2009 MIAC BASEBALL AWARDS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Craig Henry (JR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) and Joe Pierce (JR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) were named to the All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball squad, leading a contingent of six Augsburg College players who earned various All-MIAC honors, it was announced on Wednesday.

James Panning (SR, Gibbon, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop HS), Brent Kolbow (FY, Forest Lake, Minn.) and Donald Blunt (SO, Richfield, Minn.) were named as All-MIAC Honorable Mention selections, and Jon Rudolph (SR, Elk River, Minn.) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

A catcher, Henry earned All-MIAC honors for the third straight season, one of only two MIAC juniors to earn All-MIAC first-team baseball honors each of their first three campaigns (Macalester's James Murrey is the other).

Statistically, Henry had the best year of his career in 2009, hitting .395 (47-of-119) with 34 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, two home runs and a team-best 34 RBI. He had a .605 slugging percentage and .450 on-base percentage. Defensively, Henry had a .974 fielding percentage, with just six errors in 227 defensive chances. Henry threw out 18 runners attempting to steal bases in 47 attempts -- tops among MIAC catchers in overall statistics.

In league games-only, Henry hit .431, ranking sixth-best among league players (playing in 75 percent of a team's games), while also ranking sixth with a .677 slugging percentage and sixth with 28 hits. His nine runners caught stealing in 25 attempts was also a league-best.

In his career (106 games, 105 starts), Henry has a .374 career batting average, with 86 runs scored, 34 doubles, eight triples, four home runs, 63 RBI, a .556 slugging percentage and .436 on-base percentage. He has a .972 fielding percentage (17 errors in 609 defensive chances), and has thrown out 45 runners attempting to steal in 126 attempts.

In his first season as a starting first-baseman, Pierce was at or near the top for the Auggies in most hitting categories, with a .team-best 410 batting average (48-of-117), to go along with a team-best 15 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 29 runs scored, 33 RBI, a .607 slugging percentage and .489 on-base percentage. Defensively, he had a .983 fielding percentage, with just four errors in 240 chances.

In MIAC games-only, Pierce stood 14th among league hitters with a .394 batting average, while his .652 slugging percentage was ninth-best, his 26 hits were eighth-best and his 20 RBI were fifth-best. He had a conference-high 12 doubles in league play. His .410 overall batting average was seventh-best among MIAC players in overall play.

A three-year Augsburg outfielder after spending his initial collegiate campaign at Gustavus, Panning had the best year of his career in 2009, hitting .398 (47-of-118) with 33 runs scored, seven doubles, three triples, one homer and 25 RBI, to go along with a .534 slugging percentage and .448 on-base percentage. His .394 conference-only batting average was 14th-best among league players, while his 26 hits were eighth-best.

In his three seasons at Augsburg (81 games, 58 starts), Panning finished with a .354 career batting average, with 47 runs scored, eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 28 RBI, a .466 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage.

Kolbow stepped into the starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter role as a first-year student this year and shined, hitting .354 (40-for-113) with 31 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one homer, 17 RBI and a .442 slugging percentage.

His .493 on-base percentage and 29 walks were both team-highs, and his 10 stolen bases were second-best on the team. Kolbow also had a perfect fielding season, with no errors in 44 defensive chances.

Blunt continued his solid play as Augsburg's starting shortstop, hitting .364 (43-for-118) with a team-best 19 extra-base hits (nine doubles and team-highs of five triples and five home runs). He had 30 runs scored, 23 RBI, a team-best .653 slugging percenage and a .432 on-base percentage. His 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts led the team. His five triples were most in the MIAC in overall statistics, and his .653 slugging percentage and five homers were both fifth-best.

In two seasons (65 games, 63 starts), Blunt has a .313 career batting average, with 39 runs scored, 11 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 35 RBI, a .526 slugging percentage, .373 on-base percentage and 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts.

Rudolph was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, a part of the conference's sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

A veteran of the Augsburg baseball program as a reserve catcher, Rudolph appeared in two varsity games in his career. A business management major with a 3.15 grade-point average, Rudolph has earned Ed Saugestad Academic Award honors, and has worked in both the men's athletic cage and Augsburg concessions in his college years.

Under sixth season head coach Keith Bateman, Augsburg finished its season 20-18 overall, 11-9 in MIAC play. Augsburg reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2005 season (24-18), and finished in fifth place in the MIAC standings.