NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State baseball's third-year sophomore Ryan Cermak has been named a Gold Glove Winner by ABCA/Rawlings, announced on Wednesday.
Highlight reel: https://twitter.com/RedbirdBaseball/status/1539655996129169413?s=20&t=lRxG-JP_rlH66oa7ghp5Qw
Cermak is the first Redbird in program history to earn the prestigious award (began in 2007). He joins Levi Usher (Louisville) and Brock Jones (Stanford) as outfielders to receive the honor.
The Riverside, Ill. native came to ISU as a shortstop and pitcher but transitioned to the outfield early in the 2021 season. Known for his elite range and knack for making challenging catches, Cermak solidified himself as one of the nation's premier defenders.
Cermak was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-MVC for the second-straight season. He finished with a team-high .340 batting average, 43 RBIs, 45 runs scored and 19 home runs, becoming the first Redbird since 1999 to hit at least 15 in a single season and tied for the second-highest mark for a single-season in school history. Cermak was also MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team.
Cermak led the outfield winners with 3.31 putouts/game and three outfield assists, in addition to a 1.000 fielding mark.
2022 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Winners:
C - Michael Carico (Davidson)
1B - Alex Baeza (Utah)
2B - Robert Moore (Arkansas)
SS - Ryan Ritter (Kentucky)
3B - Ryan Peltier (Ball State)
OF - Ryan Cermak (Illinois State)
OF - Brock Jones (Stanford)
OF - Levi Usher (Louisville)
P - Ben Beutel (Iowa)
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