Five Braves Earn All-Valley Honors

Baseball 5/24/2022 10:00:00 AM

Five members of the Bradley baseball team were honored on the All-Missouri Valley Conference Teams on Tuesday. Junior first baseman Connor O'Brien earned first-team accolades and freshman pitcher Jacob Kisting was named to the second team, while senior pitcher Nick King, senior catcher Keaton Rice and sophomore outfielder Ryan Vogel all received honorable mention.

O'Brien becomes the first player in school history to earn first-team All-Valley honors three times during his career – also receiving the award in 2019 and 2021.

The junior leads the Missouri Valley Conference with both a .394 batting average – 20 points ahead of the league's second-ranked batter – and 1.57 hits per game, ranking 23rd and 21st nationally. O'Brien's .394 average also currently ranks fifth in the program's record book as he is on pace to become just the fourth player in school history to lead the Valley. O'Brien has also set career highs with 10 home runs, 14 doubles, 44 runs scored and 44 RBI during his standout junior campaign.

Kisting is only the second Bradley freshman and the first since Doug Robertson in 1994 to land one of the two All-Missouri Valley Conference teams as a starting pitcher. The rookie leads Bradley with six wins on the mound, posting a 4.33 earned run average. Kisting finished the regular season ranked 10th in the Valley in ERA, fourth with an opposing batting average of .235 and fifth with 78 strikeouts. His six wins are the most by a BU rookie since 2007, while ranking 14th nationally among freshmen.

King earned All-Valley honors for the first time in the senior's collegiate career. He made 19 appearances during the 2022 season with eight starting assignments, posting a 5-3 record with a 3.50 earned run average. The two-time Valley Pitcher of the Week, King ranks fourth in the conference in ERA, sixth with 77 strikeouts and first by allowing opponents to hit just .207 against him. The senior was at his best in league play – posting a 4-0 record with a 2.88 ERA in six appearances.

Rice joins O'Brien as one of just 10 BU players to collect all-conference honors three times during his career after earning second-team accolades in 2018 and 2019. The school's record holder with 60 career baserunners caught stealing and with 122 career base on balls, Rice enjoyed a career year at the plate. The senior is hitting .319 and leads Bradley plus all Valley catchers with 27 extra-base hits – collecting 21 doubles, five home runs and one triple. Overall, his 21 doubles are the most by a Brave since 2016 as he currently ranks sixth nationally with 0.49 doubles per game (first in the country among catchers).

Vogel rounded out Bradley's all-conference honorees as the sophomore received the honor for the first time during his career. The team's leadoff hitter recorded a .311 batting average and led the Braves with 47 runs scored in 2022 – ranking sixth in the Valley. He also added five home runs, two triples and 11 doubles with 20 RBI.

Bradley now turns its attention toward the postseason as BU opens the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday. The fourth-seeded Braves meet third-seeded Dallas Baptist with a 7 p.m. first pitch.

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