Photo by: Deborah Mundorff
Kasser named one of Oregon's two Tom Hansen Conference Medal winners
06/26/18 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. – Kyle Kasser has been named one of Oregon's two Tom Hansen Conference Medal winners, the Pac-12 announced today.
Gwen Svekis, from softball, was the other Oregon winner.
A Conference Medal is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership. Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as Commissioner of the Pac-10.
Kasser was an accomplished student who graduated in less than four years. The three-year member and past co-director of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) graduated in April with a 3.17 GPA in economics. He claimed second-team Pac-12 all-academic accolades as a sophomore and honorable mention recognition as both a junior and a senior.
Kasser finished with a .299 career batting average. As a junior, he batted a modern-era program record .352 and was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference after hitting .381 in league games (third highest in the conference). The versatile infielder was Oregon's second baseman and started 150 games split between the four infield positions during his career. He had 56 starts at second base, 52 starts at first base, 29 starts at shortstop and 13 starts at third base. At the four infield positions his career fielding percentage was .986, including .994 as a junior while splitting time between shortstop and first base. This season he earned honorable All-Pac-12 Conference honors after batting .278 with a .986 fielding percentage.
Kasser was selected in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He started his professional career with the Idaho Falls Chukars in the Pioneer League.
Kasser is the second Oregon baseball player to win the award and the first since Guy Krause was honored following the 1973-74 season. Some other former Ducks to win the Hansen Medal senior athlete of the year honor include Marcus Mariota (2014-15), Ashton Eaton (2009-10), Galen Rupp (2008-09), Dennis Dixon (2007-08), Luke Jackson (2003-04), Joey Harrington (2001-02) and Steve Prefontaine (1972-73).
Gwen Svekis, from softball, was the other Oregon winner.
A Conference Medal is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership. Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as Commissioner of the Pac-10.
Kasser was an accomplished student who graduated in less than four years. The three-year member and past co-director of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) graduated in April with a 3.17 GPA in economics. He claimed second-team Pac-12 all-academic accolades as a sophomore and honorable mention recognition as both a junior and a senior.
Kasser finished with a .299 career batting average. As a junior, he batted a modern-era program record .352 and was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference after hitting .381 in league games (third highest in the conference). The versatile infielder was Oregon's second baseman and started 150 games split between the four infield positions during his career. He had 56 starts at second base, 52 starts at first base, 29 starts at shortstop and 13 starts at third base. At the four infield positions his career fielding percentage was .986, including .994 as a junior while splitting time between shortstop and first base. This season he earned honorable All-Pac-12 Conference honors after batting .278 with a .986 fielding percentage.
Kasser was selected in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He started his professional career with the Idaho Falls Chukars in the Pioneer League.
Kasser is the second Oregon baseball player to win the award and the first since Guy Krause was honored following the 1973-74 season. Some other former Ducks to win the Hansen Medal senior athlete of the year honor include Marcus Mariota (2014-15), Ashton Eaton (2009-10), Galen Rupp (2008-09), Dennis Dixon (2007-08), Luke Jackson (2003-04), Joey Harrington (2001-02) and Steve Prefontaine (1972-73).
Players Mentioned
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