Fetter, Dufek Headline U-M's All-Big Ten Selections
5/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- The University of Michigan baseball team had four individuals earn All-Big Ten honors in a vote of league head coaches, the conference announced at the 2009 Big Ten Tournament banquet on Tuesday (May 19). Senior RHP Chris Fetter(Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and junior first baseman Mike Dufek(Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) each earned first team honors, while sophomore centerfielder Ryan LaMarre(Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) was tabbed to the second team and senior leftfielder Kenny Fellows(Holt, Mich./Holt) was named U-M's sportsmanship award honoree.Fetter and Dufek's honors extend U-M's streak of having an All-Big Ten first team selection to seven straight seasons.
Fetter earned his second straight first team honor and fourth overall all-conference accoladeafter posting a 7-3 record in 13 appearances while striking out 103 batters and allowing just 17 walks. His 3.26earned run averageled Wolverine starting pitchers and ranked in the top 10 of all Big Ten hurlers.Fetter posted three complete games, including a career-high 13-strikeout performance versus Indiana. With nine strikeouts at Northwestern last Thursday (May 14), Fetter moved into fourth on U-M's single-season strikeout list, surpassingMike Ignasiak (99, 1987) and Ross Powell (98, 1989) to become the fourth pitcher in Wolverine history to fan more than 100 batters in a season. Fetter is tops on the list of U-M right-handed pitchers. Fetter finished his career with 281 strikeouts, ranking third on U-M's career strikeout list, just seven behind career leader Jim Burton (288, 1969-71). With the win in his final start in the Maize and Blue, Fettermoved to28-10 to rank third on U-M's career win list, snapping his tie with Steve Howe (27 wins, 1977-79).
Dufek was honored for the first time in his U-M career after a breakout junior campaign that saw him lead all Big Ten first basemen with 17 home runs, including seven round trippers in league action and a conference-high 29runs batted inamong league first baseman in Big Ten games. He tied for the conference lead in overall home runs and finished fourth in RBI with 59 while pacing the Wolverines in homers (17), doubles (19), slugging percentage (.627) and total bases (136). He alsofinished second in hits (66) and RBI. Dufek's 17 homers tie him for third place on the Michigan single-season home run list with Mike Watters (1985) and Jim Paciorek (1982), and only Watters has as many homers in a single-season from the left side of the plate.
LaMarre is also honored for the first time after leading the Wolverines with a .344 average and pacing all Big Ten outfielders in runs scored (55), RBI (62)and home runs (12). The smooth-fielding centerfielder posted a .985 fielding percentage and four assists and led the U-M offense with 20 multi-hit games. LaMarre burst onto the scene in his first season as an everyday starter when he hit .571 with six home runs and 25 RBI over a seven-game stretch on the team's spring trip.
Fellows represents U-M as its sportsmanship award honoree after a breakout final season, his first as an everyday starter. He led the squad with 69 hits and paced the team with a .351 average in Big Ten play while stealing a team-high 21 bases, which rank third in the conference and is the eighth-best, single-season total in U-M history. Fellows posted five three-hit games and 19 multi-hit contests while ranking third on the team with 85 total bases.
The Michigan baseball program has now had at least one All-Big Ten first team selection in each of the last seven seasons and 117 total first teamers since 1949.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
