Missouri State

   

Jake Burger becomes the fifth Bear to earn the Missouri Valley Conference's most outstanding player honor and MSU's first since Brayden Drake's selection in 2009. A junior third baseman from Chesterfield, Mo., Burger leads the league and ranks fourth nationally with 20 home runs, combining with Jeremy Eierman to form the top power combination at the Division I level this season. Burger also paces the circuit in runs scored (62), while ranking among the nation's top 15 hitters in slugging (.693) and total bases (142) as well. A semifinalist for the NCBWA's Dick Howser Trophy for the second year in a row, the two-time All-American ranks second among all active Division I hitters with 45 career home runs, while his 231 career hits is the 15th best total in Missouri State history. Additionally, he becomes just the third Bear to earn First-Team All-MVC honors in three consecutive seasons, joining Steve Hacker (1993-95) and Kevin Medrano (2009-12) on that distinguished list.