Army West Point Athletics
Kevin Dubrule, Tanner Gresham, and Chris Tracz Highlight Army in Postseason Awards
May 10, 2023 | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Army West Point Baseball sees a set of Patriot League major awards, nine All-League members, and a record eight first-team All-League selections. Senior Kevin Dubrule was named Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year, and Tanner Gresham was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, both also earned First Team honors. First-year Head Coach Chris Tracz was named Gene Depew Coach of the Year, marking the seventh Army Coach to receive the honor. This year marks the first time since 2012 that the Black Knights had Player, Pitcher, and Coach of the Year accolades.
Ross Friedrick, Mike Ruggieri, Matthew Ronnebaum, Robbie Buecker, Derek Berg, and Braden Golinski join Dubrule and Gresham on the All-Patriot League first team, while junior Sam Ruta earned second-team honors.
First-year Head Coach Chris Tracz was named Gene Depew Coach of the Year, marking the seventh time an Army coach has received the award. During his time at West Point, Tracz led the Black Knights to a 34-15 record, leading Army to sweep Navy for the first time since 2012. The Black Knights went on a 15-game winning streak and were named one of the country's hottest NCAA Division I teams. The Black Knights went on to go 21-4 in their conference campaign, setting a new Patriot League record (19 wins, Navy, 1995) and hit 60 home runs this season, setting a new program record for home runs in a single season (57, 2009).
Kevin Dubrule, Shortstop, Senior, (Venice, Fla. / Venice)
Senior co-captain Kevin Dubrule earns Patriot League Player of the Year as well as Defensive Player of the Year. Dubrule is the seventh Black Knight to be named Player of the Year, the first since 2018, and the third player to earn the Defensive Player of the Year accolade, the first since the 2021 season. He is also the first player in program history to be named Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Dubrule is also the first player in the Patriot League to receive Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He also earned First Team All-Patriot League honors for the second consecutive season. Dubrule led the Patriot League in hits (79), batting average (.399), and sacrifice flies (7). Dubrule led the Black Knights in batting average (.399), hits (79), RBIs (58), and doubles (17). Earlier this year, he was named to the 2023 Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year watch list, the second year the shortstop has been considered for the award. From March 24 to April 23, Dubrule had a 19-game hitting streak. He has been an instrumental player in Army's offensive and defensive attacks. In Game 2 of the Black Knights doubleheader against Lehigh on April 8, Dubrule helped edge Army past the Mountain Hawks with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth. Dubrule is 8th in the country in hits (79), 28th in the country in batting avg. (.399), 52nd in the country in doubles (17), 26th in the country in hits per game (1.61), 5th in the country in sacrifice flies (7), 56th in total bases (119), 34th in the country in RBIs (58), 5th in the country in toughest to strikeout (K. avg. 18.0, 11Ks). Dubrule has commanded the field, leading the program with 120 assists, a .948 fielding percentage, and 26 double plays.
Tanner Gresham, Starting Pitcher, Junior, (Charlotte, N.C. / Huntersville)
Junior starting pitcher Tanner Gresham earns Patriot League Pitcher of the Year honors. Gresham is the seventh Army pitcher in program history to receive the honor. He also earns Patriot League First Team honors for the second consecutive season. In the 2023 season, Gresham made ten starts in ten appearances. He has a 5-1 record, a 2.90 ERA, pitched 59.0 innings, held batters to a .194 batting average, 56 strikeouts, three complete games, and two shutouts. Gresham leads the Patriot League in opposing batting average (.194) and leads the program in opposing batting average. In the Black Knights 8-1 win against Wright State on March 11, Gresham pitched 7.0 innings, earning a career-high 10 strikeouts, allowed one run, and scattered two hits, and two walks. He was also named to the College Baseball Foundation 2023 Pitcher of the Year watch list.
Derek Berg, Catcher, Junior, (Conroe, Texas / Conroe)
Junior catcher Derek Berg earns his second consecutive First Team All-Patriot League honor and has led the Black Knights in runs scored (57), and at-bats (204). He also led the Patriot League in runs scored with 57. He was also fourth in the league in hits, with 65. On the season, Berg had a .319 average, a .943 OPS, 57 runs, 65 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 37 RBIs, and a .559 slugging percentage. Leading up to the 2023 season, Berg was named to the 2023 Buster Posey Catcher of the Year watch list. Berg has dominated the backstop as he has caught 26 runners stealing and has totaled 365 putouts, 46 assists, a .993 fielding percentage, and 14 stolen bases against. Berg leads the Patriot League in putouts (365) and is second in caught stealing by (16).
Robbie Buecker, Relief Pitcher, Senior (Allentown, N.J. / Notre Dame)
Senior co-captain Robbie Buecker has dominated the mound throughout the 2023 campaign. Buecker has a 3.07 ERA, held batters to a .248 average, has a 1.35 WHIP, and is 4-3, in 18 appearances, Buecker has started in six games, pitched one complete game, has two saves, and has 42 strikeouts. In the April 28 game against Lafayette, Buecker pitched 8.2 innings, scattered six hits, allowed three runs, one earned run while striking out seven batters, and walked two batters.
