Four Spartans Earn All-Big Ten Accolades

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball had four players recognized by the Big Ten Conference with postseason awards announced Sunday afternoon by the league office, with the completion of the 2021 regular-season.

Sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker was tabbed to the All-Big Ten Third Team list, while freshman infielder Mitch Jebb and freshman pitcher Nick Powers were both named to the All-Freshman Team. Senior infielder Andrew Morrow was MSU's Sportsmanship Award honoree.

MSU's four All-Big Ten honorees this season gives Michigan State a total of 49 All-Big Ten accolades under head coach Jake Boss Jr. It is also moves Michigan State's All-Freshman Team honorees to 21 total, as the Spartans have had at least one freshman collect the accolade in the last 12 years that the awards were presented, as they were not presented in 2020, due to the canceling of the remainder of the season in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walker, a native of Homewood, Ill., enters Sunday's season-finale hitting a team-best .305, which ranks 24th in the B1G, along with also leading MSU and ranking 16th in the B1G in hits (50). He also is one of two Spartans to both start and play in all 43 games, and is also is second on the team and tied for 18th in the conference in stolen bases (7). Walker also currently leads MSU in RBI (31), runs scored (29), total bases (69), while ranking third in home runs (3), fourth in doubles, (8), fourth in on-base percentage (.366), fifth in slugging percentage (.421). Walker also is tied for third on the team in extra-base hits with 12 extra-base hits on eight doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Entering Sunday, Walker has at least one hit in 30 of the 43 games played so far, and also leads the team with 13 multiple hit games, with two hits in seven games, three hits in five games, and shares the team-high for most hits in a game this season with four, coming vs. Northwestern on March 13 at Greenville. With nine multiple RBI games, Walker also leads MSU, logging five games with two RBI and four games with three RBI. He had a stretch of three RBI twice in three games April 11 vs. Purdue and April 16 at Illinois, also logging three ribbies on March 6 vs. Maryland. Walker also owns the longest hitting streak of the season, hitting safely in nine-straight games (March 13-27), and also owns the second-longest reached base streak of 14 in a row (March 13-April 9).

In the outfield, Walker tallied 77 putouts and four assists, including a pair of nice sliding catches in the same inning of Saturday's game vs. Iowa, snaring the first and third outs of the sixth inning.

This is Walker's third career accolade from the Big Ten and second this season, as he garnered Big Ten Player of the Week honors on March 10 for his performance in the opening weekend. He also earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors in 2019, MSU's last All-Freshman Team honoree before this season's pair of Jebb and Powers.

Mitch Jebb B1G All-Freshman Team graphic

Jebb, a native of Saginaw, Mich., totes a .269 average into Sunday's season finale, sharing the team lead with two triples as part of ranking second on the team in hits (43). Along with ranking third on the team with 42 starts, just one of three Spartans to play in 40+ games, missing one game this season. Jebb also ranked tied for second on the team in doubles (9), while also ranking third in total bases (56), fourth in runs scored (24), tied for fourth in stolen bases (4), tied for fifth in RBI (15) and fifth in extra-base hits with 11 on nine doubles and two triples.

With four multiple RBI games, Jebb is third on MSU, while ranking tied for third with 10 multi-hit outings, with eight games with two hits apiece to go with three hits in two contests. Jebb is also tied for the second-longest hitting streak of the season at eight, from March 28-April 12, while ranking tied for fifth on the team in reached base streak at eight over the same span. Entering Sunday's season-finale, Jebb totes a six-game active hitting streak, tied for the longest active streak on the team with senior teammate Bryce Kelley.

In the field, Jebb has been the Spartans' primary shortstop all season long, making all 42 of his starts at short. He has made 62 putouts and has a team-high 121 assists, along with being a part of 33 of MSU's B1G-leading 41 double plays, as the Spartans are tied for ninth in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.93).

Nick Powers B1G All-Freshman Team graphic

Powers, a native of Flushing, Mich., burst onto the scene, before suffering a season-ending injury at Penn State on May 1. At the time of his injury, he was leading MSU and ranked tied for fifth in the B1G with four wins, logging a 4-3 record with a 4.87 ERA in 44.1 IP with 35 strikeouts. Powers also ranked 24th in the B1G in innings pitched, 28th in ERA and 33th in strikeouts at the time of his injury.

The first-year Spartan hurler chalked up five or more strikeouts in four outings, led by a career-high of seven Ks vs. Purdue on April 11 in a career-long 7.2 IP.

The All-Freshman Team selection is Powers' second Big Ten award this season, as he was named the B1G Co-Freshman of the Week on March 30, for his performance against Indiana on March 28, as the Hoosiers were leading the B1G at the time. In his first-ever game at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, Powers fired 6.2 IP shutout innings in earning the win against Indiana, running his scoreless inning streak to 15-straight innings, before yielding a run with two outs in the seventh. He finished with three strikeouts, and did not allow an Indiana runner past second base until the seventh, his final inning, in limiting the Hoosiers to a season-low four hits while tying a season-low with just one run, after Indiana entered the game among the B1G leaders in hits and runs.

At the time, the Spartan southpaw was the only pitcher in the Big Ten to defeat the top two teams in the league standings in Indiana and Michigan. He accomplished the feat in his last two starts over the span of less than a week, beating Michigan on Monday, March 22, and Indiana on Sunday, March 28. Powers collected MSU's first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award since March 12, 2018 when current teammate Mason Erla earned the accolade.

Morrow is a native of Omaha, Neb., and is second on the team with a .297 average, notching three doubles and two home runs, while leading the team in slugging percentage (.541) and second in on-base percentage (.372).

Off the diamond, Morrow earned his second Academic All-Big Ten honoree, including graduating in 2020 with his degree in interdisciplinary studies in social sciences, and is working on his master's degree in sport coaching and leadership.

The final game of the Spartans' 2021 season is on Sunday with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

Sunday is MSU's Senior Day, as the Spartans will honor their seven senior players: Sam Benschoter, Trevor Hopman, Bryce Kelley, Andrew Morrow, Jarret Olson, Bailey Peterson and Joe Stewart, along with senior manager Scott Newhard, in addition to 2020 seniors: Caleb Sleeman, Danny Gieselman and Justin Antoncic, in a pre-game ceremony.

The weekend schedule is subject to change based on weather.

Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.