EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette baseball team named the recipients of its annual awards following its 2019 campaign. Freshman Justin Johnson and senior Spencer Rouse were co-winners of the Paul E. Koch '28 Most Valuable Player Award, while junior Brett Kreyer was named winner of the Harold "Moose" Hageman '39 Most Valuable Pitcher Award.
 
The Koch MVP Award was established in 1969 and was given to the most valuable player or pitcher on the team up until the creation of the Harold "Moose" Hageman '39 Award in 1983. The Hageman Award is doled out to the most valuable pitcher each year and provides a distinction between pitching achievement and the overall most valuable player of the season. Hageman, who pitched in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, is a member of Lafayette's Societe d'Honneur and the Maroon Club Hall of Fame.
 
A senior infielder, Rouse started 51 games in 2019 and hit a career-high four home runs while adding nine doubles and 17 RBI with a .250 average. An All-Patriot League Second Team selection from Pasadena, California, Rouse served as a team captain this season. He was recently announced as a nominee for the Charles L. Albert '08 Award at the PARDees, an award given to senior student-athletes who are judged to be the most outstanding athlete.
 
Johnson, a freshman shortstop, had a breakout season with 55 hits, 18 RBI and a home run. His .284 overall batting average, 16 doubles and 55 hits led the team, and in the field, he turned 34 double plays. He was selected as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice in March and earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors at the conclusion of the season. Additionally, the Glen Gardner, New Jersey native earned a place on the All-Patriot League First Team.
 
Kreyer, a left-handed pitcher from Ashburg, Virginia, carried his team to four wins and started in 13 games this season. His 4.58 ERA and 58 strikeouts were good enough for second-best on the team, while pitching a team-high 70.2 innings. He picked off five baserunners, four more than anyone else on the team. One of Kreyer's best games of the season came in a 6-3 win at eventual Patriot League champion Army on April 14, when he struck out nine batters in seven innings.
 
The 2019 Lafayette baseball team returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2015 season and finished in fourth place in the Patriot League regular-season standings.