Westenburg earns Gold Glove
Conner Westenburg became the second player in McNeese history to earn a Gold Glove. (Kirk Meche/Special to the American Press)
Before the season, Conner Westenburg picked out a brand new glove for his final year.
Surprisingly, to all, he picked the color pink.
'I got a little heat for it,' said Westenburg. 'My dad asked if it was for a gender reveal.'
The senior centerfielder had a simple response to those who joked about it: 'I told them I planned on getting a different color at the end of the year.'
True to his word, Westenburg got his prize color on Wednesday when Rawlings handed out their postseason college honors.
Westenburg was named just the second McNeese State player to earn a spot on the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Gold Glove team. He joins Carson Maxwell, who was named to the 2019 team as a third baseman.
'I would go look at his glove and say to myself, I wanted one of those all the time,' said Westenburg. 'I feel very honored to have been named to the team. It is a great honor and was a goal of mine.'
Westenburg joins Vanderbilt's RJ Austin and UConn's Caleb Shpur in the outfield. He is just the fifth Gold Glove winner in Southland Conference history.
'Conner is one of the best centerfielders I've ever seen, and I have had the pleasure to see it every day,' said McNeese head coach Justin Hill. 'He is so deserving of this, and I'm so happy for him to be recognized as the best in the country.'
The news on Wednesday came as a surprise to Westenburg, who still works out in hopes of playing professionally down the road.
'I didn't expect to get it,' Westenburg said. 'There are so many good players out there, you just never know. Then, when I saw I was a finalist, I started to think maybe.'
Westenburg had a good year offensively, but was huge for the Cowboys as a defender. He was named to the All-SLC first team
and the All-Defensive squad in May.
However, to be named one of the best defenders in the country puts the perfect finishing touch to his Cowboy career.
'I have always been a good defender, but I have always worked really hard at it,' said Westenburg. 'I take a lot of pride in playing defense.
'Even if you are having a bad day at the plate, you can still help your team win with big defensive plays and saving runs.'
With 134 chances on the year, Westenburg recorded 123 put-outs with only two errors as he compiled a .985 fielding percentage. He also ran down balls in both gaps.
'If it was hit near me, I wanted to do everything I could to make the catch,' said Westenburg. 'Defense is really all about work and effort. You can't control hitting all the time, but you can control defense.'
As a hitter, he hit .332 on the season with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Of those seven homers, three came leading off games, setting another school record. He hit nine triples to rank second in the NCAA, nine doubles, and led the Southland Conference with 27 stolen bases.
'One of my goals at the beginning of the year was to win a Gold Glove,' Westenburg said. 'I didn't see a lot of action my first two years here, but when I got the opportunity, I got out and made the best of it.'
And he can now retire that pink glove and replace it with the golden one.
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