// 2015

sport BASEBALL (OUTFIELDER)class REDSHIRT SOPHOMOREmajor BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONhometown GERMANTOWN, TENN.

BRENT ROOKER

Brent Rooker scrambles into the locker room and promptly begins to get prepped for the second half of his day. He has just returned from his morning classes and batting practice is going to begin any moment.

“We will have to be quick,” Rooker said. “I only have eight minutes.”

Being an MVP in the classroom as well as on the field is not easy, but Rooker has it down to

a science in his third year on campus.

Last spring, Rooker was named to the Southeastern Conference Academic

Honor Roll for the second time in as many years after posting a 3.8 GPA majoring

in business administration. He followed that up by being tagged the 2015 New

England Collegiate Baseball League Most Valuable Player after nearly becoming

the first Triple Crown winner in NECBL history. Rooker finished his summer first in

home runs (10) and RBIs (33) while compiling a .360 batting average.

Time management is critical when balancing a schedule as hectic as Rooker’s. One

thing that stands out to baseball academic advisor Rob Shillito is Brent’s ability to lead by

example.

“He is one of those guys that help set the academic tone on the baseball team,”

Shillito said. “It is really easy to get distracted in athletics with all they have going on. Yes,

he came to MSU to play baseball but the foremost thing on his mind is to get his degree. I

think that shows in the fact that he is one semester away from finishing his degree after just

three years.”

Now that Rooker is nearing the end of his undergraduate program, he is beginning to

prepare himself for a life after baseball. Rooker has been investigating graduate programs and

has also expressed an interest in attending law school.

With the program having produced 10 straight semesters with at least a combined 3.0 GPA,

head coach John Cohen places a bigger emphasis on academics within his baseball program

than anything else.

“It is the biggest thing he emphasizes every year at our preseason meetings.” Rooker

said. “The first thing he talks about is how important it is that we maintain our grades. All of our

coaches do a good job emphasizing academics and talking about how we consistently have one

of the highest team GPA’s on campus.”

Rooker’s dedication to learning and improving himself is a big reason why the baseball team

boasts one of the highest team GPA’s on campus semester after semester. It is also why Brent is

poised for a breakout year in 2016.

As the baseball season rapidly approaches, Rooker’s schedule will only become more hectic

and his time more valuable. As he finishes getting dressed, he picks up his gear and jogs out of

the locker room and onto the field for batting practice.

O F T H E W E E K

By: Nick Price

71T W O T H O U S A N D F I F T E E N F O O T B A L L G A M E D A Y