St. LOUIS – Missouri State’s Nick Rodriguez and Max Knight are the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, this week. The award is the first for each player in their MSU careers, and the first MoState sweep of the MVC’s weekly honors since April 10, 2017 (Jeremy Eiermen – Player; Jordan Knutson – Pitcher).
Nick Rodriguez hit .500 with three home runs, three doubles, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored last week, slugging 1.167 with a .524 on-base percentage. The senior second baseman from Tampa, Fla., had a game for the ages Tuesday in Missouri State’s victory at No. 2 Arkansas, going 5-for-6 with two home runs and five runs scored. The five hits and five runs were both the most for a Bear in a game since 2016, and his 12 total bases were the most since 2019. His second home run was a solo shot in the top of the 10th that proved to be the game-winner.
Rodriguez made it seven consecutive at bats with a hit and nine straight plate appearances reaching safely on Friday, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs against Belmont. He walloped a 436-foot home run on Saturday and drove in three runs and hit an RBI double to help the Bears clinch the series win on Sunday.
Knight allowed one hit over 4.1 scoreless innings with two saves last week. Tuesday at No. 2 Arkansas, the southpaw needed just three pitches to record the final two outs and earn the save in the Bears’ 14-13 victory in 10 innings.
On Sunday versus Belmont, the Bixby, Okla., native fired 3.2 shutout frames to close out the 8-3 win, fanning four and allowing just a single and a walk as the Bears secured the series win. Knight also started all four games in the lineup for the Bears and batted .429 with two homers and eight RBI. Additionally, he stole three bases and walked six times for a .600 on-base percentage and is the only Division I player with 10 pitching appearances and 25 RBIs this season.
Knight is the third MSU pitcher to win the league’s top weekly award this season (Michael Yusypchuk, Jackson Holmes), making the first season since 2017 that three different Bears hurlers have been honored.
The Bears are back in action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against Oklahoma State at Hammons Field.
