Weekly Honors Highlighted
The Missouri Valley Conference revealed its weekly baseball awards on Monday, recognizing standout performances across the league. Ashton Kampa of UIC was named Player & Newcomer of the Week, Troy Shepard from Southern Illinois earned Pitcher of the Week honors, and Spike Magill of Evansville was selected Freshman of the Week.
All six berths for the 2026 MVC Baseball Championship have been secured, and the final series of regular‑season play will unfold Thursday through Saturday. Indiana State, UIC, Southern Illinois and Evansville have locked in spots, while the remaining seeds will be decided in the coming days.
Championship Schedule and Seeding
The championship itself will take place May 20‑23 at Johnny Reagan Field at Taylor Family Park in Murray, Kentucky, providing a neutral venue for the league’s top teams. Illinois State is projected to be a 4‑5‑6 seed and will play on Wednesday, May 20, while UIC and Indiana State cannot finish worse than fifth.
Evansville, Murray State and Southern Illinois could finish anywhere from 1‑6, setting the stage for a tightly contested finish to the regular season.
Statistical Leaders and Player Performances
Illinois State leads the league in team batting average at .303, with 19 players hitting above .300 and five surpassing .350. Michael Addari sits just ahead of Andrew Evans of Southern Illinois with a 2.17 ERA, while Evans’ 83 strikeouts top the conference. UIC’s Kampa batted .750 last week, going 15‑for‑20 with four home runs and eight runs scored.
Troy Shepard delivered a dominant outing in a 9‑4 win over Belmont, and Max Hansmann of Evansville recorded 77 strikeouts, trailing only Evans. Southern Illinois powered a nine‑run fifth inning to sweep Belmont, and Evansville posted an 11‑0 shutout of Valparaiso, extending its streak to five consecutive MVC series wins.