Ross Friedrick, First base, Senior, (Alpharetta, Ga. / Cambridge)
Senior co-captain Ross Friedrick lands on the First Team All-Patriot League for the second consecutive season. Friedrick has dominated the batter's box as well as the diamond. Friedrick leads the Patriot League in slugging percentage (.695, OPS (1.160), and home runs (16). On April 30, Friedrick set a new program record for home runs in a single season (13, Joey Henshaw, 2009). He leads the Black Knights in slugging percentage (.695), home runs (16), and total bases (137).
Braden Golinski, Centerfield, Junior, (Greenville, S.C. / Greenville Senior)
Golinski lands on the Patriot League First Team All-League for the first time in his career. He has started in all 49 games this season and has made an impact in Army's defense as well as offensively. In the 2023 season, Golinski has a .328 average, a .982 OPS, 43 runs, 63 hits, 14 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, a .589 slugging percentage, a .393 on-base percentage, and 17 stolen bases. He leads the league in stolen bases (17). He is also fifth in the league in triples (3) and fifth in hits (63).
Matthew Ronnebaum, Starting Pitcher, Junior, (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley West High School)
Starting pitcher Matthew Ronnebaum was named First Team All-Patriot League for the first time in his career. He has posted a 6-3 record, a 4.26 ERA, two complete games, one shutout, pitched 67.2 innings, has 69 strikeouts, and has held batters to a .270 average. Ronnebaum is a three-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Week and leads the league in batters struck out (69), batters struck out looking (26), and is second in the league in innings pitched (67.2). In Army's 1-0 win against Holy Cross on March 24, Ronnebaum pitched 7.0 innings, allowed no runs, scattered three hits, and struck out a career-high nine batters, while walking three batters.
Mike Ruggieri, Starting Pitcher, Junior, (Upper Saddle River, N.J. / Northern Highlands Regional)
Ruggieri earns his first career First Team All-League honor for the first time in his career. Throughout the season, Ruggieri has been dominant on the mound. In the 2023 season, Ruggieri has a 7-1 record, a 2.35 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, pitched 57.1 innings, struck out 52 batters, and has held batters to a .209 batting average. He leads the league in ERA (2.35) and wins (7). Ruggieri is also fourth in the league in opposing batting average (.209). He also leads the program in ERA (2.35), win-loss percentage (87.5), and wins (7).
The Black Knights will take on the fourth-seeded Lafayette Leopards in a Patriot League semifinal series at Doubleday Field on May 13-14.
2023 Patriot League Baseball Major Awards
Player of the Year – Kevin Dubrule, Army West Point, Sr., SS
Pitcher of the Year – Tanner Gresham, Army West Point, Jr., RHP
Defensive Player of the Year – Kevin Dubrule, Army West Point, Sr., SS
Rookie of the Year – Jack Toomey, Holy Cross, Fr., OF
Gene Depew Coach of the Year – Chris Tracz, Army West Point
2023 First Team All-Patriot League*
SP: Tanner Gresham, Army West Point, Jr.
SP: Mike Ruggieri, Army West Point, Jr.
SP: Matthew Ronnebaum, Army West Point, Jr.
SP: Alex Walsh, Lafayette, Sr.
RP: Robbie Buecker, Army West Point, Sr.
C: Derek Berg, Army West Point, Jr.
1B: Ross Friedrick, Army West Point, Sr.
2B: Billy Kender, Bucknell, So.
3B: Sean Keys, Bucknell, So.
SS: Kevin Dubrule, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Braden Golinski, Army West Point, Jr.
OF: Grant Voytovich, Bucknell, Jr.
OF: Peter Ciuffreda, Lafayette, Sr.
OF: Casey Rother, Lehigh, 5th
At-Large: Michael Zarrillo, Lafayette, So
2023 Second Team All-Patriot League*
SP: Luke Rettig, Lehigh, 5th
SP: Nate Mitchell, Navy, Sr. SP: Matthew Shirah, Navy, Jr.
RP: Landon Kruer, Navy, Jr.
C: Alex Smith, Navy, Sr.
1B: Joe Gorla, Lehigh, 5th
2B: Dom Patrizi, Lehigh, Fr.
3B: Sam Ruta, Army West Point, Jr.
SS: Anthony Sherwin, Bucknell, Jr.
OF: Jack Toomey, Holy Cross, Fr.
OF: Jacob Corson, Bucknell, Jr.
OF: Kyle Lyons, Bucknell, So.
OF: Nick Burch, Navy, Sr.
At-Large: Sean Scanlon, Holy Cross, So.
*Additional players added to the first and second teams due to ties in the voting
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