Nick Petree
Missouri State sophomore Nick Petree (RHP, Clinton, Mo.) has been named the The Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I National Player of The Year, as part of Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s annual All-America Team announcement. Widely regarded as one of the top amateur players in the country, Petree posted one of the most dominant seasons in Division I history to help the Bears earn their first NCAA Tournament bid in nine years. He was a three-time MVC Pitcher of the Week honoree in 2012, a Golden Spikes Award national semifinalist and an NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist.
Petree has the lowest ERA of starting pitchers in the nation at 0.92 over 15 appearances (107 1/3 innings) with 109 strikeouts and 34 walks. He became the third Bears pitcher to earn top honors from the MVC in the last five seasons and the fifth MSU hurler overall to earn MVC Pitcher of the Year recognition. He turned in the nation’s longest scoreless innings streak this season, working a Missouri State-record 38.1 consecutive shutout frames from April 6 to May 17, as well as 73.0 straight innings without giving up an earned run during a 12-game stretch from March 2-May 17.
Petree leads the Missouri Valley Conference in victories (10) and ranks fourth on the Bears’ single-season lists for wins and strikeouts. The right-hander became just the seventh pitcher in school history to surpass the 100-strikeout plateau and needs just eight more punchouts to equal Chad Mulholland’s single-season school record of 117.
The Collegiate Baseball newspaper All-America first team features six starting pitchers who posted a combined 57-8 record with an ERA of 1.90. Joining Petree on the All-America squad are nine other conference players or pitchers of the year, including: RHP Chris Stratton, Mississippi St. (Pitcher of Year Southeastern Conference); LHP Carlos Rodon, N.C. State (Pitcher of Year Atlantic Coast Conference); LHP Andrew Heaney, Oklahoma St. (Pitcher of Year Big 12 Conference); 1B Goose Kallunki, Utah Valley (Player of Year Great West Conference); 3B D.J. Peterson, New Mexico (Co-Player of Year Mountain West Conference); SS Alex Mejia, Arizona (Player of Year Pacific-12 Conference); OF Raph Rhymes, Louisiana St. (Player of Year Southeastern Conference); OF James Ramsey, Florida St. (Player of Year Atlantic Coast Conference); OF Danny Poma, Hofstra (Player of Year Colonial Conference).
