Player of the Year:
Tony Vercelli
In looking at Northwestern’s 2009 offense, using the word “youth” in reference to its lineup was an understatement. Leave it to senior Tony Vercelli to provide a little bit of leadership.
After making 47 starts in his first three seasons combined, Vercelli turned in 49 starts this season for the Wildcats. Batting behind Jake Goebbert, who hit .353 over his first two seasons, the two were expected to pack a 3-4 punch in the heart of the order.
When Goebbert went down midway through the season with a kidney injury, a huge hole was left in NU’s order. But Vercelli did everything in his power to fill that void.
Of Vercelli’s 47 hits on the season, 23 were for extra bases, including 11 doubles and a team-leading 11 home runs. Two of those 11 blasts came on one of baseball’s biggest stages, in NU’s 5-1 victory over Notre Dame at U.S. Cellular Field on April 15.
Vercelli excelled against non-conference opponents this season, hitting at a .333 clip in 27 games outside of the Big Ten. While he hit a team-worst .163 in 22 conference games, he still led the team in home runs (four) and runs batted in (18).
Biggest Series Win
Michigan
@ Rocky Miller Park
After five strong innings by freshman Michael Jahns, the Wildcats appeared destined for their second series-opening win of the Big Ten season.
Holding a 6-3 lead through five innings, NU fell victim to 13 Michigan runs over the final four frames, dropping the opener, 16-6. Compounding matters, rain cancelled Friday’s game, setting the stage for a season-ending doubleheader on Saturday.
The situation was clear for the Cats: sweep the doubleheader, and go out on a positive note.
Behind eight hard-fought innings from sophomore ace Eric Jokisch and nine runs in the middle innings, the Cats walked away with a 10-6 win. Michigan loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning, but sophomore Cole Livermore closed out the victory.
In the second game, NU got a glimpse of a future star to plug the middle of its lineup. Trailing 5-3 in the seventh inning, freshman infielder Paul Snieder knotted the score, blasting a two-run bomb over the center field wall. Two innings later, Snieder hit a solo shot for the game-winner, vaulting himself into sole possession of second place in team home run totals (six).
Biggest Series Loss
Ohio State
@ Columbus, Ohio
No one expects the worst team in a conference to knock off the leader of the pack, especially on the road.
Through one-half inning, the Cats made their statement against that stereotype, striking for three runs on three RBI singles against the Buckeyes.
NU held onto a 4-3 advantage until the bottom of the ninth, when Ohio State stole the opener off a game-winning fielder’s choice.
After the harrowing experience of blowing three leads late at Minnesota, NU persevered to stay in contention over the final two games. Trailing 9-7 after six-and-a-half innings in game two, the Buckeyes tacked on two more runs in the seventh, putting the game out of reach. NU took the final game, but it wasn’t enough to win the series.
