Jeremy Accardo and Jeremy Pickrel, both of the Illinois State baseball team, received All-Missouri Valley Conference honors Monday, announced by the league office. Accardo was a first-team shortstop, while Pickrel was a second-team outfielder.
Junior outfielder Nate Whitney and sophomore pitcher Kyle Bloom also received honorable mention honors.
Accardo, a junior from Mesa, Ariz., was counted on both offensively and defensively this year. Accardo hit .333 on the season for Illinois State, with six home runs and 31 RBI. Defensively, not only was Accardo solid all season long at shortstop, but the right-hander was also the Redbirds closer. He went 4-2 with four saves and had a 5.94 ERA.
This award is great for Jeremy because it was voted on by the league coaches, and youre not allowed to vote for your own guys, said Redbird head coach Jim Brownlee. Jeremy worked extremely hard in the off-season. The last few weeks of the season, not only was he the best shortstop in the conference, but also one of the best players.
Pickrel, a junior from Henderson, was one of only six underclassman to be named to either the first or second teams. This past season, Pickrel hit .317, and led the Redbirds with 12 home runs and 39 RBI.
I was very proud to see Jeremy have the kind of year he did this season, remarked Brownlee. After struggling his freshman year, he showed he has all of the tools this year. He has a chance to be one of the dominating players in the league in his next two seasons.
Whitney led the Redbirds in hitting in Valley action, finishing with a Valley average of .365.
Bloom, a left-handed pitcher from Bettendorf, Iowa, went 4-5 for the Redbirds this season with a 3.94 ERA. He also was among the league leaders in strikeouts, with 79 on the year.
Adam Boeve of Northern Iowa was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year while Brad Ziegler of Southwest Missouri State was named Valley Pitcher of the Year.
