MSU's Petree named Collegiate Baseball POY

Courtesy: Missouri State Athletics Communications TUCSON, Ariz. Missouri State sophomore Nick Petree (RHP, Clinton, Mo.) has been named the The Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I National Player of The Year, as released Thursday (May 31) as part of Collegiate Baseball newspaper's annual All-America Team announcement. The 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, Petree is one of 17 players on the Louisville Slugger TPX All-America first team, also selected by the staff of Collegiate Baseball. 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 13 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). This season marks the 16th year that Louisville Slugger has sponsored the Division I All-Americans. Petree is just the second MVC player to earn the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year honor, joining Evansville's Andy Benes (1988) with that distinction. Previous Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Year are: 2011: Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA 2010: Chris Sale, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast 2009: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State 2008: Buster Posey, C, Florida State 2007: David Price, LHP, Vanderbilt & Tony Thomas, 2B, Florida State 2006: Wes Roemer, RHP, Cal St. Fullerton & Kellen Kulbacki, OF, James Madison 2005: Shane Robinson, OF, Florida State 2004: Jered Weaver, RHP, Long Beach State 2003: Rickie Weeks, 2B, Southern University 2002: Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson 2001: Mark Prior, RHP, USC 2000: Kip Bouknight, RHP, South Carolina 1999: Jason Jennings, UT, Baylor 1998: Kevin Mench, OF, Delaware 1997: J.D. Drew, OF, Florida State 1996: Kris Benson, RHP, Clemson 1995: Todd Helton, 1BP, Tennessee & Mark Kotsay, OFP, Cal St. Fullerton 1994: Ryan Jackson, 1BP, Duke 1993: Brooks Kieschnick, POF, Texas 1992: Lloyd Peever, P, LSU 1991: Bobby Jones, P, Fresno State 1990: Mike Kelly, OF, Arizona State 1989: Ben McDonald, P, LSU & Scott Bryant, UT, Texas 1988: Andy Benes, P, Evansville 1987: Robin Ventura, 3B, Oklahoma State & Marteese Robinson, 1B, Seton Hall 1986: Greg Swindell, P, Texas 1985: Pete Incaviglia, OF, Oklahoma State 1984: Oddibe McDowell, OF, Arizona State