At year’s end, the Blizzard program has an awards ceremony to recognize the top players from each team. Plaques are awarded with each player voting for their teammates in five categories: "Johnny Price" Most Valuable Player Award, "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter Award, "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher Award, "Blue gLove" Top Defensive Player Award, and the “Jake Kuschke” Leadership Award. The staff also awards one coach with the "Montana" Coach of the Year Award.
John Price 1997 – 2015
"Johnny Price" Most Valuable Player Award
John Price IV has been recognized by his peers as one of the best players and teammates who has ever stepped on the field in a Blizzard uniform.
A division I recruit, the right-handed hitting Price was a versatile player manning the outfield and corner infield positions as well as logging innings as a hard-throwing right hander. At the plate, Price was a middle of the order hitter leading his Blizzard teams to the playoffs in eight separate tournaments including three championships from 2013-2015.
Price had one of – if not the top – offensive weekends in Blizzard history in the 2015 ScoutStop August Select. Price hit three home runs including two at Miesville and one in the championship game at CHS Field. Over the course of the tournament, Price, who finished his career hitting 4-hole for the top Blizzard varsity team, went 10-for-16 (.625 BA) with 3 home runs, 10 RBI and 6 runs.
While John’s contributions were certainly valued on the field, what truly made him an MVP was his impact off the field. Price, a friend to everyone, was the center of every Blizzard activity including team building exercises, hotel fun and van rides to and from the field. He taught and led younger players how to play and practice; with effort and a great attitude.
He is the person who every Blizzard player should strive to be – a vibrant young man who positively impacts other people’s lives and makes every one of his teammates better.
"Joe Loftus" Top Hitter Award
The "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter Award was named for one of the best hitters to come through the Blizzard program - Joe Loftus. Joe was a top prep athlete in Minnesota, attending Holy Angels Academy HS, where he set many of their offensive record - most notably hitting more home runs in high school than Joe Mauer. Loftus was drafted by the Minnesota Twins out of high school, but decided to attend Vanderbilt University where he helped his team reach the College World Series in 2011. Loftus was drafted and signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"Logan Shore" Top Pitcher Award
Right-handed pitcher Logan Shore was one of Minnesota Blizzard’s premier pitchers from 2006-2013 serving as the ace on almost every team he played on. Leading his team to six national tournament championships and four top-four finishes in his tenure, Shore will be known as one of the fiercest competitors in the Blizzard program’s history.
Shore was named to the Chicago White Sox Area Code team (2012) and was awarded the Star Tribune’s Player of the Year (2012), Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year (2013), Minutemen Mr. Baseball Award (2013), Class AAA Minnesota Players of the Year (2013) and earned the Blizzard’s Top Pitcher Award in 2009 and 2012 while earning MVP honors in 2010-2012. In one of the Blizzard’s biggest program wins, Shore threw a one-hit, complete game shutout, beating the nationally-ranked Cincinnati Reds Scout team 1-0 striking out 13 in the Perfect Game Kernels Championships.
In 2013, Shore was drafted in the 29th round by the Minnesota Twins but decided to attend the University of Florida. Shore led the Gators to the College World Series in 2015 winning two games before finishing third. In 2014, Shore had a stellar freshman year where he earned All-American honors and was named SEC Freshman of the Year.
Logan’s impact on the Blizzard program, however, outweighs his accomplishments on the mound by being everything the Blizzard Big 5 stands for – outstanding leadership, loyalty, humility, hardworking and phenomenal teammate.
“Jake Kuschke” Leadership Award
Jake Kuschke, a 2012 graduate, played in the Blizzard program for four years and demonstrated all the characteristics of being a leader. This award not only demonstrates achievements on the field, but more importantly, the leadership off the field. The “Jake Kuschke” Leadership Award is awarded to the player who demonstrates the ability to being a great teammate, a mentor to younger players, a great student, hard worker and is always there for those who need to be 'picked up'.
“Blue gLove” Top Defensive Player of the Year
The Blue gLove award is named after our top defensive player each season. Whether it be the starting shortstop, a versatile utility player or an individual who seems to make an impact with his glove every game, these defensive vacuums have shown their ability to consistently impact the outcome of many games.
"Montana" Coach of the Year Award
Steve Daugherty is regarded as one of the top coaches of the program and a player favorite. As one of the first coaches in the Blizzard program, "Montana" has gone over the top in his efforts in making the Blizzard program one of the best in the country. In 2009, the first Manager of the Year Award went to Steve and was named after a program favorite - Steve "Montana" Daugherty.
