Kolpien Named TU Male Athlete of the Year
UPLAND, Ind. – Kaleb Kolpien was recognized for his record-setting season on the diamond for Taylor baseball, being named the Taylor Male Athlete of the Year after anchoring the Trojan offense during a historic 2023 campaign.
The award is designed to recognize TU's top male student-athlete among freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors based on athletic accomplishments throughout the current year. Athletes are nominated for the award by their head coach and voted on by members of the TU Athletics Department.
"Kaleb had an incredible year and was a major force for such a memorable season," said TU head baseball coach Kyle Gould. "To break the single-season hits record ahead of so many great players is a testament to his ability, as well as his consistency over a long baseball season."
Kolpien was named a First-Team All-Crossroads League selection after setting Taylor's single-season hits record with 98 knocks during his sophomore season. The lefty's 98 hits led the Crossroads League and ranked sixth among all NAIA players, while his .424 season average topped the CL and ranked 22nd in the NAIA.
Kolpien played in all 59 games for the TU lineup, posting an eye-catching slash line of a .424 average, .493 on-base percentage, .593 slugging percentage and 1.086 OPS over his 231 at bats. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native peppered opposing hurlers with 27 extra-base hits and posted 57 runs, 53 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases while logging a 30-to-15 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
With Kolpien helping to fuel its powerful offense, Taylor posted a 42-17 overall record during the 2023 season, winning the Crossroads League Championship with a 30-6 league mark. The Trojans also hosted and won the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, before claiming the best finish in program history by ending fifth at the NAIA World Series.