Missouri State sophomore baseball standout Jake Burger cashed in on a strong opening weekend to the 2016 season by picking up Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
Burger torched UCA pitching all weekend in Conway, hitting .417 (5-for-12) and slugging 1.167 with seven runs scored, three homers and seven RBIs in the series. The Chesterfield, Mo., product played pivotal roles in all three MSU victories, launching a back-breaking three-run homer in MSU’s 12-1 win in the season opener Friday, then belting a pair of long balls — including the game-winning two-run shot with the Bears trailing by a run in the ninth inning — in its come-from-behind 6-5 game two victory. Burger went 3-for-5 with four RBIs to help spur the Bears’ rally from a 5-1 deficit. He closed out the series by reaching base in all five of his trips to the plate, scoring a career-high three runs in MSU’s 10-6 game-three win.
The MVC weekly honor is the first of Burger’s career, after the MSU third baseman earned Valley Freshman of the Year recognition, as well as third-team All-America honors, last year in helping the Bears to a school-record 49 wins and league regular-season and tournament titles.
In addition to Burger’s recognition Monday, the Bears gained some traction in the national polls, moving up five spots to No. 12 in Collegiate Baseball’s poll.
MSU (3-0) will shoot for its first 4-0 start since 1999 when it returns to action Friday (Feb. 26) at the Governors Challenge in Clarksville, Tenn., where the Bears will play an 11:30 a.m. game against Connecticut.
