FT. PIERCE, Fla. (October 29, 2018) - Former Indian River Community College baseball player and current Boston Red Sox team member Steve Pearce was honored as the 2018 World Series Most Valuable Player following his hitting display over the five game series. Pearce hit three home runs, two of which came in the game five win for the Red Sox. Over the course of the World Series, he produced eight runs for the team.
Pearce graduated with an AA Degree from Indian River Community College in 2003. His freshman season saw him produce 29 RBIs, four home runs and his season batting average was .367. His sophomore campaign showed much improvement with stats in 2003 finishing the year at a team leading batting average of .423, he produced 47 runs, had 13 home runs and 50 RBIs. He was inducted into the Indian River “Pioneer Hall of Fame” in 2015.
After graduation from IRCC, Pearce moved on to the University of South Carolina where he led the team in batting average in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He was honored as an All-American, leading the Gamecocks to the College World Series.
He went on to be selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round of the 2005 amateur draft, beginning his professional career. His breakout year came in 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles when he hit 21 home runs, helping the team to the American League East Championship, the first since 1997.