Hayden Tsutsui Tabbed D3baseball.com National Rookie-of-the-Year

2013 May 23

Two days after Hayden Tsutsui (Northridge, Calif./Chatsworth High School ) was named to the 2013 D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region First Team and picked up distinction as the region's Rookie-of-the-Year, the outfielder received an even bigger honor when he was selected as the 2013 D3baseball.com national Rookie-of-the-Year.

For the all-region awards, the website selected a first, second, and third team for each of the eight regions. Tsutsui is one of only 13 first-years to earn a spot on any of the all-region squads and joins Wheaton College (Ill.) pitcher Michael Kaufman as the only rookies voted as first-teamers. No rookies garnered a spot on the first, second, third, or honorable mention D3baseball All-America Teams.

Tsutsui opened the year as the Knights' starting catcher before eventually transitioning to centerfield where he started 26 games to take advantage of his outstanding range.

A week earlier, Tsutsui was recognized for his exceptional debut by being the only first-year player tabbed to the All-Conference team. Not surprisingly, he was selected as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC)'s Rookie-of-the-Year. Tsutsui became the Knights' lone first-team all-region selection in more than a decade.

He burst onto the stage and batted .462--the sixth-highest figure among all NCAA players (Division I, II, and III)--this season as he ranked among conference leaders in nearly every offensive category.

Tsutsui not only paced the MIAC in batting during the regular season--by more than 50 points--but he also led the conference in hits (66) and total bases (91). He finished third with a .494 on-base percentage and fifth with a .636 slugging percentage, with both figures ranking among the top 50 nationally.

His 39 RBI ranked fourth in the MIAC, and the Knights' rookie added 41 runs (third), 12 doubles (sixth), three home runs, and 10 stolen bases (seventh) to rank among the league leaders in most offensive categories. Tsutsui also had 20 multi-hit games.

Ranked among the nation's top liberal arts institutions, Carleton is a private, co-educational college of 1,900 students located 40 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul. High academic standards, an excellent teaching faculty and a diverse student body contribute to Carleton's outstanding reputation.

To learn more about Carleton Athletics, visit carleton.edu/athletics.