Justin Janas from the Kingfish tops the list with .402 average
Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award. This award is given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2021 regular season.
Kenosha Kingfish first baseman Justin Janas leads the list of award winners. Janas earned a Rawlings “Big Stick” by leading the league with an impressive .402 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 2021 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award Winners is below.
| Position | Player | NWL Team | College | Batting Average |
| C | Kirk Liebert | Kenosha | Kentucky | .322 |
| 1B | Justin Janas | Kenosha | Illinois | .402 |
| 2B | Chandler Simpson | Fond du Lac | Georgia Tech | .377 |
| 3B | Mike Boeve | Duluth | Nebraska Omaha | .341 |
| SS | Josh Kasevich | Waterloo | Oregon | .374 |
| INF | Chase Meidroth | Kokomo | San Diego | .345 |
| OF | Alex Iadisernia | Madison | Elon | .345 |
| OF | Max Jung-Goldberg | Waterloo | San Diego | .342 |
| OF | Will Hamiter | Willmar | Alabama | .353 |
| DH | Garrett McGowan | Waterloo | Pittsburg State | .351 |
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’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 270 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 World Series Champion Max Scherzer (LAD), 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 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live for FREE via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com. 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]
