Baseball Profiles: Rick Berg set college marks, briefly played pro, coached

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Rick Berg set college marks, briefly played pro, coached

It's been more than 25 years since Rick Berg played at Missouri Southern State, but he's still in the school's record book.

Berg's 61 walks in 1985 are still third best at the school. His .584 on base percentage in 1984 is second best. His 168 assists in 1985 and 167 in 1986 are still good for second and third best. He's still in other categories, too.

Berg went on from Missouri Southern to play as a pro. His playing career, as well as a post-playing coaching career, were both brief.

Berg's pro career began in 1987, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri Southern.

Berg went to Missouri Southern out of Luther South High School in Illinois, according to his ProCards card. He won Athlete of the Year honors there in four sports, baseball, basketball, football and golf.

At Missouri Southern, he won All-Conference honors each of his four years, according to his card.

Berg started his pro career at rookie Pulaski. In 41 games, he hit .292, with two home runs. He moved to single-A Burlington for 1988. In 47 games there, his average dropped to .195. It was his final year as a player.

In 1990, Berg tried his hand at coaching. He served as a coach at AAA Richmond. It was the only season he's credited as a coach.

Originally published Feb. 6, 2015