ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Second-year freshman Ryan Cermak was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year to highlight the group of eight Redbirds that earned All-MVC honors from the conference, the MVC revealed Tuesday.
The eight All-MVC players are the most for Illinois State since 2013 (nine).
As voted by the league's eight head coaches, Cermak was also named to the All-Defensive Team and First Team All-MVC. Cermak joins shortstop Brett Kay (2013) as Redbirds to win MVC DPOY. Joining Cermak on First Team All-MVC was fourth-year sophomore Jake McCaw.
Fifth-year senior Jordan Libman was named Second Team All-MVC while fifth-year senior Colton Johnson, third-year freshman Sean Sinisko, second-year freshman Jordan Lussier, and fourth-year juniors Kyle Soberano and fourth-year junior Tyson Hays were named Honorable Mention All-MVC.
Cermak earned the MVC DPOY and First Team All-MVC honors in his first season in the outfield after playing third base in 2020 and the start of 2021. With numerous sensational highlight-reel plays, Cermak posted a .992 fielding percentage in the outfield, adding six outfield assists, en route to earning All-Defensive Team accolades. Cermak holds a .295 batting average while leading the team in slugging percentage (.551), extra-base hits (23), home runs (9), total bases (97), and RBIs (38).
McCaw earned First Team All-MVC honors, leading the team with a blistering .369 batting average, adding 26 RBIs and 17 extra-base hits (including a team-high 13 doubles). McCaw caught fire in late April en route to leading the MVC in conference play in batting average (.417), hits (43), doubles (10), total bases (61—tied).
Libman earned Second Team All-MVC honors as he was the only Redbird to start (and play) in each game in 2021. Libman is third on the team with a.308 batting average, in addition to leading the team with 29 walks. He is tied for the team-lead with 62 hits, adding 16 extra-base hits and a team-best 38 runs scored.
Johnson earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors as he leads the Redbirds with a 3.16 ERA, 79.2 innings pitched, and 83 strikeouts. Johnson moved into 7th in ISU history with 242 career strikeouts as he primarily served as the Redbirds' Friday night starter.
Sinisko earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors, ranking second on the team with a 4.05 ERA. Sinisko excelled in conference action, ranking third in the league with a 2.59 ERA in MVC play. He has five wins for the Redbirds, adding 52 strikeouts over 66.2 innings.
Lussier earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors after emerging a reliable starting pitcher for the Redbirds. Lussier owns a 4.19 ERA, striking out 64 batters in 68.2 innings. Lussier turned an impressive 3.49 ERA in MVC action, recording four wins against MVC opponents.
Soberano earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors, coming on midway through the season as a consistent starter. Soberano holds a .296 batting average, in addition to a pair of home runs. Soberano posted a .358 batting average in MVC play, good for 6th in the league. He made just one error at second base, his lone error at second base as a Redbird in 148 career chances.
Hays earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors after regaining his role as the team's starting catcher. Hays is hitting .319 while striking out just 24 times, compared to 24 walks drawn. He leads the team with a .424 on-base percentage. Hays has blasted a pair of home runs and triples to go with 25 runs scored.
Illinois State is scheduled to play Evansville in the play-in round of the MVC Tournament on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game is on ESPN+.
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