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Wiczek Named
National Baseball Position Player of the Year
Awards have been rolling in for Steve Wiczek and the latest is the
biggest of all as the UW-Stevens Point senior has been named the NCAA
Division III Position Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball
Writers of America.
Wiczek was earlier named the Midwest Region Player of the Year by the
same organization and was placed on the national ballot with the seven other
regional winners. He edged Wooster (Ohio) shortstop Luke Ullman by one point
in the final balloting to earn the award.
It marks the third National Player of the Year award won by a
UW-Stevens Point athlete this season. Jason Kalsow won the men�s basketball
award and Amanda Nechuta was the nation�s top women�s basketball player. All
three athletes are seniors.
Wiczek, a Stevens Point native, set a Wisconsin Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference single-season record with 85 hits. He also led the
league with a .445 average, 18 home runs, 70 RBI�s and 156 total bases. All
of Wiczek�s offensive numbers were school records. He had hits in 46 of the
Pointers� 49 games as UW-Stevens Point finished 38-11 overall, including
five victories over eventual national champion UW-Whitewater.
Wiczek has the unusual distinction of earning the award despite not
playing a single defensive inning all season. He played all 49 games as a
designated hitter and the team�s cleanup hitter. Prior to this season,
Wiczek hit a combined .194 with 20 hits, 15 RBI�s and three home runs over
his first three seasons with the Pointers. He had arm injuries that forced
him to medical redshirt in 2003 and play only at designated hitter the past
two seasons.
UW-Whitewater pitcher Greg Reinhard was named the national Pitcher of
the Year and faced Wiczek nine times this season. In those meetings, Wiczek
finished two-for-six with a home run, two walks and a hit by pitch. |
