Zimmerman Student-Athlete of the Year, Five Bison on All-Academic Baseball Team
5/10/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
EDINBURG, Texas--North Dakota State outfielder/catcher Kole Zimmerman was named Student-Athlete of the Year and four Bison teammates were named to the Division I independent baseball all-academic team this week.
Zimmerman was a repeat selection along with outfielder Greg Plecki and pitcher Jake Laber. Pitchers Matt Bowar and Jeff Hille were first-time picks.
This is the second straight year North Dakota State has had five players named to the Division I independent all-academic team. IPFW, South Dakota State and Utah Valley State also had five selections each. Nominations were accepted for student-athletes with a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average and sophomore academic standing.
Zimmerman, a senior from Windom, Minn., has a 4.00 grade-point average in graduate school. He maintained a 3.85 GPA while earning a bachelor's degree in history from NDSU and now is working as a graduate assistant in the history department. He returned from a shoulder surgery and a second football knee surgery to play his third year of baseball for the Bison in 2007.
Zimmerman has made 139 of 145 possible starts and is a .273 career hitter. He ranks seventh on NDSU's career charts for doubles (35) and triples (7), and he is eighth in career putouts (492). He is hitting .241 this year, including a .313 clip since the April 14 home opener to raise his batting average 70 points.
Plecki, a senior from Bellevue, Neb., has a 3.87 cumulative GPA in health and physical education. Plecki has been NDSU's top hitter over the past 19 games since the April 14 home opener. He hit .344 over that span to raise his season total to .267. He leads the team with 29 runs and has six doubles and four home runs. Plecki has set NDSU's single-season record for sacrifice hits (9) and is tied for the career record (20). He ranks fifth at NDSU in career games played (165).
Laber, a junior from Fargo, N.D., has a 3.85 cumulative GPA in accountancy. Laber has been North Dakota State's top starter with a 5-4 record and a 3.84 ERA. He is fourth on the NDSU career lists in innings pitched (186 1/3), fifth in games started (30), and seventh in strikeouts (146).
Bowar, a junior from Moorhead, Minn., has a 3.80 GPA in physical education with a minor in coaching. Bowar has been an effective short reliever this year. He allowed only three earned runs in his first 10 appearances and has made starts in his last two outings. Bowar has an 0-1 record with a 5.55 ERA.
Hille, a junior from Sauk Rapids, Minn., has a 3.74 GPA in health and physical education. Hille has made nine starts for the Bison after transferring from Northern Iowa. He is 1-7 with a 7.29 ERA.
North Dakota State begins a three-game series against the University of Mary with a single game at 11 a.m. Friday at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo.
