Rochester, MN – The Northwoods League is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award. This award is given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2020 regular season.
Jayson Newman from the Stingers tops the list with .405 average
Willmar Stingers Designated Hitter and Pitcher Jayson Newman leads the list of award winners. Newman earned a Rawlings “Big Stick” by leading the league with an impressive .405 batting average.
Rawlings has been rewarding the top hitters in the Northwoods League since 2007 in addition to honoring the best fielders since 2002. To honor their achievement, the nine award winners will receive an engraved bat from Rawlings. The complete list of 2020 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award Winners is below.
| Position | Player | NWL Team | College | Batting Average |
| C | Jack Thelen | Kenosha Kingfish | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | .281 |
| 1B | Tim Elko | Fond du Lac | Mississippi | .351 |
| 2B | Jalen Smith | Waterloo | California, Davis | .390 |
| 3B | Brett Harris | K-Town Bobbers | Gonzaga | .356 |
| SS | Spencer Schwellenbach | Traverse City Pit Spitters | Nebraska | .356 |
| INF | Justice Bigbie | K-Town Bobbers | Western Carolina | .380 |
| OF | Wyatt Ulrich | Bismarck Larks | Richmond | .375 |
| OF | Zach Gilles | Mankato | Central Michigan | .366 |
| OF | Blake Dunn | Kalamazoo Growlers | Western Michigan | .349 |
| DH | Jayson Newman | Willmar | Cal State, Northridge | .405 |
To be eligible a player would have needed to have enough plate appearances to qualify for a batting title. A player must have a minimum of 2.7 plate appearances per team game.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
