Mike DesLauriers

DesLauriers will graduate as the program’s all-time leader in assists at 415.

Gustavus Adolphus senior baseball player Mike DesLauriers (Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V College Division Second Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). DesLauriers, a shortstop, carries a 3.64 grade point average with a major in public accounting. A total of four MIAC players were recognized on either the first or second team.

DesLauriers, a 2007 and 2009 All-MIAC pick and four-year starter for the Gusties, hit .333 in 38 games with 46 hits in 138 at-bats this season. He was second on the team in runs scored with 28. In the field, DesLauriers set a new school record for assists in a season with 124 and led the MIAC in assists with 68. He also left his mark on the Gustavus record book as he ranks in six different career categories. DesLauriers leaves Gustavus ranked first all-time in career assists with 415, second in career at-bats with 527, third in hits with 193, fifth in runs scored with 116, sixth in games played with 150, and sixth in career batting average at .366.

The Gusties finished the 2009 season with a record of 17-21 overall and placed eighth in the MIAC with a record of 9-11.

DesLauriers is the son of Rick and Mary DesLauriers of Minnetonka and a 2005 graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret High School.

Mike DesLauriers

Nate Ruff

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball coaches recently released their post-season awards and Gustavus Adolphus College seniors Mike DesLauriers (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Nate Ruff (Bloomington, Minn.) were recognized with awards. DesLauriers, a shortstop, was named to the All-Conference Team for the second time in his career, while Ruff was named to the Sportsmanship Team.

DesLauriers, a 2007 All-MIAC pick and four-year starter for the Gusties, hit .333 in 38 games with 46 hits in 138 at-bats this season. He was second on the team in runs scored with 28. In the field, DesLauriers set a new school record for assists in a season with 124 and led the MIAC in assists with 68. He also left his mark on the Gustavus record book as he ranks in six different career categories. DesLauriers leaves Gustavus ranked first all-time in career assists with 415, second in career at-bats with 527, third in hits with 193, fifth in runs scored with 116, sixth in games played with 150, and sixth in career batting average at .366.

Ruff, a four-year starter at second base, hit .266 this season with 29 hits and 15 runs scored. He recorded 61 putouts and 76 assists to move into a tie for third place on the career assist list with 288. Each team selects one player to the Sportsmanship Team and that player is selected for his contributions to team play, his leadership, and his example of good sportsmanship.

The Gusties finished the 2009 season with a record of 17-21 overall and placed eighth in the MIAC with a record of 9-11.

Gustavus senior Mike DesLauriers (Minnetonka, Minn.), a four-year starter at shortstop for the Golden Gustie baseball team, was recently selected as the focus in the MIAC Profiles of Excellence series produced by College Sporting News. DesLauriers, an All-MIAC First Team selection in 2007 and Third Team All-Region honoree last year in baseball, was also a member of the Gustavus men’s basketball team.

Reporter Rich Mies writes:
While not completely extinct, the two-sport college athlete is a rapidly vanishing breed. More and more high school athletes opt to focus on a single sport, in hopes of securing a college scholarship. Those who do play multiple sports in high school often are forced to choose one when they reach college. “I was recruited by several Division II schools for baseball, including several that offered me a partial scholarship,” stated Mike DesLauriers of Gustavus Adolphus College. “I was told by them that I’d have to give up basketball. I wanted to play both sports, and being able to do so was a big part of my decision to come here.”

“Mike is one of those student-athletes that only come around once in a great while,” stated Coach Carroll. “He is a fierce competitor, who has the ability to mask his intensity by carrying himself outwardly in a calm, easy going way that shows teammates and the opposition that he is completely poised during the most stressful times in competition. He is a very smart baseball player and is able to leave his ego at the door, as a total team player. He has been a pleasure to coach and our team will have a very big void to fill when he graduates.”

Mike’s determination to play two sports in college led him to Gustavus. He looks back and is satisfied with his choice to do so, as well as with his experiences at Gustavus. “The people here — students, coaches, faculty and staff – have made it a great place for me. My coaches have been very accommodating and supportive. They have been very understanding, especially in March when the two sports overlap. Gustavus has given me a great education. The accounting department here is very strong. I came out of college with a job lined up and feel Gustavus has prepared me for my future.”

Full Profile from College Sporting News