Age | "Johnny Price" MVP | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership | "Blue gLove" Award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11u Blue | |||||
12u Blue | Noah Riegelman | Noah Riegelman | Parker Reckin | Brody Radtke | Brody Radtke |
13u Blue | Easton Ahrens | Matthew Grundtner | Ty Beck / Carson Hart | Brady Keane | Oscar Waisanen |
13u Black | Gavin Iverson | Robbie Babcock | Nate Barclay | Gavin Iverson | Riley West |
14u Blue | Spencer Barta | Alex Seaver / Van Tellier | Spencer Barta | Spencer Barta | Jace Matazynski |
14u Black | Charlie Mueller | Brendan Koester | Colin Fike | Charlie Mueller | Henry Saunders |
15u Blue | Luke Adams | Nick Johnson | Luke Adams | Maddux Schrupp | Connor McLain |
15u Black | Joe Fredkove | Carson Timm | Luke Voll | Tyler Allshouse | Joe Anderson |
16u Blue | Thomas Ohotto | Thomas Ohotto | Tyler Guerin | Hunter Carlson | Hunter Carlson |
16u Black | Ben Johnson | Brayden Morel | Cayden Mueller | Chase McQuade | Christiaan Koehler |
2023 Blue | Brayden Olson | Cole Spitzer | Matt Maulik | Brayden Olson | Matt Maulik |
2023 Black | Mitchell Iliff | Isaiah Hasz | Parker Huebsch | Mark Manders | Jack Setterlund |
2022 Blue | Blake Guerin | Ben Irsfeld | Maddox Mihalakis | Zak Endres | Sam Schneider |
2022 Black | Reese Tripp | Caleb Vanderplas | Reese Tripp | Timmy Boncher | Cayden Cherevko |
2022 Red | Michael Prosch | Michael Prosch | Bryce Rog | Michael Prosch | Carter Gunderson |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Jesse Tollefson (14u Blue)
"Diesel" Award Winner - Cole Albers
Age | "Johnny Price" MVP | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership | "Blue gLove" Award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11u National | Jack Manion | Max Krause | Henry Semans | Brody Radtke | Brody Boudreaux |
11u American | Noah Riegelman | Vinny Bohle | Parker Reckin | Dom Pettman | Cashton Gray |
12u Blue | Easton Ahrens | Oscar Waisanen | Ty Beck | Matthew Grundtner | Chase Rudolph |
13u Blue | Sam Abrahamson | Cason Borchardt | Jackson Glancey | Spencer Barta / Jace Matazynski | Keaton Coe |
13u Gold | Charlie Mueller | Ford Stoen | Ford Stoen | Brendan Koester | Landon McQuade |
14u Blue | Jackson Berg | Colin Mitchell | Jackson Berg | Davon Castro | Luke Adams |
14u Black | Isaac Beseman | Joe Hess | Luke Voll | Braden Morel | Owen Farrington |
15u Blue | Bradyn Bezanson | Thomas Ohotto | Teddy Juaire | Hunter Carlson | Hunter Carlson |
15u Black | Graham Sullivan | Tyler Guerin | Chase McQuade | Dylan LaFaive | Tyler Guerin |
15u Gold | Brayden Carlson | Brayden Carlson | Gabe Kattchee | Ben Johnson | Christaan Koehler |
16u Blue | Sam Erickson | AJ Rasmussen | Sam Erickson | Matthew Maulik | J. Busson / I. Morton |
16u Black | Mark Manders | Cole Spitzer | Luke Carnoy | Brayden Olson | Braden Ebeling |
16u Red | Eddie Peine | Caleb Hautajarvi | Eddie Peine | Leo Matuga | Andrew Phillips |
16u Stillwater | Andrew Harris | Cooper Keykal | Andrew Harris | Matthew Marrah / Louis Hoye | Alex Vandell |
Blizzard Blue 2021 | Noah Furcht | Evan Esch | Joe Longo | Trent Burkhalter | Matthew Friesen |
Blizzard Black 2021 | Joe Blink | Aaron Heger | Joe Kroeger | Will Thompson / Ryan Parrat | Cooper Kleppe |
Blizzard Blue 2022 | Sam Kennedy | Liam Martin | Blake Guerin | Zak Endres | Ragan Pinnow |
Blizzard Black 2022 | Brayden Hellum | Kale Hopke | Justin Roitman | Boden Strafelda | Brayden Hellum |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Blizzard Coaching Staff and Instructor Staff
Age | "Johnny Price" MVP | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership | "Blue gLove" Award |
---|
"Montana" Coach of the Year -
"Diesel" Award Winner (Inaugural Year) - Graig 'Diesel' Weber
Age | "Johnny Price" MVP | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership | "Blue gLove" Award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11u | Van Tellier | Peter Adie | Bennett Skinner | Spencer Barta | Andrew Brandt |
13u Bl | Sam Erickson | Teddy Juaire | Sam Erickson | Hunter Carlson | Carson Schwartz |
