ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) announced the 2025 MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams on Wednesday morning.
Joe Ruzicka earned First Team honors, as
Blake Barton and
Landon Godsey were named Second Team.
The criteria for the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team nominations parallels the College Sports Communicators (CSC) standards for Academic All-America selections. Nominees must be starters or important reserves, with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average as both an undergraduate and graduate student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don't have an established GPA. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution.
Joe Ruzicka shined during his junior campaign, earning All-MVC First Team honors and being named MVC Pitcher of the Year. The right-handed pitcher lead the team and the MVC with a 3.56 ERA. Ruzicka led the MVC with a .199 opponent batting average, the only qualified pitcher to hold opponents under .200 this season. He finished third in the MVC with 81 innings pitched, tied for fifth with 70 strikeouts and finished the regular season top ten in wins with a team-high six in 15 starts. In nine conference starts, Ruzicka posted a 2.98 ERA with a 4-3 record. He tossed one complete game against Valparaiso on April 25 and contributed to three shutouts. In 51.1 conference innings, Ruzicka allowed 17 earned runs and struck out 45 batters. A native of Webster Groves, Mo., Ruzicka owns a 3.74 cumulative GPA in finance, earning his second career MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honor.
Landon Godsey received MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honors. Godsey posted a .311 batting average, the fourth highest on the team. The senior led the team and ranked fourth in the MVC with 21 doubles, tied with Ben Petsch (2006) for the fifth-most in a season. Godsey earned 2025 MVC All-Tournament Team honors with a team-high 10 hits, five doubles, 1.111 slugging percentage and .600 on-base percentage in four tournament games. A native of Indianapolis, Ind., Godsey has a 3.6 cumulative GPA in sport administration.
Blake Barton was named MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team. The senior outfielder was one of four Bruins to start in all 60 games of the 2025 season. Barton posted career highs in batting average (.294), hits (65), RBIs (43) and home runs (6). Barton was also one of four Bruins to steal 10+ bases, with a career-high 15. A native of Franklin, Tenn., Barton graduated with a degree in finance and finished with a 3.79 cumulative GPA.
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