Berkery Wins SEC Batting Crown
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
The Sarasota, Fla., product went 8-16 (.533) during the final weekend series(3 doubles, a triple, a home runs, five RBI), raising his seasonal battingaverage to a career-best .393. He becomes the sixth Mississippi State playerto lead the SEC in batting average and the first since 1984 (RafaelPalmeiro, .420).
Julio Borbon (.366) of Tennessee was second, while two other Bulldogsfinished in the top 10. Junior second baseman Jeffrey Rea was fifth with a.360 batting average while sophomore catcher Edward Easley was eighth with a.357 average, tops among SEC catchers.
Berkery, who has hit safely in 49 of his 53 games played, is one of threefinalists for the 2006 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy as the top collegiateplayer in Mississippi. The recipient of the award will be announced Mondayat 7 p.m. at an awards banquet held at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame &Museum in Jackson.
The Bulldog shortstop ended the regular season with a 14-game hitting streakand a 15-game SEC hitting streak. And in MSU's 11-1 Friday win overMississippi Berkery came up a single short in a bid to hit for the cycle. Helegged out a triple and two doubles and belted his seventh home run. Heshares the team RBI lead with 43 runs batted in this season.
