Kevin Plawecki

Along with being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, Kevin Plawecki is also in the running for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given to the nation's best catcher. Plawecki batted cleanup in every game this season and helped lead Purdue to its first Big Ten title since 1909. In 202 at-bats this year, Plawecki struck out just eight times, and entering the Big Ten Tournament, he leads the league in doubles (20). As a catcher, Plawecki calls his own game behind the plate, and he helped the pitching staff compile a 3.15 team ERA this season. Defensively, he has committed only one error and thrown out 16 of 38 would-be base stealers (.421).