Clean sweep for Army in Patriot League preseason baseball awards

Army baseball swept the Patriot League preseason awards.

Senior third baseman Sam Ruta was picked as the preseason player of the year. Ruta has a career average of .320 with 134 RBI in his first three seasons.

Senior catcher Derek Berg was named preseason defender of the year. Berg threw out 43.2 percent of attempted base stealers last season. Berg was also honored on Division I’s top 50 catchers by d1baseball.com.

Both Ruta and Berg are considered draft prospects.

Mike Ruggieri, a senior righty, was selected as the preseason pitcher of the year. Ruggieri was undefeated (6-0) with a 2.55 ERA in Patriot League play last season.

Army was also picked to win its sixth straight Patriot League title. The Black Knights open their season against Monmouth on Feb. 16 in Cary, N.C.

Senior outfielder Braden Golinski (.323 last season) and pitcher Matt Ronnebaum (7-4, 81.1 innings, 82 strikeouts in 2023) made the preseason all-Patriot League team.