2008 MVC All-Conference Baseball Teams (PDF)

University of Evansville junior baseball player Derek Melton (Trenton, Ohio/Wabash Valley C.C.) has earned honorable mention all-Missouri Valley Conference honors in his first season as a Purple Ace, in a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Melton captured all-MVC honors as a designated hitter, after hitting .287 with a team-best two triples and five home runs in the heart of the UE batting order.  Melton also ranked third on the team with 25 RBI, while pacing the Purple Aces with five doubles in conference play.  Melton was a consistent performer in the UE lineup this spring, as he did not go more than two games without a base hit on the season, while playing in 53 games with 51 starts at both first base and designated hitter.

Melton transferred to UE this year after two seasons at nearby Wabash Valley Community College, where he earned all-region honors on the diamond.  A native of Trenton, Ohio, Melton earned all-conference honors in both baseball and football in high school at Edgewood High School outside of Cincinnati.

Melton was the lone Purple Ace to earn all-conference honors this spring.  Northern Iowa junior shortstop Brandon Douglas and Missouri State sophomore pitcher Tim Clubb took home the Valley’s top honors, as Douglas was named the Joe Carter Player of the Year, while Clubb captured the MVC’s Pitcher of the Year award.

Melton will be one of 32 returning players for head coach David Seifert’s club next spring.  The Purple Aces concluded the 2008 season with a 14-42 overall record, while featuring a roster which included 26 underclassmen.