st. Paul, minn. - the concordia university athletic department has selected senior jake schmidt (baseball) and junior maggie mcnamara (volleyball) as the cu athletes of the year for the 2008-09 athletic season. Schmidt, the ncaa division ii central region pitcher of the year (abca daktronics), and mcnamara, who was the avca division ii national player of the year, were among the most dominant performers in their respective sport on a national level.
in 2009, schmidt became concordia's first ever male all-american as voted on by an athletic program's respective coaches association. For schmidt, he was named a 2009 abca/rawlings all-america third team selection after a senior year in which he went 7-2 with a save and a 3.78 earned run average.
it all started on a snowy evening on wednesday, february 4, 2009, jake schmidt opened the concordia baseball season by striking out 13 batters in a two hit, one walk, complete game shutout against northern state. At the plate as cu's leadoff hitter, schmidt went 1-3, scoring two runs, hitting a double and stealing a base. In game two, schmidt led off again and played centerfield, making two putouts while going 1-3 at the plate, scoring a run to help lead the team to a sweep to start the 2009 campaign.
fast forward to april 25, 2009. Schmidt makes what ended up being his final collegiate start, striking out 14 in a complete game win on the road on a cool, crisp saturday evening at bemidji state. He didn't walk anyone and allowed six hits and two runs. At the plate, he was 1-4 with a double and an rbi. He covered his position in the field, making a putout and an assist. He hit safely in all four games in the series, going 2-4 with a double and a homer in the third game. In his final game on monday, april 27, schmidt finally committed his first error of the season in what was his final game.
while his season ended abruptly before may due to an injury, schmidt started and finished the season the way he played baseball throughout his four years, wearing a navy and gold uniform. He was the most dominant pitcher to ever step foot on the diamond for concordia university and, as head coach mark "lunch" mckenzie stated on senior day, "jake schmidt is the best all-around player in concordia baseball history."
he did it all for the golden bears. He hit for average, he hit for power, he had speed on the bases and a slick fielding glove. And his arm was second to none. No one struck out more batters in school history in a career, season or a single game. He was asked to play four different positions, mastering all on short notice.
in his second to last start, schmidt struck out 16 batters at minnesota, crookston, which is believed to be a single game record for a seven inning start. The 16 whiffs put him over the career strikeout record. In his last start at bsu, schmidt broke his own single season record and finished with 103. He struck out 10 or more batters in seven of his 11 starts on the mound.
the strong finish with 16 strikeouts at umc, two strikeouts in 0.2 innings of relief against minnesota state and 14 strikeouts at bsu, schmidt is in the driver's seat to lead all division ii pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings with an amazing 13.43 - a full strikeout per nine innings ahead of the next contender.
he could flat out win, too. He finished his career with a 23-8 record, tying the career wins record. He posted back-to-back 7-2 records in his junior and senior campaigns. He tied the career record for games started and finished with the most strikeouts per nine innings for a season and career in school history. He is also among concordia's all-time leaders in pitching appearances and saves as well.
at the plate, schmidt hit a career best .365 as a senior batting in the most critical spot in the lineup - first. He had power, hitting 10 home runs and 10 doubles with a .624 slugging pct. And he had speed, with eight stolen bases in nine chances with a team-leading 49 runs scored at the time of his injury. He got on base, too, with a .436 on base percentage.
his offensive game hit full stride during his junior year as he began to reach his full potential by slugging a walk-off home run in a dramatic victory over winona state at barnes field. He used a late nine game hitting streak to help raise his batting average from .241 to a season high .333 before finishing at .316. After just one at bat as a freshman, schmidt hit in the .280's as a sophomore platoon outfielder.
his batting average increasing each year was a testament to his work ethic off the field and it paid off as his collegiate career concluded.
he is expected to be named concordia's first division ii male all-american since the university moved to division ii in 1999-00. He also led the team to the program's first ncaa tournament appearance as a junior - which was the first ever ncaa tournament appearance by a concordia male athletic program.
in three of jake's four years in a golden bear uniform, concordia tied or set the school wins record with the 35 wins this season being five more than any other season in recorded history. In the lone year they didn't break the wins record, schmidt was the most valuable pitcher of the nsic tournament in 2008 as cu captured their second league title on their way to competing for a regional appearance.
he was the nsic pitcher of the year, nsic preseason pitcher of the year, a three-time nsic player of the week (pitcher-2, player-1) and a five time cu male athlete of the week.
if maggie mcnamara had a ring on her hand for every one of her major athletic accomplishments at concordia university, she certainly would not be able to lift her arms to do what she does best, which is setting a volleyball to her teammates. Mcnamara has two national championships, two central region championships, three nsic titles, three all-american accolades, a national volleyball player of the year honor, a freshman of the year distinction, three memberships for both all-region and all-nsic teams, two academic all-district notches, two national player of the week honors and 16 nsic setter of the week awards, and that’s not even the complete list! not bad for just a junior.
"maggie's accomplishments on the court only match the incredible person she is off the court," said cu head coach brady starkey.
in 2008, maggie did what no other concordia university student-athlete has ever done, being honored as the division ii player of the year by the coaches’ association of her respective sport. The american volleyball coaches’ association (avca) deemed mcnamara the top volleyball athlete in the nation for the season after she led her squad to back-to-back ncaa national championships.
the team’s starting setter since she arrived on campus in 2006, mcnamara is already a three-time avca all-american who has topped all other dii setters in assists every year of her career. 2008 proved to be no different for mcnamara. She put up a final mark of 13.41 assists per set on the year, with her nearest competitor finishing with 12.17 assists per set. Her stellar numbers have boosted her to the top of the ncaa division ii career assist per set list despite the scoring format dropping from 30 points to 25 points this season. Maggie has averaged 14.36 assists per set throughout her career, which no other setter in ncaa history has matched.
taking sets out of her expert hands, the golden bears led the nation in kills (15.22/g) and hitting percentage (.304) before they repeated at national champions this season. Maggie had 50 or more assists in 11 matches, topping out at 70 assists in the title match against csu san bernardino on december 6.
but leading the golden bear offense has only been part of maggie’s contribution to the program. In addition to her setting prowess, maggie has also been the second-leading defender among players through the past three seasons. She topped the 1,000 dig mark of her career as the golden bears battled their way through the 2008 playoffs and currently has a career dig mark of 1,034. She had 11 double-doubles in assists and digs on the season.
"she has had some amazing accomplishments as an individual in the sport of volleyball and those accomplishments have been a huge part of our success as a team during the three seasons she has played so far," explained starkey of how mcnamara's success has led directly to team distinction around the nation.
mcnamara led the golden bears to the program’s best season in history, rebounding from a season-opening loss to go on for 37 straight wins and concordia’s second ncaa title. With a winning streak still intact, maggie has a chance to become more of a part of volleyball history as the golden bears reach toward the ncaa record of 46 consecutive wins. The golden bears blew through the nsic schedule in 2008, going 20-0 and never dropping more than one set to any opponent in a conference match. In fact, cu took 15 of the 20 league matches in three straight sets with the backing of maggie’s sets.
while history will continue to be written in the collegiate career of maggie mcnamara, the chapters of her three seasons with the golden bears are already loaded with athletic excellence, including her most recent honor as the 2008-09 concordia university athlete of the year.
