2016 MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams
ST. LOUIS -- Led by two-time Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Sam Perez, Missouri State placed four players on MVC all-academic squads, which were released Tuesday by the conference office. Senior outfielder Spencer Johnson, junior outfielder Alex Jefferson and sophomore third baseman Jake Burger also earned First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete recognition after helping lead the Bears to a runner-up finish at the MVC Championship and a 38-21 overall record this spring.
Perez, a repeat first-team honoree, saved his best work for his final season as a Bear, earning MVC All-Tournament honors with three clutch relief performances in just four days to help lock up MSU victories at the Valley meet in Terre Haute last month. The winner of MSU's Dave Dickensheet Outstanding Pitcher Award, Perez finished off his Bears career in memorable fashion, going 8-0 overall and logging 22.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last six outings. Perez was dominant throughout the spring, totaling an MVC-best 112 strikeouts in a Missouri State single-season record 36 appearances. He also led all Valley pitchers in opponent average (.196) and ranked sixth in both victories (8) and ERA (2.86).
The Branson, Mo., product completed his undergraduate degree in cell and molecular biology in May before being selected by Miami in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft last week.
A second-team All-MVC selection and the Bears' A.E. `Ted' Willis MVP Award, Johnson enjoyed a banner senior campaign, launching an NCAA Division I-best 24 home runs to go along with career-best totals for RBIs (70), runs (56), triples (3) and total bases (157). The Springfield, Mo., product led the MVC in walks (46) and slugging percentage (.707) and ranked second in total bases and third in runs, RBIs and sacrifice flies (6). He was twice named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week this spring, most notably following his April 6 performance vs. Kansas, in which he became the first Bear to homer three times in a game since 1999 and the first MSU player to drive in nine runs in 20 years.
The Bears' left fielder, who maintains a 3.29 GPA as a physics major, was picked by Houston in the 16th round of last week's MLB Draft.
Burger was named the NCBWA's 2016 District VI Player of the Year after posting one of the most dominant offensive seasons in MSU history. A second-team All-America pick by Collegiate Baseball and a third-team honoree by Baseball America, Burger is just the fourth Missouri State player overall (along with Nick Petree in 2011-13, Mark Bailey in 1980 and 1982 and Ken Watkins in 1969-70) to garner All-America recognition in multiple years. He was a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award this spring after clubbing 21 homers, good for the No. 2 spot on the Division I home run chart. The sophomore also leads the MVC and ranks among the national leaders in hits (82), runs scored (59), RBIs (72) and total bases (162). Additionally, he batted .349 overall and logged a team-high 24 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI performances, including 16 in which he drove in at least three runs.
The Chesterfield, Mo., product was also tabbed MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference pick of the league's coaches at third base for the second season in a row. He maintains a 3.30 GPA and will compete for the nation's premier summer collegiate squad in USA Baseball's 2016 Collegiate National Team.
Jefferson was a CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 selection this spring after turning in a breakthrough junior season for the Bears. A two-time MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award winner and MVC Academic Honor Roll member, the Normal, Ill., native batted .286 with three homers and 24 runs batted-in, while recording career-high three-RBI games on four different occasions. He reached base safely in 11-straight contests from March 19-April 5, before hitting .556 overall at the MVC Championship, including a stretch that included hits in four consecutive at-bats.
An accounting major, Jefferson maintains a 3.96 GPA and was honored with the MVC Elite 18 award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at the finals site for each of the MVC's 18 team championships.
To qualify for consideration for the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, players must have a minimum 3.20 grade-point average and be a starter or key reserve. The team is voted on each year by the league's eight sports information directors.
