Seven Wolverines Selected to All-Big Ten Teams
5/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Michigan baseball team had seven players receive All-Big Ten honors in a vote of league head coaches, the conference announced at the 2010 Big Ten Tournament banquet on Tuesday (May 25).
Junior outfielder Ryan LaMarre (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) earned first team honors, senior catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./Heights School) and junior relief pitcher Tyler Burgoon (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) were tabbed to the second team, while senior starting pitcher Alan Oaks (White Lake, Mich./Divine Child) was elected to the third team. Freshman outfielder Patrick Biondi (Woodhaven, Mich./Divine Child), freshman shortstop Derek Dennis (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central) and sophomore/freshman pitcher Bobby Brosnahan (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) were named to the all-freshman squad. Berset was also named the U-M sportsmanship award honoree.
LaMarre garnered a repeat All-Big Ten selection, following up on a 2009 second team honor. After missing 18 games due to injury, he was named Big Ten Player of the Week in his first full week back on the field. Despite the limited time, LaMarre has put together a .409 average with five home runs, while six of his 35 runs batted in are of the game-winning variety. He ranks first in the Big Ten in conference play with five triples, while his .420 batting average ranks third and .739 slugging percentage is fourth.
Berset has been a force on all sides of the plate this season. The switch-hitting catcher is batting .396 from the left side and .333 from the right batter's box. He is in the top 10 in the conference in almost every major category, including sixth in on-base percentage at .455 and seventh in batting average at .379. While leading the Wolverines with 78 hits, Berset has thrown out 24 would-be base stealers, nearly 42 percent of all that challenge, and picked off six runners. In addition to his second team selection, Berset was also named U-M's Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Burgoon has been lights out since returning to the bullpen, going 4-3 with 10 saves and a 1.87 earned-run average in his 19 relief appearances. He has earned a share of the program record with 10 saves this season and leads the Maize and Blue with 70 strikeouts and six wins. He has allowed a league-low 56 hits this season and his 2.67 ERA in league games ranks third in the Big Ten.
In his first full season on the mound, Oaks has established himself as the Wolverines' Friday starter. He is 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 85.0 innings, striking out 66 batters. He ranks second in the Big Ten in batting average against at .238 and seventh in ERA. He has gone five-plus innings in all but one start this season and has six games with five or more strikeouts.
Biondi has obliterated the rookie record book in his first season with the Wolverines, as his 29 steals and 66 runs are both freshman standards. He leads the Big Ten in runs and is second in thefts. A .323 hitter, Biondi has scored leading off U-M's first inning 20 times in 54 games. Biondi has also shined in the outfield, not committing an error in Big Ten play and boasting a .993 overall fielding percentage.
Dennis has been the U-M starter at shortstop all season, starting 49 games for the Maize and Blue. A .246 hitter, Dennis has excelled in pressure situations, going 4-for-5 with the bases loaded and batting .290 with runners in scoring position.
Brosnahan has put together a 5-4 record with a 4.68 ERA during his rookie campaign. He leads the Big Ten in strikeouts by a rookie with 56 punchouts and shares lead for wins by a newcomer. The Wolverines' Saturday starter, Brosnahan started both of U-M's shutouts this season (Fordham, 20-0, March 20; IPFW, 8-0, March 27). He has gone five-plus innings in seven of his 10 starts after sitting out the 2009 season.
The Michigan baseball program has now had at least one All-Big Ten first team selection in each of the last eight seasons, spanning the Maloney Era, and 118 total first teamers since 1949.
Michigan will play one of four possible teams in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday (May 27) at 3:35 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network with live audio available through MGoBlue.com All-Access.
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
