Northwoods Willmar Stingers

Drey Dirksen Is Named One of Nine 2023 Rawlings 'Big Stick' Award Winners

Published on November 13, 2023 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Willmar Stingers News Release


The Northwoods League is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Rawlings "Big Stick" Award. This award is given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2023 regular season.

One of Willmar's hometown players, Drey Dirksen was selected as a recipient of a 2023 Rawlings 'Big Stick' Award. Dirksen posted a .329 batting average for the Stingers. He helped the Stingers to a franchise best 51 wins and clinched both halves of the 2023 season. Drey will play his final season at Augustana University in 2023-2024.

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 2023 Rawlings "Big Stick" Award Winners is below.

Position Player NWL Team College Batting Average

C Drey Dirksen Willmar Stingers Augustana University .329

1B Kai Roberts Mankato MoonDogs University of Utah .346

2B Michael Hallquist Duluth Huskies University of Minnesota-Crookston .355

3B Dylan O'Connell Eau Claire Express Western Kentucky University .343

SS Elliot Good Waterloo Bucks Central Connecticut State University .337

OF Joshua Duarte Duluth Huskies Georgetown College .398

OF Tyler Ganus Kokomo Jackrabbits University of Oregon .345

OF Dalton Pearson Wausau Woodchucks Georgia State University .339

To be eligible, a player would have needed enough plate appearances to qualify for a batting title. A player must have a minimum of 2.7 plate appearances per team game.

If you would like more information on tickets for the 2024 season, please contact the Willmar Stingers front office by calling 320-222-2010. More information can also be found at www.willmarstingers.com.

The 2024 Stingers season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northwoods League Stories from November 13, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central