Joshua Duarte from the Huskies tops the list with .398 average
Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award. This award is given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2023 regular season.
Duluth Huskies outfielder Joshua Duarte leads the list of award winners. Duarte earned a Rawlings “Big Stick” by leading the league with an impressive .398 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 2023 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award Winners is below.
| Position | Player | NWL Team | College | Batting Average |
| C | Drey Dirksen | Willmar Stingers | Augustana University | .329 |
| 1B | Kai Roberts | Mankato MoonDogs | University of Utah | .346 |
| 2B | Michael Hallquist | Duluth Huskies | University of Minnesota-Crookston | .355 |
| 3B | Dylan O’Connell | Eau Claire Express | Western Kentucky University | .343 |
| SS | Elliot Good | Waterloo Bucks | Central Connecticut State University | .337 |
| OF | Joshua Duarte | Duluth Huskies | Georgetown College | .398 |
| OF | Tyler Ganus | Kokomo Jackrabbits | University of Oregon | .345 |
| OF | Dalton Pearson | Wausau Woodchucks | Georgia State University | .339 |
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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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, 340 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
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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]
