Michigan State University Athletics
Sorensen And Roberts Named Third-Team All-Big Ten
5/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 20, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Junior Mark Sorensen (Northville, Mich./Northville) and sophomore Chris Roberts (Oshkosh, Wis./West) of the Michigan State baseball team were each named third-team All-Big Ten. Roberts was selected as an outfielder while Sorensen was honored as a starting pitcher. Sorensen was also named the team's Sportsmanship Award winner. The conference office made the announcement Tuesday, May 20.
Sorensen, a redshirt junior, was a weekend starter for the Spartans and ranked sixth in the Big Ten with a 3.95 ERA. He held opponents to a .254 batting average, which was also good for sixth in the conference. Sorensen, who threw a team-best two complete games, was the only pitcher in the Big Ten to not allow a home run this season.
Sorensen was even better in conference play, placing fourth in the Big Ten with 3.92 ERA. Sorensen threw a two-hit complete game with eight strikeouts on April 5 at Northwestern. He also fanned eight in a complete-game win against Iowa April 26, and he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings May 17 against Indiana.
"It's an honor to be recognized by the league," Sorensen said. "To be recognized for your hard work is always nice. I had great teammates behind me when I was pitching, and I'd also like to be sure to recognize them."
Roberts, who batted .363 and started mainly in left field this season, dominated Big Ten play. He hit .427 in conference play, the third-highest mark in the conference. He also ranked 10th in slugging (.583), sixth in on-base percentage (.496) and tied for eighth in hits (44) in conference play. Roberts also led the conference with five triples in Big Ten games. Overall, he ranked second in the conference with seven triples.
Sorensen and Roberts were two of 13 players to be named third-team All-Big Ten. It marked the first time either player has earned recognition from the Big Ten.
