ST. PAUL, Minn. – After another successful season that ended in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament, the University of Northwestern Baseball team saw seven players recognized by the conference in its annual postseason awards on Wednesday morning. Additionally, Northwestern received the Team Sportsmanship Award, voted on by the UMAC coaches, for displaying class and integrity throughout the season.
 
The full list of UMAC Baseball Awards and accompanying press release can be accessed here.
 
Leading off the awards for UNW was ace pitcher Nick Drinken (Randolph, Minn./Randolph). The graduate went 5-2 in conference play with a 3.46 ERA, 35 strikeouts and three complete games. This is the second consecutive year he has been selected to the All-Conference First Team after an Honorable Mention nod in 2023. Fellow graduate student Benji Bruce (Andover, Minn./Maranatha Christian) achieved All-Conference status for the first time in his career by joining Drinken on the First Team in the outfield. Bruce led the Eagles in batting average in UMAC play (.343) among qualified batters, also clubbing two home runs and 20 RBI. His conference OPS of .894 was second on the team, while his six doubles and one triple were both second.
 
Northwestern also landed a pair of players on the First Team in the utility position. Christian Raya (Moline, Ill./Moline) had a breakout sophomore campaign with a team-high four home runs, 21 RBI and a team-high .932 OPS in conference games. His spot as a utility star was solidified with a 1.93 ERA and a save out of the bullpen as a pitcher. Overall, Raya hit five homers, drove in 31 runs, hit .322 with a .948 OPS, and held an ERA of 3.78 with two saves and 20 strikeouts in 2025. UNW's other two-way star was Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights), who led the team in overall batting average this year at .336, with seven doubles, two triples and an .890 OPS. In conference games, his OPS jumped up to .894 while hitting .329 with four doubles and two triples. Severson also held a 3-2 pitching record in conference games this season while striking out 26, which was second-most on the team behind Drinken. The First Team nod is the second of Severson's his career (2023).
 
Two Eagles were also recognized as Honorable Mention selections in their final season in purple. The ever-steady Mark Bligh (Sydney, Australia/Magdalene Catholic College) landed on the list for the second straight season after hitting .333 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 17 RBI in UMAC competition. First-time All-Conference recipient Beau Rabey (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) joined Bligh on the Honorable Mention list after an excellent senior season that saw him lead the team in conference doubles with 11, which was second in the UMAC as a whole as well. In addition to some excellent defense at shortstop, Rabey hit .305 in UMAC play with two home runs, a triple and 23 RBI, which topped the team.
 
Colton Toutant (Dodge, Wis./Homeschool) was chosen as UNW's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team in his senior season, which holds even more value since Northwestern received the Team Sportsmanship Award as well. Both Toutant and Jesse Eikum's team as a whole demonstrated terrific sportsmanship and integrity throughout the season to earn the honors.