Brandon Rogalski Named UAA Player of the Year, Leads Five All-UAA Selections for WUSTL Baseball
St. Louis, Mo., May 3, 2012 – Senior outfielder and pitcher Brandon Rogalski was selected as the 2012 University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Year, leading a group of five Washington University in St. Louis baseball players who received all-UAA honors, as announced by the Association.
Rogalski and sophomore outfielder Kyle Billig received first-team honors for the second year in a row, and were joined on the all-UAA first team by freshman shortstop Andrew Goldstick. Junior pitcher Stephen Bonser and freshman utility player Chris Lowery each received second-team all-UAA honors.
Rogalski became just the third UAA Player of the Year in Washington University baseball history, joining Thor Larsen (1996) and Andy Shields (2005). Rogalski leads the UAA and is second in NCAA Division III with 74 hits, which equals his single-season school record for hits set in 2011. On April 24, he became the Washington University all-time career hits leader, and his 74 hits this season brought his career total to 213. Rogalski also leads the UAA in RBIs (40) and total bases (101), while ranking third in batting average (.438). This season, he also has a 2-0 record with one save with a 1.84 ERA in nine appearances on the mound for the Bears. Rogalski received UAA Athlete of the Week honors three times during the season, and was named to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week on March 28.
Billig leads the UAA and NCAA Division III with 58 runs scored this season, which is one shy of tying the Washington U. single-season record. He broke his own single-season record with a UAA-best 35 steals this season, and ranks third on the WU career steals list with 69 in his first two seasons for the Bears. Billig also ranks second in the UAA with 58 hits, 11 doubles and six triples in 2011. He batted .377 and ended the regular season with a 23-game hitting streak as the Bears’ lead-off batter.
Goldstick earned a spot on the all-UAA first team after an outstanding rookie year, starting 34 games at shortstop for the Bears. He batted .353 with 42 hits, 26 runs scored and 25 RBIs. Goldstick has struck out just four times in 119 at bats this season, and ranks 24th in Division III for toughest to strike out. He also ranks third in the UAA with 100 assists this season. Goldstick was named to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week on March 7.
Bonser received all-UAA second-team accolades after being a first-team all-UAA selection in 2011. He led the UAA with 12 appearances this season, posting a 6-3 record, including four complete games and two shutouts. Bonser ranks fifth in the UAA with 46 strikeouts in 71.2 innings this season, and has a 3.52 ERA. He received UAA Athlete of the Week honors twice this season, and was named to the UAA All-Tournament Team in March.
Lowery picked up second-team-all-UAA honors after making 24 starts for the Bears at four different positions this season. He batted .367 with 40 hits, six doubles, two triples and two home runs. Lowery had 10 multiple-hit games for Washington U., including a career-best 5-for-6 in the Bears’ win over Grinnell College on April 29. He also finished the regular season with 25 runs scored and 18 RBIs.
Washington University finished the regular season with a 28-12 record, and will wait for the official announcement of qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Championship to be released on Sunday, May 13. The Bears were ranked No. 2 in last week’s Central Region rankings. The updated regional rankings will be released this afternoon at ncaa.com.