Tigers receive postseason baseball awards

submitted photo-- Nevada baseball award winners display their plaques after the awards banquet Wednesday, at Nevada High School. From left: junior Ben Fisher, most improved; senior Jordan Kerbs, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and senior Jerrod Alexander, Tough as Nails Award.fee includes a T-shirt and medals awarded to the first, second and third place participants in each age and gender category. There will be four age groups: 15 and under, 16-30, 31-45 and 46 and over.

Nevada baseball capped off the 2008 season with its annual awards ceremony Wednesday at Nevada High School.

Four awards were given out, but there were only three recipients this year because senior center-fielder Jordan Kerbs won Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. Junior second baseman Ben Fisher won the Most Improved Player Award and senior third-baseman Jerrod Alexander received the Tough as Nails honor.

Head coach Jared Brown said it's not surprising to see a player, especially a senior, receive two postseason awards.

"It's happened quite frequently, actually," he said. "We've had ties before. The players do a good job of voting and they put some thought into it."

Perhaps the most subjective award is Tough as Nails, which Brown said goes to the player who literally is the toughest on the team.

"It's just a person that goes out every day and will take a ball off their chest, stick their face into it," Brown said. "Inside pitches, they'll let them hit them."

The Tigers also had three players land on All-District 12 teams following their first-round loss to Carthage at the district tournament. Not surprisingly, Kerbs was a first team, All-District selection. Junior shortstop Colby Shepherd and Alexander received second-team honors.

Nevada finished the season with an 8-10 record and a 3-6 mark in Southwest Conference play.