Ben Clapp

Photo by: Sean Arbaut

Photo by: Ryan Roehl

Position:
Catcher
Ht./Wt.:
5-9 / 220
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Maple Lake, Minn.
High School:
Maple Lake
Prev School:
Century College
Bats/Throws:
R/R

CAREER NOTES
Academic: 2023-24 NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence … 2023-24 NSIC All-Academic ... Third Team NJCAA All-Academic (2022)…two-time MCAC All-Elite Team (2021, 2022)…two-time MCAC All-Academic honoree (2021, 2022).
Athletic: ABCA/Rawlings Third Team NJCAA All-American (2022)…MCAC South Division Player of the Year (2022)…First Team All-MCAC (2022)…MCAC All-South Division (2022).

2024 (SENIOR): Made 29 starts and appeared in 39 games at catcher, first base and designated hitter for the Huskies, hitting .245 with a .385 on-base percentage and .408 slugging percentage for a .793 OPS … Had three home runs, 18 RBI, five doubles and 14 runs while drawing 19 walks … Had two hits in seven games … Recorded multi-RBI in five games … Went 2-for-2 with a triple, RBI, two runs and three walks in season-opener against Southern New Hampshire (Feb. 2) … Went 2-for-3 three with a double and season-best three RBI against Southwest Minnesota State (Feb. 19) … Launched a home run with two RBI and two runs in win over Minnesota State (March 21) … Hit a solo home run in win over Sioux falls (March 29) … Had a solo home run against Minot State (April 27).

2023 Season: Made his debut as a Huskey after transferring from Century Community College... played 43 games while starting 30 of those games, sharing time as catcher, third base and designated hitter... marking a .333/.403/.509 slash line for a .912 OPS with 21 runs scored, eight doubles, four homers and 23 runs batted in... drew walks at a 9.6% rate while only punching out in 14% of his appearances at the plate... held a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage... Southwest Baptist (2/3): Began the season going 1-for-2 scoring a single run and three RBI... Southern Missouri (2/3): Entered the game off the bench as a pinch hitter... Southwest Baptist (2/4): Went 1-for1 and recorded an RBI... Missouri Southern (2/5): Entered the game off the bench as a pinch hitter... Ark. Monticello (2/11-13): Entered two games of the series as a pinch hitter... Nova Southeastern (2/9- 11): Made his first start of the season in the opener... entered the game off the bench as a pinch hitter in last two games of the series... Caldwell (3/13): Went 1-for-1 and recorded two RBI... Bentley (3/14): Made his first start of the season going 0-for-2 and drew a hit-by-pitch, scored a single run... Pace (3/15): Served as a starter going 1-for-3, plated two runs and an RBI... Southwest Minn. State (3/23): Went 1-for-3 as a starter ripping his first homer of the season, scored a run and an RBI... Augustana (3/25): Entered the game off the bench as a pinch hitter and drew a walk... Upper Iowa (3/28): Started the doubleheader... went 3-for-7 while scoring a run and an RBI... Winona State (4/3): Served as a starter in the doubleheader... went 2-for-7 and ripped a double, recorded two RBI... entered the game off the bench as a pinch hitter... Concordia-St. Paul (4/7-8): Started the series... went 3-for-7 in the doubleheader, ripped a double and plated two runs... went 1-for-5... Minnesota Crookston (4/13): Appeared in the game as a pinch hitter, served as a starter going 1-for-4... Sioux Falls (4/16-17): Scored a run in the opener... went 1-for-4 and drew a walk, scored three runs... May (4/23): Was retired going 0-for-3... Bemidji State (4/27): Recorded an RBI in both games of the doubleheader going 5-for-8, ripped a homer to left center and scored two runs... Minnesota Duluth (4/29-30): Went 3-for-5 in the doubleheader, ripped a double and scored two runs... went 2-for-4 and recorded an RBI... Northern State (5/2): Ripped back-to-back doubles in the doubleheader, scored a single run... Wayne State (5/5): Went 2-for-6 and recorded an RBI in the doubleheader... NSIC Tournament (5/10-14): Served as a starter against Southwest Minnesota... went 2-for-5 and recorded two RBI against Minnesota State... scored a run against Minnesota State... went 2-for-4 and scored a run against Minnesota State to help to team win the NSCI Tournament... Warrensburg Regional (5/18-20): Entered the game off the bench as a pinch hitter and scored an RBI against Central Missouri... Served as a started against Ouachita Baptist, homer to left field while scoring a run and two RBI... went 2-for-4 and scored a run against Central Missouri...

