BISMARCK, ND – The Northwoods League has announced the recipients of the 2018 Rawlings ‘Finest in the Field’ Award. The annual award recognizes the top fielders at each position. The winners are selected based on final fielding statistics compiled by league statistician Pointstreak. Two Bismarck players, Matt Warkentin (1B) and Ripken Reyes (2B), walked away with the title following the Larks second season. The 2018 Rawlings ‘Finest in the Field’ Award recipients and their fielding percentages are below.
| Position | Player | NWL Team | College | Fielding Percentage |
| C | Chris Gilbody | Duluth Huskies | Georgetown College | .997 |
| 1B | Matt Warkentin | Bismarck Larks | Xavier | .992 |
| 2B | Ripken Reyes | Bismarck Larks | San Diego | .970 |
| 3B | Will Wagner | Kenosha Kingfish | Liberty University | .958 |
| SS | Nick Sogard | Duluth Huskies | Loyola Marymount | .983 |
| OF | Kenton Crews | Mankato MoonDogs | Evansville | 1.000 |
| OF | Ben McConnell | Thunder Bay Border Cats | Fort Scott CC | .993 |
| OF | Spencer Myers | Eau Claire Express | Notre Dame | 1.000 |
| OF | Jalen Thomas | Battle Creek Bombers | Madonna University | 1.000 |
| P | Zak Devermann | Rochester Honkers | Illinois | 1.000 |
Rawlings has been rewarding the top defenders in the Northwoods League since 2002. The recipients receive a special Rawlings engraved trophy. Rawlings is the official equipment provider for the Northwoods League. To qualify for an award a player needs to appear in at least two-thirds of the scheduled games at a specific position, with the exception of catcher which is half. For pitchers, the player that had the highest total defensive chances without committing an error earns the number one spot.
###
The Bismarck Larks are a proud affiliate of the Northwoods League, the proven leader in development of elite college baseball players. The Larks mission is to use FUN to make a difference in the lives of our families, businesses, players, and communities we serve. This is accomplished with a commitment to putting fans first and providing high quality family entertainment at affordable prices. In 2017, the Larks sold out 27 of their 36 home games in Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, home of Dakota Community Bank and Trust Field, and were named the Northwoods League’s Organization of the Year.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 190 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
