ST. LOUIS -- Headlined by Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, a total of seven Indiana State baseball players were selected for All-Missouri Valley Conference honors Tuesday by the league's head coaches.
Right-hander
Collin Liberatore was named the League's Newcomer of the Year while third baseman
Jake Means was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year. It marks the first time a Sycamores has earned either award since the 2014 season when Brad Lombard and Tyler Wampler earned the honors.
Indiana State's three selections for First-Team All-MVC honors were second baseman
Jarrod Watkins, starting pitcher
Collin Liberatore and reliever
Tyler Grauer. ISU placed two players on the Valley's Second Team, with outfielder
Roby Enriquez and reliever
Tyler Ward. Senior starting pitcher
Triston Polley and
Jake Means picked up honorable mention recognition, while
Means,
Enriquez and
Polley also took home an MVC All-Defensive Team honor as well.
Liberatore earned his first All-MVC nod after pacing the Valley with a 10-1 record in 14 starts. The junior right-hander posted five or more strikeouts in eight games this season while logging seven or more innings in seven starts. The Greensburg, Pennsylvania native was 4-0 with a 1.10 ERA and one complete game in the month of April. He allowed just four earned runs over four starts while holding opponents to a .147 average against.
Means finished the season with a .284 batting average and led ISU with 34 RBIs and 14 hit-by-pitch; and was second on team with a .416 on-base percentage and 27 walks. A Gardner, Kansas product, Means assisted on 107 outs and recorded 42 putouts for a .974 fielding percentage at third base. A senior, Means was also a part of nine double plays turned for the Sycamores.
Grauer appeared in 18 games out of the bullpen for the Sycamores, racking up 38 strikeouts to just four walks in 28.1 innings on the mound. The southpaw finished the regular season with a 2.54 ERA and a team-best seven saves. In total, Grauer allowed just eight earned runs and held opponents to just 10 extra-base hits en route to a 2-3 mark.
Watkins was second in the conference with a .405 batting average, fifth in on-base percent (.447) and eighth in slugging (.571) in League games. Overall, Watkins finished the regular season with a team-best .305 batting average on 60 base hits (9 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR). A left-handed bat, Watkins also scored 38 times and drove in 26 RBIs. The Washington, Illinois native struck out just 17 times in 197 at bats for a 11.6 at bats per strikeout mark which was tops in the MVC and 35 nationally.
Enriquez went for a .371 on-base percentage and a .283 batting average as he earned Second Team and All-Defensive honors. He finished with a perfect fielding percentage and threw out four runners from right field. Enriquez, a Carolina, P.R. native, went for 56 hits (8 2B, 3 HR) while driving in 25 and scoring 38 runs. He was second on the team in hit-by-pitches while also drawing 16 walks.
Ward has seen action in 19 games out of the bullpen his senior season, currently with a 5-2 record and a 3.19 ERA. The right-hander has pitched 48 innings and allowed just 17 earned runs while striking out 38 and walking 13. He is second on the team with five saves and fourth in wins. In April, Ward saw action in six games, with a 0.51 ERA and a 4-1 record. Opponents scored just one earned run against Ward in 17.2 innings. He also went at least six innings in 11 starts.
Polley has tossed three complete games this season for ISU, earning a 6-1 record over 14 starts. The southpaw struck out 78 in 92.2 innings while allowing just 28 earned runs for a 2.72 ERA. An Avon, Indiana native, Polley has recorded double-digit strikeouts in two games and eight or more strikeouts in six games.
UP NEXT
The Sycamores will travel to Normal, Illinois for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship hosted by Illinois State. ISU will take on Evansville Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
