After a championship win the day prior, the awards keep coming for Linn-Benton’s 2024 baseball team. The NWAC announced their 2024 all-NWAC Awards on May 28, with three Linn-Benton players making the cut.
At pitcher, LB’s Ethan Kleinschmit and Gabe Brabec earned first-team honors. Unsurprisingly, both had been named to the all-NWAC South first team two weeks prior. The freshmen pitchers had excellent regular seasons followed by even better NWAC tournament performances, with both playing crucial roles in Memorial Day’s championship games. Despite each having one year of eligibility left at LB, Kleinschmit and Brabec will be heading to Division I schools next season, with the former off to Oregon State and the latter to Gonzaga.
Sophomore outfielder Aidan Dougherty was the final Roadrunner to make the first team. He had a fantastic final season with Linn-Benton, earning the NWAC South MVP title as well as NWAC Championship Tournament MVP. He too will be off to a four-year college next season, taking his talents to the University of Connecticut.
As the head coach of this year’s NWAC champions, Linn-Benton’s Andy Peterson won Head Coach of the Year. He led the Beaks to a 39-11 season en route to the baseball program’s second NWAC title in three years.
Like his players, Peterson was also previously honored in the all-NWAC South awards, earning Coach of the Year honors.
The full list of all-NWAC awards can be viewed on the conference’s website here.