13u Bk | Luke Skinner | Calvin Schmelzle | Collin Hackl | Brady Lawrence | Luke Sinner |
14u | Mark Olberding | Weston Russell | Abe Reinitz | Hayden Torgerson | Matt Maulik |
15u Bl | Liam Martin | Logan Winkelman | Ragan Pinnow | Jackson Cooke | Isaac Buehler |
15u Bk | Trenton Burkhalter | Parker Gilchrist | Blake Guerin | Trenton Burkhalter | Sam Schneider |
16u Bl | Ethan Hansen | Simon Gregerson | Bennett McCollow | Joe Longo | Bennett McCollow |
16u Bk | Noah Furcht | Alex Grygar | Justin Hanson | Jacob Prosch | Ben Vujovich |
18u Bl | Drew Gilbert | Will Frisch / Ben Pederson | Marcus Cline | Jakob Kouneski | Dalton McNamara |
18u Bk | Nicolas Linarte | Kobe Olson | Jon Koehn | Zach Carden | Maddux Baggs |
18u Rd | Logan Bjorkman | Duke Coborn | Logan Bjorkman | Anthony Lavalle | Andrew Mathies |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Lonnie Robinson (15u Blue)
"Diesel" Award Winner (Inaugural Year) - Graig 'Diesel' Weber
Age | "Johnny Price" MVP | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership | "Blue gLove" Award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Sam Erickson | Sebastian Ritter | Sam Erickson | Hunter Carlson | Carson Schwartz |
13u | Weston Russel | Hayden Torgerson | Mark Olberding | Brayden Olson | Matthew Maulik |
14u | Ragan Pinnow | Logan Winkleman | Tomas Nelson | Ben Irsfeld | Liam Martin |
15u | Bennett McCollow | Ben Fiedler | Jaden Schwantz | Ben Reinhard | Joe Longo |
16u Bl | Jonathon Bunce | Duke Coborn | Jack Erickson | Jonathon Bunce | Will Busch |
16u Blk | Jon Koehn | Joey Hurth | Matt Moore | James Pfarr | Andrew Mathies |
17u Bl 2019 | Will Frisch | Will Frisch | Bryce Lovcik | Drew Gilbert | Noah Dehne |
17u Bk 2019 | Dylan Peck | Trent Schoeberl | Dylan Peck | Jakob Kouneski | Kathan Decker |
18u Bl 2018 | Tommy Springer | Seth Halvorsen | Nic Nelson | Charlie Fischer | Nick Juaire |
18u Bk 2018 | Addison Elcombe | Matt Nelson | Addison Elcombe | Grant Rolen | Jack Horman |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Mike Jurgella (15u) and Ben Moore (16u Black)
Age | "Johnny Price" MVP | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership | "Blue gLove" Award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11u | Sam Erickson | Sam Erickson | Sam Erickson | Carson Schwartz | Carson Schwartz |
12u | Weston Russell | Weston Russell | Keenan Rodriguez | Hayden Torgerson | Mark Olberding |
13u | Easton Fritcher | Easton Fritcher | Isaac Buehler | Trenton Burkhalter | Isaac Buehler |
14u | Bennett McCollow | Joey Hurth | Bennett McCollow | Ben Reinhard | Joe Longo |
15u Black | Jon Koehn | Duke Coborn | Rodney Erickson | Nick Harris | Jon Koehn |
15u Blue | Jack Erickson | Zach Carden | Jack Erickson | Jack Erickson | Anthony LaValle |
16u Black | Jakob Kouneski | Ben Pedersen | Jakob Kouneski | Hunter Guyette | Will Olsen |
16u Blue | Will Frisch | Will Frisch | Marcus Cline | Eathan Soeffker | Charlie Rubendall |
Varsity Black | Nathan Berg | Leo Pfarr | Nathan Berg | Max Ploof | Nic Nelson |
Varsity Blue | Sam Carlson | Sam Carlson | Cam Kline | Cole Albers | Cole Albers |
Varsity Red | Trenton Fredenburg | Aidan Maldonado | Trenton Fredenburg | Trenton Fredenburg | Cole Pengilly |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Jake Kurth (11u)
Age | "Logan Shore" Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership |
---|---|---|---|
12u | Liam Martin | Tate Wischnak | Trent Burkhalter |
13u | Joey Hurth | Ben Reinhard | Ben Reinhard |
14u | Kobe Olson | Jack Erickson | Jack Erickson |
15u Black | Noah Dehne | Noah Dehne | Hunter Guyette |
15u Blue | Aiden Maldonado | Will Goodin | Eathan Soeffker |
16u Black | Leo Pfarr | Nic Nelson | Grant Rolen |
16u Blue | Marcus Bouley | Charlie Fischer | Nick Juaire |
Varsity Blue 2016 | Michael Jensen | Trevor Moses/John Price | Ben Livorsi |
Varsity Blue 2017 | 'Bubba' Horton | Dylan Criquet-Danielson/Nick Onomiya | Nick Onomiya |
Varsity Black | Luke Wade | Ryan Brunner | Tyler Stilp |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Brent 'Trig' Peters (12u)
In 2016, the "Johnny Price" MVP Award was given to Tommy Price and the Price family.
