BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2024 baseball awards Tuesday and six Gusties received recognition. Adam Biewen, Chris Knowles, and Bryce Novak earned All-Conference honors, while Mitch Casperson, Benny Mcdonald, and Brady Schmitz received honorable mention. 

Biewen earned his second consecutive All-MIAC nod after leading the Gusties on the mound this season. Leading the team with 51.1 innings pitched, Biewen held a 5-1 record with a 4.91 ERA. Biewen led the team with 49 strikeouts while opponents hit .263. Biewen's top performance of the year was a complete game win at St. Scholastica where he struck out seven and allowed just one earned run. He had a season-high eight-strikeout performance in an 11-6 win over Concordia. 

Knowles also earns his second straight All-Conference selection after leading the team at the plate. Knowles led the MIAC with a .456 batting average, was second in both runs batted in (51) and slugging percentage (.779), and ranked third in both hits (62) and home runs (10). Knowles boasted an OPS of 1.301 and an on-base percentage of .522. Knowles led the team with nine stolen bases in 12 attempts and was walked 17 times. His 106 total bases were second most in the MIAC. Knowles was named NCBWA National Hitter of the Week honorable mention on March 10 and set the school record with a 27-game hitting streak, spanning back to the 2023 season. 

Novak garners his fourth All-MIAC pick, becoming just the 13th player in MIAC history - and second in Gustavus history (Brad Mazer 1999-2002) - to earn All-Conference all four seasons. Novak led the MIAC this season with 64 hits and ranked second in batting average (.438), on-base percentage (.520), and doubles (17). His 46 runs were third most in the conference. Novak boasted a 1.152 OPS, .632 slugging percentage, and started all but one game. 

Novak ends his Gustavus career as arguably the greatest player in program history. Novak owns the MIAC and school record with 260 career hits, breaking the previous conference record by eight and the previous school record by 32. Novak also owns program records with 598 career at-bats and 177 career runs. His .435 career batting average is second highest in program history. Novak also ranks third in program history in doubles (45), third in triples (10), fourth in games played (152), fifth in RBIs (109), ninth in stolen bases (27), 10th in home runs (13), and 10th in walks (58). Novak made eight career pitching appearances with a 2.22 ERA and 3-1 record in 28.1 innings. He struck out 24 batters with an opponent batting average of .184. Playing center field for nearly the entirety of his career, Novak collected 244 putouts with 10 assists and just six errors for a .977 fielding percentage. 

One season removed from MIAC Pitcher of the Year honors, Casperson earns honorable mention after a year battling injuries. Casperson made nine pitching appearances with seven starts. He tallied a 4.06 ERA and a 4-4 record after 37.2 innings on the mound. Casperson struck out 43 batters with an opponent batting average of .271. 

Mcdonald had a stand-out rookie campaign, leading the team with 13 pitching appearances. Mcdonald tossed 32.2 innings with a 3.03 ERA and 2-0 record. He struck out 30 batters with a .225 opponent batting average. 

Starting at shortstop all season for the first time in his career, Schmitz was fourth on the team with a .331 batting average. Schmitz collected 46 hits with 33 runs, seven doubles, five home runs, and 29 RBIs. He owned a .489 slugging percentage and .419 on-base percentage. In the field, Schmitz led the team with 97 assists. In 142 chances, Schmitz had 34 putouts and 11 errors for a .923 fielding percentage. He also turned 21 doubles plays. 

Sam Lavin on St. Olaf was named MIAC Player of the Year, John Solfest of Bethel was named Pitcher of the Year, Cole Pleimann of St. Olaf was the Rookie of the Year, and Matt McDonald of St. Olaf was the Coach of the Year.