Incoming Florida baseball transfer infielder Ethan Surowiec has been named the Most Valuable Player of the Northwoods League, as announce by the league office on Saturday afternoon.
As first reported by Gator Country, Surowiec transferred to Florida from Ole Miss during the offseason after going 6-16 (.375) at the plate with two home runs and eight RBI across three starts as a true freshman for the Rebels.
Surowiec decided to play summer ball with the Duluth Huskies of the NWL and put together a monstrous season at the plate while playing multiple positions in the field. Across 52 regular season games, Surowiec hit .386 with 17 home runs and 68 RBI. The Gulfport, Mississippi native led the league in home runs and RBI while ranking second in batting average, nearly claiming the league’s triple crown.
Holding a slash line .383/.471/.781 with an OPS of 1.252, the 6’1, 220-pound infielder added 28 walks and 15 stolen bases this summer. As if his .386 batting average wasn’t impressive enough, 56% of Surowiec’s hits went for extra bases, adding 23 doubles and three triples to the stat sheet.
While primarily playing third base, Surowiec received starts at first base, shortstop, and right field for Duluth. Surowiec and the Huskies continue their summer campaign in the upcoming NWL Playoffs from August 10-14.
In addition to Surowiec’s honors, two other Gators earned summer league awards as infielder Brendan Lawson was named Offensive Player of the Year for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League while RHP Christian Rodriguez earned the 2025 Al Graeber Outstanding Pitcher Award.
Lawson, who didn’t join the Whitecaps until July, hit .333 with four home runs and 13 RBI across 81 at bats. Lawson recorded a slash line of .333/.398/.519 while holding an OPS of .916. The Toronto, Canada native will be a sophomore in 2025 after a promising freshman campaign with the Gators.
Pitching for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League, Rodriguez allowed just two earned runs across 19.1 innings pitched this summer, equating to a 0.93 ERA. Rodriguez posted a strikeout to walk ratio of 26-9 (2.88) and held a WHIP of 0.931. Rodriguez is entering his third season at UF as a redshirt sophomore.