Age | Top Pitcher | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | MVP | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership |
---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Joey Hurth | Bennett McCollow | Joe Longo | Jackson Cooke |
13u | William Scheil | Max Carlson | Jeremy Klick | Anthony LaValle |
14u | Aidan Maldonado | Will Roguske | Aidan Maldonado | Ethan Soeffker |
15u Black | Marcus Bouley | Owen Granger | Owen Granger | Owen Granger |
15u Blue | Michael Jensen | Noah Winkelman | Tommy Springer | Ty Okada |
16u Red | TJ Wagner | Zach Loven | Cam Kline | Connor Bachman |
16u Black | Cole Albers | Tyler Stilp | Zach Smith | Ethan Mocchi |
16u Blue | Brock Anderson | Ben Livorsi | Sam Carlson | Nick Novak |
18u Red | Ryan Fox | Eric Pearson | Eric Pearson | Tanner Winslow |
18u Black | Lawson Zenner | Trevor Moses | Trevor Moses | Tyler Fredlund |
18u Blue | Ben Suits | Ben Suits | Ben Suits | Tommy Seaberg |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Jeff Huth (14u)
Age | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership Award | Most Valuable Player | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | Top Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Brady Johnson | Max Carlson | Brady O'Loughlin | Max Carlson |
13u Blue | Eathan Soeffker | Will Goodin | Patrick Barrett | Will Goodin |
13u Blk | Will Roguske | Will Olsen | Sam Dufault | Charlie Pope |
14u Blue | Nick Juaire | Michael Jensen | Jordan Wright | Michael Jensen |
15u Blue | Nicholas Novak | Sam Carlson | Ben Livorsi | H. Schoenrock |
15u Blk | Robby Metcalf | Cole Albers | Dylan Criquet-Danielson | Cole Albers |
16u Blue | Willem Aldrich | Cole Johnson | Calgary Kellner | Ben Suits |
16u Black | Aaron Wisecup | Adam Gilsrud | Eric Pearson | Chris Witzke |
18u Blue | Zach Heaser | Drew Fearing | Brad Mathiowetz | TJ Graumann |
18u Blk | Mickie Leius | Isaac Hormann | J. Joseph/J. Kuznia | George Faue |
18u Red | Aaron Kubal | Joe Burnley | Austin LaDoux | Tony Grabowske |
18u Gold | John 'Elmo' Holleran | John 'Elmo' Holleran | Evan Young | Kellen Rholl |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Andrew Woitas (16u Blue)
*Jordan Kuznia and Jordan Joseph tied for "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter Award
Age | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership Award | Most Valuable Player | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | Top Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
13u | Nicholas Juaire | Teague Bogenholm | Teague Bogenholm | Leo Lerner |
14u Blue | Nick Novak | Sam Carlson | Ben Livorsi | Brock Anderson |
14u Black | Kyle Halverson | Josh Peterson | Will Rog | Jacob Drew |
15u Blue | Willem Aldrich | Cole Johnson | Cole Johnson | Calgary Kellner |
15u Black | Ryan Zimmel | Levi Falck | Sebastian Holte | Ross Luinenberg |
16u Blue | Tyler Midas | Josh Baumgart | Josh Baumgart | Josh Baumgart |
16u Black | Jake Bear | Hans Alwin | Tommy Seaberg | Ryan Helgeson |
18u Blue | Matt Fiedler | Matt Fiedler | Dylan Dresel | Rob Mouton |
18u Black | Zach Heaser | Drew Sannes | Brad Mathiowetz | T.J. Graumann |
18u Red | Derek Feige | Justus Nelson | John Horner | *Rozek/Dzubay |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Mike Loberg (18u Black)
*Aaron Rozek and Jacob Dzubay tied for Top Pitcher Award
Age | "Jake Kuschke" Leadership Award | Most Valuable Player | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | Top Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Teague Bogenholm | Nic Nelson | Teague Bogenholm | Jonah Milbrandt |