2022 (CENTURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE) | SOPHOMORE SEASON:
Season: Honored as a Third Team NJCAA All-American while being named South Division Player of the Year as one of the most dangerous middle-of-the-order bats in the MCAC, splitting time at catcher, DH and third base for the Wood Ducks…started 45 of 46 games played, slashing .407/.483/.738 for a 1.221 OPS with 19 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 47 RBI…scored 36 runs and was 2-for-2 on steals…drew walks at a 10.9% clip with a healthy 10.3% strikeout rate…produced a ridiculous .526 wOBA and a massive 187 OPS+…started 19 games at catcher, handling the pitching staff to a 5.63 ERA over 128.0 innings while fielding a .986 with just two errors…threw out seven runners on a 21.2% caught stealing rate…drew 11 starts at third, posting a 2.24 range factor/9 and fielding a .720 over 72.1 innings at the hot corner…also started 15 games as the designated hitter…led the MCAC in doubles and was second in RBI while ranking fourth in home runs and seventh in slugging percentage…led Century in hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, doubles and RBI while ranking second in homers…produced 17 multi-hit games with four three-hit contests and one four-hit game…drove in multiple runs 13 times…had a pair of multi-homer games…named a Third Team NJCAA All-Academic honoree…earned MCAC All-Elite Team and All-Academic honors…

Frederick (3/3): Had a hit in both games on Opening Day, going 2-for-6 with a double… Erie (3/4): Drove in two and was 1-for-3 in game two… Owens (3/5): Went 1-for-4 with an RBI double… Bryant & Stratton (3/6): Drew a pair of walks and scored a run, going 0-for-2 with an RBI… Heartland (3/8): Went 2-for-5 with his first multi-hit game of the season in game one, plating a run and stealing a base… Glen Oaks (3/9): Doubled home a run and went 1-for-3… Niagara County (3/9): Went 0-for-2 with a walk… NIACC (3/12): Collected a 1-for-3 day in game one… DMACC (3/16): Teed off on a two-run home run in game two while drawing a pair of walks… Bethany Lutheran (3/21): Reached base five times in the series, drawing a pair of walks while going 2-for-5 with three runs scored…scored three times in game one while working a pair of walks…provided a 2-for-4 day at the plate with one RBI in the finale… Bay College (4/1-2): Had a hit in all four games, going 6-for-15 with two runs scored, two doubles and a pair of RBI…went 2-for-3 with a double in game one…doubled home a run as part of a 2-for-4 finale… Rochester (4/9-10): Produced a pair of multi-hit games, going 5-for-15 with three runs scored, a double, two home runs and five RBI…blasted two long balls and drove in four as part of a 2-for-3 game one…added a 2-for-4 day in game two, doubling in a run… Itasca (4/11): Stayed red-hot with a 4-for-7 doubleheader, scoring three times and plating three…went 3-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI in the finale… Minnesota Post Grad (4/19): Went 4-for-7 in a second straight series, bashing two doubles and a homer while driving in five…went 3-for-3 with two RBI doubles in game one…crushed a three-run homer and went 1-for-4 in the finale… Western Tech (4/23-24): Bashed a 5-for-12 series with seven runs scored, a double, two homers and eight RBI…scored twice while going 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in game one…drove in a career-high five in the finale, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and one homer… St. John’s JV (4/25): Went 1-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI… Minnesota West (4/29): Enjoyed a 4-for-6 midweek, blasting three homers and scoring five runs while driving in another five…homered twice and went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a double and three runs scored in game one…smashed a two-run homer and was 1-for-2 with a walk in game two… Central Lakes (5/3): Went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in game one… Minnesota West (5/4): Provided a pair of multi-hit games, going 4-for-7 with a double and two RBI…went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs driven in during game one…added a double and was 2-for-3 in the finale… Riverland (5/6-7): Was retired just once in the final series of the regular season, going 9-for-10 with two doubles, a triple, four runs scored and four RBI…reached base four times in game two, going 2-for-2 with two doubles and drawing two walks…ripped his first collegiate triple and went 4-for-4 with a run and two RBI in game three…closed the series by drawing a walk and going 2-for-2 with two runs scored… NJCAA Region XIII Tournament (5/13-21): Had a hit in all three games in Region Tournament action with one multi-hit contest, going 4-for-12 with two runs scored, three doubles and three RBI…doubled in two as part of a 1-for-3 opener against Riverland…crushed two doubles as part of a 2-for-5 day in the elimination game against Ridgewater, driving in one…

