Dec. 5, 2008

2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List in PDF Format

Chicago, Ill.- UIC senior first baseman Brett Schaefer (Orland Park, Ill./Brother Rice H.S.) and sophomore centerfielder Steve McGuiggan (Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley H.S.) were named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List, the College Baseball Foundation announced in conjunction with Mizuno on Friday, December 5.

The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player.

Schaefer and McGuiggan were the Flames' two leading hitters last season, playing key roles in UIC's second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. Schaefer led the team by batting .382 (81-for-212) in 56 games, followed by McGuiggan's .370 (85-for-230) average.

Last year Schaefer had a breakout campaign, leading the team in home runs (10), runs batted in (61), extra-base hits (27), runs scored (51) slugging percentage (.613) and on-base percentage (.450). He earned Horizon League Championship Most Valuable Player honors after hitting .733 (11-for-15) with seven RBI in four league tournament games.

McGuiggan had an impressive season as a true freshman in 2008, playing in all 57 of the Flames' games in centerfield. UIC's leadoff man paced the team in total hits (85) and triples (five) while posting a .437 on-base percentage, driving in 40 runs, belting 10 doubles and stealing 14 bases.

McGuiggan earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball, Ping!Baseball All-Freshman Second Team accolades and spots on the All-Horizon League Second Team and the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team.

Schaefer and McGuiggan are the first UIC players to earn a place on the Wallace Watch List since Larry Gempp Jr. in 2007.

Recent Brooks Wallace award honorees include 2008 winner Buster Posey of Florida State and 2008 Major League Baseball postseason pitching star David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, who won the 2007 Brooks Wallace award while pitching for Vanderbilt.

The 2009 Brooks Wallace award will be given at the College Baseball Hall of Fame event on Thursday, July 2 inside the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.