ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its 2025 baseball all-conference teams and specialty awards on Tuesday.
 
Missouri State’s Nick Rodriguez was named the Joe Carter Player of the Year, while Murray State head coach Dan Skirka was named the 2025 Dan Callahan Coach of the Year. Belmont’s Joe Ruzicka is The Valley’s Pitcher of the Year, while Missouri State’s Tyler Epstein has been named the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
The league’s Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards are shared this year. UIC’s Luke Nowak and Missouri State’s Max Knight were named the league’s Newcomers of the Year, while Indiana State’s Jeremy Martinez and Murray State’s Conner Cunningham are The Valley’s Freshmen of the Year.
 
Joe Carter Player of the Year: Nick Rodriguez, Missouri State
Pitcher of the Year: Joe Ruzicka, Belmont
Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Epstein, Missouri State
Co-Newcomer of the Year: Luke Nowak, UIC; Max Knight, Missouri State
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Jeremy Martinez, Indiana State; Conner Cunningham, Murray State
Dan Callahan Coach of the Year: Dan Skirka, Murray State
 

Missouri State's Nick Rodriguez became the seventh player in program history to earn the league's Joe Carter Player of the Year award. It marks the second time in three seasons that the league's top player honor has gone to a Missouri State Bear.
 

Belmont's Joe Ruzicka was named the MVC Pitcher of the Year. He's the second Bruin pitcher in program history to take home the postseason honor. The first time a Bruin was named Pitcher of the Year as in Belmont's final season in the OVC in 2022.
 

The Defensive Player of the Year award, introduced in 2012, Missouri State's Tyler Epstein is the third Bear to earn it, joining current head coach and former shortstop for the Bears, Joey Hawkins (2015), and Jake Burger (2016). 
 

 

For the third-straight year, a UIC Flame is recognized as the Newcomer of the Year, as Luke Nowak is sharing the honor this year with Missouri State's Max Knight. Knight is the 10th Bear to receive the postseason honor and the first since 2017.
 

 

The league's Freshman of the Year award is also a co-honor this year, as Indiana State's Jeremy Martinez and Murray State's Conner Cunningham were recognized. Martinez is the third Sycamore in program history to collect The Valley's Freshman of the Year honor and first since 2014. Cunningham is just the third rookie in program history to earn it and first since 2018. 
 

Murray State head coach Dan Skirka has been named the MVC Baseball Dan Callahan Coach of the Year after guiding the Racers to its first-ever regular-season or tournament title since joining the league. The regular-season championship marked the first Conference regular-season title for the Racers since 1991. Skirka's Coach of the Year laurel is the first in his career and he is the first Murray State baseball coach to be named Coach of the Year since 2009.