Jayson Newman (Cal State-Northridge) led the NWL with .405 average
Kalamazoo, MI – The Northwoods League is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award. This award is given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2020 regular season.
Stingers Designated Hitter and Pitcher Jayson Newman leads the list of award winners. Newman earned a Rawlings “Big Stick” by leading the league with an impressive .405 batting average.
Rawlings has been rewarding the top hitters in the Northwoods League since 2007 and 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 2020 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award Winners is below.
Position | Player | NWL Team | College | Average |
C | Jack Thelen | Kenosha Kingfish | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | .281 |
1B | Tim Elko | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | Mississippi | .351 |
2B | Jalen Smith | Waterloo Bucks | California, Davis | .390 |
3B | Brett Harris | K-Town Bobbers | Gonzaga | .356 |
SS | Spencer Schwellenbach | Traverse City Pit Spitters | Nebraska | .356 |
INF | Justice Bigbie | K-Town Bobbers | Western Carolina | .380 |
OF | Wyatt Ulrich | Bismarck Larks | Richmond | .375 |
OF | Zach Gilles | Mankato MoonDogs | Central Michigan | .366 |
OF | Blake Dunn | Kalamazoo Growlers | Western Michigan | .349 |
DH | Jayson Newman | Willmar Stingers | Cal State, Northridge | .405 |
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.