (tied for 1st). He smacked out 6 doubles, 1 triple and 7 homeruns. While his average slowing dipped below .700 in the final weeks of the year, his production numbers went way up as he jacked 6 of his 7 homeruns in the final 9 contests. He also handled 44 chances between the outfield and first base without an error.

Utility Man: Jon Engbrecht - For the second year in a row, Jon played nearly every position on the field. The best part is that he did it with class and ability. He was very good in the infield at both second and third by the end of the season and was reliable in the outfield to boot. You could always count on Jon to play hard and smile no matter where he’s at.

Solid as a Rock: Austin Colby and Lee Valle – These two players were very consistent throughout the entire season. They handled the majority of the duties on the left-side of the infield and did it well. Offensively, they were on base a ton for the hitters behind them and could be counted on for consistent contact.

Justin Morneau: Eric Johnson and Nick Larson – As predicted, Eric had a monster surge at the end of the season. He started it just a bit late to put up great overall numbers, but in his last 5 games he hit .762 with 10 runs, 10 RBI, 3 doubles and 2 homeruns. Nick hit .640 with a .670 oba and a 1.000 slg in his final 8 games. That included 3 doubles and 3 triples.

Most Pleasant Surprise: Jamy Antoine – Jamy showed he has a lot of talent on the field and with another year of consistent play he could be a force. In his first year with the team and his first year of playing in a long time, he swatted 3 triples and 3 homeruns while leading the team with 8 walks.

Best Substitute: Jason Merritt – No offense to Jason, but he kind of wins by default. Where in 2006 the team struggled to get 10 guys to a game, this year Jason was needed for just three games. He played flawless in the outfield and infield in those games and also went 4-6 and captured one Player of the Game award.

Streaky Pete: Matt Hanson and Matt Shuster – The Matt-Attack just couldn’t get enough of each other all year. Shuster started the year on fire getting 13 hits in his first 20 at bats for a .650 average. However, he then cooled off quickly ending the season in a 4-23 slump. Hanson’s streaks were much smaller in time but just as quirky. He started his first-ever softball campaign without a hit in seven at bats. Then he ripped out four hits in the next five at bats. He followed that with nine more hitless at bats. He came back with three straight hits again and finished it off with five straight at bats without finding a hole. Once these two boys figure out what they’re doing during the hot times, watch out.

Most Quotable: Matt Hanson – Matt is very self-aware and knows what his limitations are on a softball field. However, his quick wit and off-the-cuff remarks can still catch you off guard if you’re not used to it. Matt, what do you do for a living? “I drive trains.” After watching Austin hit 6 or 7 straight homers in batting practice Matt states, “So, you can hit those pretty much when you want to right?” Austin replies, “Most of the time, yes.” Matt ponders it and replies, “How do I do that?” Austin is speechless. When batting second for the first time Matt drives one to the warning track for his then-longest hit. Team slaps him on the back and says nice rip, just missed one. Matt calmly whispers to Austin, “I thought I’d give it a ride since I was batting near the top.” Looking forward to more quips from this guy in the future.

Captain Clutch: Nick Larson and Eric Johnson – Nick displayed the uncanny ability to get on base nearly all the time from the 5th inning and on. That was huge for the team as Nick hit .833 with 5 RBI in those late inning situations. Eric had a team high 18 hits with runners in scoring position and a .667 average (60 points above his season average). He also mashed in late-inning situations, hitting .813 with two homeruns and 11 RBI.

Make It Count: Jeff Johnson, Jamy Antoine, and Jordan Schumack – These three boys may not have had the highest batting averages but when they hit the ball they produced runs. Each one averaged more than one RBI per base hit, the only players on the team to do so. Jeff led the team with 1.44 RBI per hit as he drove in 23 on the year. Jamy had 25 RBI on his 21 hits, including 3 three-run homers, which amounts to 1.19 RBI/hit. And Jordan knocked in 20 runs on his 19 hits for a 1.05 RBI/hit.

Start ‘Em Up: Jon Engbrecht and Lee Valle – These two boys knew how to start rallies as they reached base consistently and a lot. Jon had an on base percentage more than 30% higher than his batting average and was on base every game except one. Lee had an on base percentage 20% higher than his batting average and was on base twice or more in every game except two. Nice work getting things going.

Best Battery Combo: Jordan Schumack and Matt Shuster – While the team tried several different combinations at pitcher and catcher this year, the most favorite one is still Jordan tossing to Shuster. Watching Jordan’s fist pumps or head shakes depending on which way the pitch goes is still priceless. Matt managed 9 putouts as a catcher this year which is a lot and he always is bouncing around back there and having a good time. These two play well together.

Most Overdue Homerun: Eric Johnson and Jon Engbrecht – How does Jon not hit more homers? He’s big and strong and has the capabilities to assemble a bat that would most likely have more pop than all of $300+ bats combined. Well, he went all of 2006 without one and knocked one out of the park in his second to last game this year. We’ll be looking for a couple more next year. Eric is a whole different story. In 2003, Eric hit 12 homers, good for second on the team. The following year he was even better with 14 homers also good for second. In 2005 the team shifted to a non-homer park and Eric still managed 4 homeruns which led the team. Last year, in limited playing time because of injury, Eric mashed out 7 homers which was second on the squad. What does he do in 2007? He waits 44 at bats before hitting his first homer. There were some whispers around the clubhouse as to what caused this power outage, but it could very well have something to do with the newly enforced 10-game suspension rules for performance-enhancing drugs. I’m not making any accusations, I’m just pointing out the “coincidence.”

Most Helpful Fan: Kelli Johnson – Kelli was very willing to help videotape this year. This was a new experiment for the team and she captured around 10 games on film which was fun for Austin as he was able to put a few highlight clips on the blog. Next year, we’ll try to improve our format and get multiple angles. Thanks a lot to Kelli!!