After helping the Bears to a perfect 4-0 stretch run, Jeremy Eierman and Sam Perez have earned a clean sweep of the Missouri Valley Conference weekly honors, the league office announced Monday. Additionally, Perez became the third different Bear to pick up Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week recognition from Collegiate Baseball after playing a prominent role in three of MSU’s four wins to close the regular season.
Perez piled up 17 strikeouts while scattering just seven hits over 10.0 combined scoreless innings of relief in his three outings last week, surpassing Missouri State’s single-season record for mound appearances in the process. In last Tuesday’s road win at Arkansas, Perez tossed 3.0 innings of hitless relief, as part of a combined one-hitter in an 8-2 decision that completed MSU’s first season sweep of the SEC power since 2006.
The right-hander, who joins fellow Bears Jake Burger (March 21) and Spencer Johnson (April 11) as 2016 Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honorees, also fanned a season-high nine hitters over 4.2 innings Thursday vs. Illinois State to earn his 18th career victory as a Bear. The Branson, Mo., native came back in Saturday’s series finale to allow only three baserunners in his 2 1/3 innings to help MSU complete a sweep of the Redbirds.
Eierman also enjoyed a banner week that included a stretch of three-straight games in which he registered either four hits or four RBIs. Overall, the freshman batted .556 (10-for-18) with a pair of home runs, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored. The Warsaw, Mo., product started his week with a bang, becoming the first Bear to log five hits in a game since 2012 in the Bears’ win at Arkansas.
Eierman homered twice, scored three runs and drove home four more against the Razorbacks, then delivered another the key hit in the Bears’ series-opening win against Illinois State on Thursday. His three-run double keyed Missouri State’s six-run seventh inning and finished his night with four RBIs in the 9-2 victory. The following night, he came back with a 4-for-5 day, driving in three runs and scoring three more in a 17-5 win for MSU.
Missouri State (34-19) opens play at the 2016 MVC Baseball Championship vs. host Indiana State Wednesday (May 25) evening in Terre Haute, Ind. The Bears and Sycamores are slated to get underway at 6:34 p.m. (CDT) at Bob Warn Field.