2021 (CENTURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE) | FRESHMAN SEASON:
Season: Began his collegiate career at Century and instantly provided an impact in the middle of the order while serving as the everyday third baseman…played in 39 games with 38 starts, slashing .330/.398/.643 for a 1.041 OPS with 14 doubles, seven home runs and 44 RBI…scored 26 runs and was 4-for-4 on stolen bases…struck out just nine times in 133 plate appearances for a 6.8% strikeout rate while walking at a 9.8% clip…produced a .449 wOBA and a 145 OPS+…started 31 games at third base and recorded a 1.91 range factor/9 over 207.2 innings, fielding a .746…played 14.0 errorless innings in right field with a pair of starts, converting his two chances…made a pair of starts behind the plate, catching 11.0 innings and handling the staff to a 3.27 ERA with zero errors…converted all eight chances in a lone start at first base…ranked second in the MCAC in doubles and drove in the third-most runs across the league…led Century in home runs, RBI, doubles and slugging percentage…produced nine multi-hit games with four three-hit contests…drove in multiple runs 12 times…earned MCAC All-Elite Team and All-Academic honors…

NIACC (3/12-13): Started both games in his debut weekend…went 2-for-3 with his first collegiate hit in game two, blasting two doubles and driving in a pair… Mesabi Range (3/15): Had a hit in both games, going 2-for-4 with five runs scored, a double and two RBI while stealing a base… Hibbing (3/21): Went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in game one…drew a walk and plated two runs in the finale while going 0-for-2… Minnesota State (4/3): Drove in two as part of a 1-for-3 finale… Anoka-Ramsey (4/5): Went 1-for-4 in the doubleheader with two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base… Rochester (4/10-11): Played in all four games, going 4-for-10 with two runs scored, three doubles, two homers and four RBI…went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and a pair of RBI in the opener…homered in back-to-back games to close out the series… Northwestern JV (4/15): Had a hit in both games, going 4-for-8 with a run, three doubles and three RBI…crushed three doubles as part of a 3-for-4 finale, plating three and scoring once… Minnesota West (4/17): Provided a hit in both games, going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI… St. John’s JV (4/18): Went 0-for-1… Anoka-Ramsey (4/26-30): Enjoyed a big weekend series, going 4-for-12 with three runs scored, two doubles and six RBI…went 2-for-3 in game one with a double and three knocked…drove in two with a double as part of a 1-for-3 finale… Mesabi Range (5/1-2): Went 4-for-14 with four runs, a double and two home runs while driving in six…homered and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the opener…smashed a three-run homer in game three while going 1-for-4… Dakota County Tech (5/4): Went 1-for-4 with two runs scored… Riverland (5/8-9): Plated three in game one while going 1-for-2… NJCAA Region XIII Tournament (5/14-22): Helped lead Century to a Region runner-up finish, going 9-for-25 with five runs scored, two doubles, three homers and 10 RBI…went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI against Itasca…drove in a career-high five runs while going 3-for-4 with a double and two long balls against Riverland…was 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the Region Championship game against St. Cloud Tech…

Prep: A 2020 graduate of Maple Lake High School…earned three All-Section 5AA honors while helping the Irish to two MSHSL Class AA State Tournament appearances including the 2018 State Championship…

Personal: The son of Dave and Nicole Clapp…Physical Health and Education major…enjoys fishing, hunting and hanging out with family and friends…