ST. LOUIS - On the morning the Championship begins, the University of Evansville baseball team has collected a handful of honors from the Missouri Valley Conference, it was announced in a release from the Conference office this morning.

Sophomore Shane Gray earned all-MVC Second-Team honors, while freshman Simon Scherry grabbed honorable mention all-conference and all-defensive team recognition. ROunding-out Evansville's MVC awards were redshirt senior Troy Beilsmith, who was named honorable mention all-conference, and redshirt junior Kenton Crews who joined Scherry on The Valley's all-defensive team.

Gray's honor comes after one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory for the Aces as the West Jefferson, Ohio native tallied a 2.84 ERA, placing Gray third-best in The Valley in the category. Gray's 6-3 record is best amongst Evansville pitchers and the sophomore has struck-out a team-high 70 batters.

Scherry concludes an impressive first season in white and purple with a pair of honors. The Santa Claus, Ind. native becomes the first freshman for Evansville to earn all-conference honors since Brodie Harkness was named honorable mention in 2015. Heading into the postseason, Scherry sits fourth on the team in batting average, just two percentage points shy of .300. The freshman's 35 RBI are tied for second-most on the team, while Scherry has record a team-best 16 doubles to go along with a triple and two home runs.

The all-defensive team selection follows an exceptional season at shortstop for Scherry. Playing and starting in all 54 games, Scherry has committed just five errors, recording a .977 fielding percentage with 97 putouts and 117 assists, helping Evansville turn 44 double plays.

In his final season as an Ace, Beilsmith was the most consistent force offensively for Evansvile. Beilsmith earned honorable mention all-conference recognition following a year in which the Weldon Spring, Mo. native tallied a .320 batting average with 15 doubles, seven homers, and 35 RBI.

The final Ace to be recognized, Crews showcased his glove and speed in center field, commanding the outfield for Evansville, earning him a spot on The Valley's all-defensive team. Crews committed just one error in center, recording a .992 fielding percentage, with 128 putouts.

Evansville begins the postseason on Tuesday at 2:30 PM against No. 6 seed Illinois State in the opening round of the 2021 MVC Championship at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
 

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