EKU baseball’s Fisher wins prestigious OVC Scholar-Athlete Award

Eastern Kentucky University baseball player Ben Fisher was one of six individuals to receive the Ohio Valley Conference’s highest individual academic/athletic honor on Thursday.

Fisher, a senior from Madison Central High School, received the OVC Scholar-Athlete Award for 2015-16. The Richmond native has a 4.0 grade-point-average while majoring in Biology.

The award is given annually to three men and three women of junior or senior status for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities.

The winners were selected from a group of nominees by OVC faculty athletics representatives.

In addition to his perfect grade-point-average, Fisher’s other academic accomplishments include: Dean’s List and President’s List every semester during the past three years, Bratzke Award for Excellence (2014, 2015, 2016 — given to the team member with the highest GPA), OVC Medal of Honor (2014, 2015, 2016 — given annually to the student-athletes that achieve the highest GPA in a conference-sponsored sport), OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2014, 2015, 2016), three-time Colonel Scholar and Chi Alpha Sigma inductee (National Student-Athlete Honor Society).

Fisher is president of the EKU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the 2016-17 academic year, he is a student leader in Campus Outreach, in his second year of leading a bible study for the baseball team, reads to students at local elementary schools and has assisted in feeding those in need on Christmas Day for the past six years.

On the field, Fisher is as accomplished as he is off the field. After his freshman season in 2014, Fisher was chosen to the OVC All-Freshman Team and earned first team NCBWA Freshman All-America honors. Over the past three seasons, he has started 156 games while compiling a .282 career batting average. As a junior in 2016, the first baseman recorded career-highs for batting average (.288), runs (36), doubles (14), home runs (eight), RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.468).

“Ben is a special person who excels both on and off the field,” EKU head coach Edwin Thompson said. “This award is truly going to the student-athlete who embodies being excellent in all parts of his life. He anchors our lineup and plays every day at first base where he is an outstanding defender. The biggest impact he has on our team is how he’s become a locker room leader his senior year.”

▪ The other OVC Scholar-Athlete winners were: Alberto Esteban of Tennessee Tech (tennis), Abi Gearing of Tennessee Tech (soccer), Riley McInerney of Eastern Illinois (cross country/track and field), Kylee Smith of Belmont (basketball) and Jessica Twaddle of Murray State (softball).

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "EKU baseball’s Fisher wins prestigious OVC Scholar-Athlete Award."