13u Blue | Nicholas Juaire | Jordan Schramel | Jordan Schramel | Sam Carlson |
13u Gold | Kyle Halverson | Ben Livorsi | Will Rog | Jonah Frantzich |
14u | Trevor Moses | Cole Johnson | Brady Gunderson | Sam Goodman |
15u Blue | Connor Olson | Ty Buck | Ty Buck | Josh Baumgart |
15u Black | Austin Strombeck | Josh Falk | Hunter Hart | Brendan Broviak |
16u Blue | Justus Nelson | Brandon Meyer | Brandon Meyer | Jacob Dzubay |
16u Black | Zach Heaser | Brad Mathiowetz | Chris Olson | Sam Sorenson |
18u Blue | Jake Kuschke | Logan Shore | Kasey Ralston | Logan Shore |
18u Black | Matt Fiedler | Matt Fiedler | Matt Fiedler | Matt Fiedler |
18u Red | Rob Mouton | Kevin Woebke | Mitch Knippenberg | Rob Mouton |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Lonnie Robinson (16u Blue)
*2012 was the first year the Leadership Award was named after a player - Jake Kuschke.
Age | Leadership Award | Most Valuable Player | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | Top Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Sam Carlson | Jordan Schramel | Jordan Schramel | Sam Carlson |
13u | David Jorgenson | Cole Johnson | Trevor Moses | Cody Goedderz |
14u | Connor Olson | Tyler Midas | Tyler Midas | Dalton Allen |
15u Blue | Aaron Kubal | Brandon Meyer | Justus Nelson | Aaron Rozek |
15u Black | Zach Heaser | Kent Curran | Drew Fearing | Kent Curran |
16u Blue | David Goggin | Logan Shore | Logan Shore | Jake Matthys |
16u Black | Danny McInnis | Cody Wetmore | Ryan Boldt | Alex Trierweiler |
18u Blue | Paul Voelker | Ryan Busch | Max Murphy | David Koll |
18u Black | *Burmeister/Kuschke | Mike Hadden | Christian Abilla | Tim Krahn |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Joe Dempsey (14u)
*Ryan Burmeister and Jake Kuschke tied for Leadership Award
Age | Leadership Award | Most Valuable Player | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | Top Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Tiegen Lindner | Tiegen Lindner | Sam Horner | Calgary Kellner |
13u | Connor Olson | Tyler Godes | Hunter Hart | Tyler Godes |
14u Blue | Will VanSant | Brandon Meyer | Toby Hanson | Zach Ziggelkow |
14u Black | Neil Pionk | Stuart Maes | Corey Binger | Ben Jensen |
15u Blue | T.J. Galenti | Logan Shore | Matt Smith | Jake Matthys |
15u Black | David Goggin | Alex Trierweiler | Matt Fiedler | Dominic Reed |
16u | Dalton Leuschke | Dalton Leuschke | Marcus O'Neill | Pad Getchell |
18u Blue | Paul Voelker | Pat Kelly | Aaron Gretz | David Ernst |
18u Black | Ryan Burmeister | Scott Splett | Scott Splett | Jason Hoppe |
"Montana" Coach of the Year - Andy Sieberer (14u)
*2010 was the first year the Manager of the Year Award was named after a coach - Steve "Montana" Daugherty.
Age | Leadership Award | Most Valuable Player | "Joe Loftus" Top Hitter | Top Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
12u | Connor Olson | Bret Huebner | Tommy Seaberg | Sam Dalton |
13u | Parker Moquist | John Horner | Toby Hanson | Zach Siggelkow |
14u | Tyler Hanson | Matt Smith | Matt Smith | Logan Shore |
14u Black | Matt Fiedler | Danny Sievers | Danny Sievers | Dominic Reed |
15u | Wes Hedlund | Dalton Lueschke | Pad Getchell | Taylor Beattie |
16u | Paul Voelker | Pat Kelly | Ryan Busch | Lucas Scocchia |
17u | Aaron Jensen | Ryan Reese | Alec Erhard | Ben Schaben |
18u | Jordan O'Neill | Jacob Dahl | John Loeffler | Andy Johnson |
2009 Manager of the Year - Steve "Montana" Daugherty (14u Blue)
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