ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams | ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Winners

WINONA, Minn. — During the 2015 baseball season, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Ben Buerkle racked up hits better than any player in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
 
And when it comes to post-season awards, the Cardinal sophomore is racking up plenty of those, too.
 
On Thursday, Buerkle—already the owner of four post-season awards this spring—reached the pinnacle of post-season honors, being named ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American.
 
But Buerkle wasn't the only Cardinal hauling in a mega award Thursday, as fellow Cardinal Drew Denning (St. Paul, Minn.) was named to the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team.
 
Buerkle's ABCA/Rawlings All-American honor is just the latest in a long line for the Cardinal sophomore, who, over the past two weeks, has also garnered First-Team All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-Midwest Region, D3baseball.com First-Team All-Midwest Region, and Capital One Academic All-District 6.
 
Buerkle—the MIAC Rookie of the Year and an ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region Third-Teamer a year ago as a freshman—led the Cardinals in virtually every offensive category in helping Saint Mary's to a 24-12 overall record—the most wins since the 1995 Cardinal squad when 24-11.
 
Buerkle proved to be opposing pitchers' worst nightmare in 2015, leading the team in batting average (.462), hits (61), runs (46), doubles (11), triples (4), home runs (7), RBIs (47), total bases (101), slugging percentage (.765), and on-base percentage (.517). Buerkle—who hit for a doubleheader cycle vs. Carleton on April 25, recording two singles, a double, a triple and a home run, not to mention nine RBIs—put together a team-high 20 multiple-hit games, owned a team-best 14 multiple-RBI contests, and had a hit in 34 of the team's 36 contests.
 
In his first two seasons, Buerkle—who set single-season school records with his 46 runs and 47 RBIs this season—has put together season-opening hitting streaks of 20 and 15 games, respectively, has had at least one hit in 71 of the 76 games he's played, and has been held off the base paths just twice in 76 career games.
 
Buerkle was one of just two players from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference among the 50 selected to the three Division III All-American teams, being joined by Concordia first baseman Nick Bornhauser.
 
Sam Dexter, a junior shortstop from the University of Southern Maine, was named the 2015 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Bat Award winner. Dexter hit .441 with eight homers and 44 RBIs in 46 games this season.
 
Denning, who hit .274 (26-for-95) in 34 games, with nine doubles and three home runs, flashed plenty of leather from his second base position, posting 66 putouts and 75 assists—while committing just one error in 142 overall chances.
 
Denning was one of just nine players to earn the illustrious ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and was joined by fellow MIAC pitcher Josh Howard of Bethel.