Eric Doennig (MSU Sports Information) ST. LOUIS – After leading Missouri State to a series win at Minnesota over the weekend, junior third baseman Jake Burger became the latest Bear to be named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Monday.
The award is the fourth MVC Player of the Week honor for Burger, who picked up the same citation on three separate occasions last spring. He joins fellow Bear Jeremy Eierman on MSU’s list of 2017 Valley honorees, after MSU’s sophomore shortstop earned the honor in two of the first three weeks of the season.
Burger led the Missouri State offense with three homers, seven RBIs and a 1.000 slugging percentage in four total games last week. The Chesterfield, Mo., product went 5-for-14 (.357) for the week and powered up to go deep three times in the Bears’ series win in Minneapolis, including the third multi-homer game of his MSU career in Sunday’s deciding contest. Burger also matched a career best with five runs batted-in in the 12-3 win, after clubbing the longest home run (421 feet) in U.S. Bank Stadium history in Friday’s opener.
After turning in an All-America sophomore season in 2016, Burger is off to another fast start with hits in 13 of MSU’s 15 games to date. He has reached base safely via a hit, walk or hit by pitch in all 15 contests and has a Valley-high seven long balls so far this season. Burger has heated up to hit .429 (9-for-21) with five of his homers and 11 RBIs in his last six contests.
With the postponement of Tuesday’s (March 14) game at Saint Louis due to weather, the Bears will next travel to Cape Girardeau for a 3 p.m. contest against Southeast Missouri at Capaha Park.
