PEORIA, Ill. - Playing through a nagging hamstring injury, sophomore left fielder Mike Tauchman (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd H.S.) led the Bradley Baseball team with a .343 batting average and 32 runs batted in during the 2011 season, earning the team's A.J. Robertson Award as the most valuable player.

Tauchman's honor was one of six awards announced today by third-year Braves head coach Elvis Dominguez.  In addition to the team MVP, Tauchman also claimed the Rod Thompson Hitting Award after ranking fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference with his .343 average.  A starter in 50 games, Tauchman drew 37 walks, the most free passes by a Bradley hitter since 1996, and swiped 16 bases.  A second-team All-MVC choice, he also ranked among the nation's leaders during the regular season with nine outfield assists.

A second-team All-MVC selection, junior starting pitcher Joe Bircher (Omaha, Neb./Roncalli Catholic H.S.) earned the Mike Dunne Award as the team's top pitcher for the second  year in a row.  The 6-foot-4 left-hander finished 6-6 with a 3.00 earned run average while equaling the school single-season record with 15 starts.  He became just the fourth pitcher in Bradley history to eclipse 100 innings pitched in a season, totaling 105.0 for an average of 7.0 innings per start.

Junior third baseman Rob Elliott (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S.) earned the Kirby Puckett Gold Glove Award as the team's top defensive player for the second straight season and the time in his career.  Elliott, who also claimed the award in 2008 and 2010, committed only 11 errors in his 53 games at the hot corner.

One of three Braves to start in all 54 games this season, sophomore shortstop Jason Leblebijian (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect H.S.) earned the Troy Guidotti Hustle Award.  An honorable mention All-MVC choice for the second straight year, Leblebijian finished second on the team with a .315 average and led the Braves with 14 doubles, while adding 12 stolen bases.

The Tim Trunk Award as Bradley's most improved player was shared by a pair of Braves:  freshman utility player Eric Paulson (Barrington, Ill./William Fremd H.S.) and sophomore pitcher John Nasshan (Niles, Ill./Niles West H.S.).  Paulson appeared in 10 games, primarily as a pinch-hitter, and hit .333 (4-12) with three RBI's.  Nasshan earned a spot in Bradley's weekend rotation and equaled Bircher's 15 starts, finishing with a 3-8 record and 4.55 ERA.  Nasshan tossed a 6-hit shutout versus Air Force March 12 and added 8.0 innings of 4-hit ball in the 4-0 win against Southern Illinois May 8.