Duluth, Minn. -- The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs released their 2022 team award winners. The Bulldogs were picked to finish 13th in the NSIC Preseason Poll, but finished the season with a 25-25 (16-16) record, included a 6th place regular season finish in the Northern Sun Conference and finished with a third place finish in the NSIC Postseason Tournament. 

Most Valuable Player: 
Trevor Gustafson (Junior, Catcher) was named as the Bulldogs MVP for his play this season. Gustafson appeared in and started 44 games for the Bulldogs. Gustafson tallied a .325 AVG. / .404 OBP /.472 SLG on the season. This included 12 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs, while also driving in 33 runs and scoring 34 runs of his own. Gustafson also drew 20 walks and was hit by a pitch 3 times. Gustafson also tallied a .970 fielding percentage on the season while backstopping the Bulldogs. Gustafson was also named to the NSIC Second Team All-Conference.

Most Improved: 
The Most Improved Award was awarded to Jack Puder (Sophomore, Infield). Puder saw limited action during his Freshman season, mainly as a pinch runner for the Bulldogs. During his sophomore campaign, Puder saw his play time increase greatly as he appeared in 50 games this season, starting 48 of those games. Puder improved greatly from the plate as he batted .304 AVG. / .362 OBP / .435 SLG on the season. This included 9 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs. Puder also scored 23 times while driving in 26 runs. He also walked 12 times and got hit by a pitch 4 times. Puder also showed his versatility in the field as he played both in the infield and outfield throughout the season. 

Rookie of the Year: 
The Rookie of the Year award was named to Ethan Cole (Freshman, Infield). Cole was a consistent presence in the Bulldogs lineup as he played in 39 games and started 29 of them. Cole batted .245 AVG / .380 OBP / .276 SLG on the season. This included 3 doubles, while he scored 17 runs and dove in 7 runs on the season. He also walked 18 times and was hit by a pitch 4 times. Cole had a pair of big games in the NSIC tournament for the Bulldogs, including when he went 3-4 with a double, RBI and 2 runs against Sioux Falls, and followed that up with a 2-5 day with a run against Winona State.  

Bulldog Award: 
The Bulldog Award is named to the player that best exemplifies what it means to be a Bulldog. This year's award is named to Alex Wattermann (Junior, Infield/RHP). Wattermann was a crucial piece in the Bulldogs success this season as he batted .294 AVG / .392 OBP / .412 SLG on the season. This included 13 doubles, 2 triples and 1 home run, while scoring 28 runs and driving in 24 RBI's. Wattermann also played a big roll on the mound as he tallied 15.1 innings, 17 strikeouts and 8 saves in 11 appearances on the season. Wattermann was also a consistent defensive presence at short stop as he compiled a .953 fielding percentage on the season. Wattermann was also named to the NSIC Second Team All-Conference as a Relief Pitcher as he was 2nd in the conference in saves. 

2022-23 Captains:
The Bulldogs have also named their captains for the upcoming 2022-23 season. The Bulldogs will be captained by RF/1B Tosten Mann, CF Tim Pokornowski, and SS/P Alex Wattermann.