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Joe Mauer, perhaps Minnesota's most eligible bachelor, on Saturday became engaged to fellow Cretin-Derham Hall graduate Maddie Bisanz.

Mauer, 28, the Twins catcher, proposed to Bisanz, a St. Paul nurse, in Sanibel, Fla.

"A place that is special to both of us," Mauer said Sunday from Florida. "We couldn't be happier, and we're both really excited."

No wedding date has been set. The couple have been friends for about seven years and have been dating for about 1-1/2 years.

"I was hoping for a yes, and she said yes," Mauer said when he proposed. "I'm getting to marry my best friend."

Mauer, who was the American League MVP in 2009 when he hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs in 138 games, struggled last season with an assortment of maladies and finished 2011 hitting .287 with three homers and 30 RBIs in 82 games.

Will marriage affect his baseball?

"No. (Maddie's) the one who got me through last year," Mauer said. "If anything, she's going to make me better. We were really close (friends) in '09, too."

source: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_19526008?source=most_viewed