Seven Wolverines Earn Nine Total All-Big Ten Honors
5/22/2018 12:30:00 PM | Baseball
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The University of Michigan garnered nine team selections as the Big Ten announced its 2018 all-conference baseball teams and award recipients Tuesday afternoon (May 22).
Junior Jonathan Engelmann (outfielder) and sophomore Dominic Clementi (designated hitter) earned selections to the All-Big Ten first team, while Jordan Nwogu (outfielder) and Tommy Henry (starting pitcher) were named to the All-Big Ten second team. Starting pitchers Karl Kauffmann and Ben Dragani earned third-team honors, and newcomers Jesse Franklin (first baseman), Nwogu (outfielder), and Dragani (startin pitcher) were named to the All-Big Ten freshman team. Redshirt freshman Harrison Salter was named Michigan's Sportsmanship Award recipient.
An outfielder from San Mateo, California, Engelmann has started and played all 51 games for the Wolverines in center field, posting a .972 fielding percentage to go with a .359 batting average, which ranks second on the team. Going into the Big Ten Tournament, the two-time Big Ten Player of the Week is slugging at a .530 clip with six homers, 43 RBI, a team-leading 12 doubles and 71 hits.
Breaking into the lineup as the team's designated hitter this season, Clementi ranks third in the Wolverine lineup with a .358 batting average, including six doubles, a team-leading five triples and four home runs for a team second-best .585 slugging percentage. The Arrowhead, Wisconsin, native also ranks second on the team with 27 walks and leads Michigan with a .481 on-base percentage.
In his debut season with the Maize and Blue, Nwogu garnered All-Freshman and an All-Big Ten second team honors after leading the Wolverines with a .371 batting average and a .603 slugging percentage since his first start against Bowling Green on March 16. A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week selection, the Ann Arbor, Michigan, native boasts a .465 on-base percentage and has stolen a team-leading 21 bases.
The Wolverines' Friday-night starter, Henry leads Michigan with seven wins over a team-leading 80.1 innings pitched. The sophomore lefty from Portage, Michigan, boasts a 3.14 earned-run average through 14 starts and leads the Maize and Blue with 77 strikeouts, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
Weekend starters Dragani and Kauffmann were also honored, as the pair captured All-Big Ten third team honors. A freshman from Brookfield, Wisconsin, Dragani started the season as a reliever and broke into a starting role in mid-March. The lefty finished the regular season with a team-low 2.65 earned-run average in 15 appearances -- including 10 starts -- and struck out 53 batters through 71.1 innings pitched. He boasts a 6-1 record.
As Michigan's Sunday starter, Kauffmann's 2.84 earned-run average and 73 innings pitched rank second on the team. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native appeared just once in relief but started 14 games to earn six wins and help contribute to two shutouts. A sophomore righty, Kauffmann earned the Wolverines' first Pitcher of the Week honor this season after tossing 6.2 scoreless innings and striking out 10 at Stanford.
In addition to Nwogu and Dragani, Franklin earned a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten freshman team to finalize the Wolverines' yearly accolades. A three-time Freshman of the Week and one-time Player of the Week award winner, Franklin leads Michigan with nine home runs and 45 RBI, which ranks in the top 10 in the Big Ten Conference. A native of Seattle, Washington, Franklin boasts a .320 batting average and a .569 slugging percentage in his debut season with the Maize and Blue.
In the specialty awards, Bren Spillane from Illinois was named Player of the Year, while Minnesota's Patrick Fredrickson was named Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Minnesota's John Anderson was named the league's Coach of the Year.
No. 3 seed Michigan opens Big Ten Tournament play on Wednesday (May 23) against No. 6 seed Iowa. First pitch is set for 9 a.m. CDT at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
2018 Big Ten Awards
Player of the Year
Bren Spillane, Illinois
Pitcher of the Year
Patrick Fredrickson, Minnesota
Freshman of the Year
Patrick Fredrickson, Minnesota
Coach of the Year
John Anderson, Minnesota
All-Big Ten First Team
C - Tyler Cropley, Iowa
1B - BREN SPILLANE, ILLINOIS
2B - Nick Dunn, Maryland
SS - TERRIN VAVRA, MINNESOTA
3B - Noah McGowan, Ohio State
OF - Matt Gorski, Indiana
OF - Robert Neustrom, Iowa
OF - Jonathan Engelmann, Michigan
SP - Jonathan Stiever, Indiana
SP - Nick Allgeyer, Iowa
SP - Patrick Fredrickson, Minnesota
RP – Max Meyer, Minnesota
DH - Dominic Clementi, Michigan
UTIL - Matt Lloyd, Indiana
 All-Big Ten Second Team
C - Jesse Wilkening, Nebraska
1B - Scott Schreiber, Nebraska
2B - Michael Massey, Illinois
SS - Ben Troike, Illinois
3B - Micah Coffey, Minnesota
OF - Jordan Nwogu, Michigan
OF - Ben Mezzenga, Minnesota
OF - Dominic Canzone, Ohio State
SP - Pauly Milto, Indiana
SP - Tommy Henry, Michigan
SP - Reggie Meyer, Minnesota
RP - Seth Kinker, Ohio State
DH - Scotty Bradley, Indiana
UTIL - Kevin Biondic, Maryland
All-Big Ten Third Team
C - Nick Dalesandro, Purdue
1B - Jacson McGowan, Purdue
2B - Luke Pettersen, Minnesota
SS - Jack Dunn, Northwestern
3B - Luke Miller, Indiana
OF - Doran Turchin, Illinois
OF - Logan Sowers, Indiana
OF - Tyler Cowles, Ohio State
SP - Ben Dragani, Michigan
SP - Karl Kauffmann, Michigan
SP - Tanner Andrews, Purdue
RP – Joey Gerber, Illinois
RP – Ross Learnard, Purdue
DH - Chris Whelan, Iowa
UTIL - Conner Pohl, Ohio State
All-Big Ten Freshman Team*
C - Gunner Hellstrom, Nebraska
1B - JESSE FRANKLIN, MICHIGAN
2B - Drew Ashley, Indiana
SS - Dan DiGeorgio, Rutgers
3B - Zach Iverson, Michigan State
OF - JORDAN NWOGU, MICHIGAN
OF - Jaxon Hallmark, Nebraska
OF - Dillon Dingler, Ohio State
OF - BEN NISLE, PURDUE
SP - Ben Dragani, Michigan
SP - Mason Erla, Michigan State
SP - PATRICK FREDRICKSON, MINNESOTA
SP - Trent Johnson, Purdue
RP - MAX MEYER, MINNESOTA
DH - Parker Hendershot, Penn State
UTIL - Zach Iverson, Michigan State
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Jackson Douglas, Illinois
B.J. Sabol, Indiana
Austin Guzzo, Iowa
Billy Phillips, Maryland
Harrison Salter, Michigan
Kory Young, Michigan State
Micah Coffey, Minnesota
Mojo Hagge, Nebraska
J.R. Reimer, Northwestern
Adam Niemeyer, Ohio State
Jake Pilewicz, Penn State
Tanner Andrews, Purdue
Kyle Walker, Rutgers
* ALL CAPS denotes unanimous decision
