CHICAGO – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its 2026 Baseball Scholar-Athlete Team on Monday afternoon, recognizing 44 student-athletes for their academic achievements, with junior Jake Busson being named MVC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Monday afternoon.

"Jake came to UIC for the quality of the education he was going to get here," head coach Sean McDermott said. "He is a huge leader on the field, but handles himself in the classroom. We talk about being the same in the classroom as we are in the field. We are organized, diligent, relentless and just figure out a way to get things done at the highest level and Jake exhibits that. We have really good students on this team, and I am really proud of that."

Busson has appeared in all 53 games this season for the Flames, splitting time between second base, third base and as the designated hitter. Known for his power, Busson finished the 2026 season as the MVC leader in home runs, finishing with 17 on the season. He also ranked fifth in the conference with 50 RBI and finished third on the team in batting average at .274.

In the classroom, Busson closed out the academic year achieving a 4.0 GPA while majoring in interdisciplinary education. The junior earned the honor after being selected by the sports information directors of the Missouri Valley Conference. He becomes the second UIC student-athlete to win this award, joining UIC Women's Swimming and Diving's Molly Kroeger, who won her award back on March 12.  

Busson was also named to the MVC Baseball Scholar-Athlete Team, joining junior Thomas Curry, Alexander Wright and graduate student Mark Eddie.

To be considered for the Scholar-Athlete Team, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing. They also must have competed in 75 percent of the institution's games or started in at least 50 percent of the institution's games. Pitchers must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings.

Curry appeared in 49 games for the Flames this season, serving primarily as the team's everyday catcher. He ranked second on the team with a .307 batting average and 13 doubles, while tying for second with 58 hits and a .571 slugging percentage. Curry also finished third on the team with 11 home runs. Defensively, Curry posted a .991 fielding percentage behind the plate and threw out 18 runners attempting to steal. He finished the academic year maintaining a 3.9 GPA as an Accounting major.

Eddie became one of the more reliable arms in the bullpen for the Flames, making 25 appearances with 38.2 innings of work this Spring. He led the team with a 2.56 ERA, striking out 35 batters and collected three wins. Eddie was one of two pitchers to earn a save this Spring, earning a save in UIC's 2-1 victory over Evansville on May 2. Eddie has maintained a 4.0 GPA in his post graduate studies to obtain his master's degree in business administration.

Wright appeared in 37 games with 31 starts for the Flames this season, primarily in right field. He batted .268 with 30 hits, seven doubles, three home runs, one triple and 11 RBI across the season. Wright recorded 23 of his hits in MVC play, posting a .447 slugging percentage in 22 conference games. In the classroom, the business administration major maintained a 3.5 GPA during the academic year.

After capturing the 2026 MVC regular-season title over the weekend, the UIC baseball team secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament in Murray, Ky. The Flames earned a first-round bye and will face the tournament's lowest remaining seed at 11 a.m. CT Thursday at Johnny Regan Field at Taylor Family Park.
 
The tournament, presented by Credit Union 1, will be double-elimination and will stream live on ESPN+ throughout. Live stats will also be available for fans at UICFlames.com. Fans interested in attending the games will have free admission.
 
Fans interested in more information are encouraged to head to UIC's Championship Central page or the MVC's Championship Central page.

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