Aug. 25, 2011

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Following one of the top debut seasons in Missouri State baseball history, sophomore pitcher Nick Petree was honored as the best prospect in the MINK League by Perfect Game USA Thursday after turning in a dominant summer on the mound.

Petree, who went 3-0 with a 0.27 earned run average spanning five starts, fanned 33 hitters while walking just four and allowing a single earned run over 26.0 innings of work for the Sedalia Bombers, coached by former Bear Jud Kindle.

This spring, the Clinton, Mo., product was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and picked up Freshman All-America honors from both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Collegiate Baseball after going 9-2 with a 2.81 ERA and setting MSU freshman records for wins and innings pitched (96.0).

The right-hander assumed Missouri State's Friday night starting role March 25 and pitched at least six innings in each of his 11 starts. He also picked up two saves in five relief appearances early in the year while throwing two complete games and holding opponents to a .236 batting average for the season.

In addition to Petree, senior infielders Brent Seifert and Brock Chaffin were also named to the list of the MINK League's top 15 professional prospects, coming in at No. 6 and No. 15, respectively. Seifert garnered team MVP honors for St. Joseph after hitting .333 with a pair of homers, 15 runs batted-in and team highs of 26 runs scored and 11 doubles. Chaffin, who also played for St. Joseph, batted .300 with six RBIs and six stolen bases to help lead the Mustangs to a 42-12 mark and their first-ever league title.