Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Graduating, Signing, Keeping?
Jun 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Shae Simmons against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Braves Pitcher Notches ‘W’ with Southeast Degree
ALUMNI FOUNDATION STORY / SE MISSOURI STATE.EDU
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Dec. 14, 2015 – Atlanta Braves pitcher and former Southeast Missouri State University baseball standout Shae Simmons has notched a victory outside the lines.
Simmons will return to Southeast this weekend, marking the completion of his undergraduate degree. Commencement exercises are set for Dec. 19 in the Show Me Center. Simmons will receive a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice with a minor in criminology.
“I’ve always wanted my degree whether I need to use it in the future for a job or not,” he said. “It is very important to my family because I will be the first of my siblings that finished college. It is also nice to know I’ll always have a degree to fall back on.”
Simmons was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 22nd round of the 2012 Major League Baseball (MLB) June Amateur Draft. With a bright baseball future ahead of him, Simmons left Southeast after his junior year, about 30 credit hours shy of his degree. A Scott City, Missouri, native and Scott City High School graduate, Simmons moved on to play three seasons in the Minor Leagues at Single-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi where he pitched 101 innings, carving out an impressive 1.43 ERA with 148 strikeouts.
At the same time, he set his sights on completing his last two semesters of coursework online through Southeast with the help of Sharon Burgard, director of athletics academic services.
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But coming off his first Major League season, Simmons hit a stumbling block when he experienced throwing pain last January. In February, he underwent Tommy John reconstructive right elbow surgery which sidelined him the entire 2015 season.
If there was a silver lining, though, it was that it allowed him time to complete his Southeast degree.
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“I have always wanted to work in the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) or be a detective,” he said. “After my (baseball) career is over, whenever that is, I might end up going back to school in order to get my master’s or possibly get my degree in a different major so I have more options.”
[ Ed. note – Congratulations, Shae! That’s great news to hear! Sure – we want to see you back in uniform with the Braves as soon as possible, but if in a few more years you end up in a law enforcement uniform, you’ll be able to point back to the effort you put in to make this week possible. Very well done. ]
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