Berkery wins SEC batting crown

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Berkery Wins SEC Batting Crown
05/21/2006

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State senior shortstop Thomas Berkery has captured the Southeastern Conference regular season batting title for 2006.

The Sarasota, Fla., product went 8-16 (.533) during the final weekend series (3 doubles, a triple, a home runs, five RBI), raising his seasonal batting average to a career-best .393. He becomes the sixth Mississippi State player to lead the SEC in batting average and the first since 1984 (Rafael Palmeiro, .420).

Julio Borbon (.366) of Tennessee was second, while two other Bulldogs finished in the top 10. Junior second baseman Jeffrey Rea was fifth with a .360 batting average while sophomore catcher Edward Easley was eighth with a .357 average, tops among SEC catchers.

Berkery, who has hit safely in 49 of his 53 games played, is one of three finalists for the 2006 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy as the top collegiate player in Mississippi. The recipient of the award will be announced Monday at 7 p.m. at an awards banquet held at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in Jackson.

The Bulldog shortstop ended the regular season with a 14-game hitting streak and a 15-game SEC hitting streak. And in MSU's 11-1 Friday win over Mississippi Berkery came up a single short in a bid to hit for the cycle. He legged out a triple and two doubles and belted his seventh home run. He shares the team RBI lead with 43 runs batted in this season.

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