Gustavus sophomore first baseman Ben Sherer has been named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year by the MIAC baseball coaches. A two-time all-conference selection, Sherer won the MIAC batting title with a .513 average. He also led league in hits (39), rbi (29), home runs (8) and total bases (72). The Bismarck, North Dakota native led team in slugging percentage at .704 and was third in fielding percentage at .984. He ranks 26th in NCAA Division III in doubles per game at .45.
In addition to his fine on-field skills, Sherer is also an outstanding student with a 3.92 grade point average as a biology major. He was recently named First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District Five and is on the ballot to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Sherer becomes the second Gustavus player to receive Player of the Year honors as Brad Mazer received the honor in 2002.
The Gusties finished the regular season with a record of 27-13 overall and 13-7 in the MIAC. The team will play in the MIAC Playoffs this Friday and Saturday in Norhfield. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.