SAINT PAUL, Minn. – UW-Superior senior lefthanded pitcher Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Pitcher of the Year, the conference announced in a release Tuesday.
 
Rodriguez is the first Yellowjacket to earn the honor from the UMAC, and it comes on the heels of one of the best seasons a UW-Superior pitcher has ever posted. Rodriguez was also named All-UMAC First Team for the third time in his career.
 
Rodriguez was joined on the All-UMAC First Team by four other Yellowjackets – righthanded pitcher Matt Tappe (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village), outfielder Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo), catcher Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) and first baseman Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs).
 
In addition, infielders Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) were received All-UMAC honorable mention.
 
Rodriguez has been dominant on the mound this season for the Yellowjackets, posting a 6-2 record with an earned run average of 2.59. He allowed just 50 hits and 10 walks in 66 innings for a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 0.91, and Rodriguez averaged more than a strikeout per inning, fanning 69 hitters in 2023. For his career, Rodriguez went 23-13 in 59 appearances, including 52 starts. He struck out 345 hitters in 319.1 innings.
 
This week, Rodriguez received the Mertz Mortorelli Award, given to the top male athlete at UW-Superior.
 
Tappe was the perfect righthanded complement to Rodriguez, giving the Yellowjackets a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the pitching rotation. In 11 starts in 2023, Tappe went 8-3 to lead the Yellowjackets in victories. In 70 innings, he gave up 33 runs and 78 hits while walking 12 and striking out 69. Tappe had an earned run average of 3.47 in his best season as a Yellowjacket.
 
Sophomore outfielder Steiner enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, putting up a .344 batting average, the third-highest mark on the team. In 34 games, Steiner had 44 hits, including seven doubles, a team-leading five triples and a home run. He scored 36 runs and drove in 23. He also had 17 stolen bases. From March 18 through April 23, Steiner hit in 17 consecutive games.
 
Fugere is being named All-UMAC First Team for the second year in a row after catching 34 of 36 games for the Yellowjackets this season. He batted .325 with a team-leading five home runs and 27 runs batted in. He also scored 28 runs and was second on the team with 12 doubles. Behind the plate, Fugere threw out nine of 30 would-be base stealers for a percentage of .300.
 
For most of the 2023 campaign, Garcia was the leading hitter for the Yellowjackets. He closed the season with a team-best .441 batting average and had a team-high 56 hits. He ranked second in the UMAC in both categories. Garcia also led the Yellowjackets in doubles (20), runs batted in (31), total bases (82), slugging percentage (.646) and on-base percentage (.482).
 
Rhodes batted .354 in 35 games, serving primarily as the designated hitter. He had three doubles, a home run and 29 runs batted in to go along with 33 runs scored.
 
Freshman Dagostino played in 34 of 36 games for the Yellowjackets and batted .288, with 34 hits in 118 at bats. He had nine doubles and 18 runs batted in and led the Yellowjackets with 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts. In the field, Dagostino, who played both second base and shortstop, had a fielding percentage of .957, committing just six errors in 138 chances.
 
Senior outfielder Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) was the Yellowjacket representative on the UMAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
 
The Yellowjackets closed the 2023 season with a record of 21-15, marking the first time in program history the team won 20 games in a season. It was also the first time since 1975 a Yellowjacket baseball team finished a season with a record above .500.