Three Bruins Earn MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team Recognition

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – – The Missouri Valley Conference announced Wednesday morning the 2024 MVC Baseball Scholar-Athlete Team. Belmont’s Brodey Heaton was named the MVC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a First Team selection with Jack Rando and Joe Ruzicka.

Heaton finished the season with a .310 batting average, 66 hits and led the team with 62 RBIs. He belted 16 home runs in 58 starts this season and posted a .340 batting average in conference play. Heaton finished his career as Belmont’s all-time leader in RBIs with 222 in 239 games. This is the second season Heaton has earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team recognition (2023). He is a two-time All-MVC Second Team Honoree and received the 2023 MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award. Heaton completed his undergraduate degree in Data Science in May 2022 with a 3.8 cumulative GPA. He earned his Master of Sport Administration with a perfect 4.0 GPA last month.

Rando posted a .308 batting average with 60 hits and 41 RBIs in 55 games this season. He led the Bruins with a .343 batting average and 37 hits in MVC play, along with a team-high .417 on-base percentage. Rando started in 51 games at second base for the Bruins with a .970 fielding percentage. A 2024 All-MVC Honorable Mention, Rando graduated with a degree in Management with a 3.86 cumulative GPA.

Ruzicka made 15 starts for the Bruins and finished tied for sixth in the MVC with a 4.52 ERA. The sophomore held opponents to the second-lowest batting average in the conference (.230) en route to tossing a team-high 73.2 innings. He posted a 4-5 record with 56 strikeouts and tabbed an All-MVC Honorable Mention last month. Ruzicka is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Finance and owns a 3.76 cumulative GPA.

Follow Belmont baseball on social media – @BelmontBaseball on X and @belmontbaseball on Instagram – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont’s athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

Source: Belmont
More Sports News