LSU junior second baseman Ryan Schimpf, a 2006 St. Paul’s graduate, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Valley Baseball League championship series after leading the Luray Wranglers to the league title.

The Wranglers completed a three-game series sweep over the Covington Lumberjacks on Tuesday with a 4-0 victory at Bulldog Field in Luray, Va. The Wranglers finished the season with a 37-15 record.

Schimpf was selected the MVP of the championship series after going 7-for-13 (.538) in the three games with four home runs and five runs scored. He drove in eight of Luray’s 17 runs in the series.

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Schimpf hit a pair of solo home runs on Tuesday, one day after going 4-for-5 with five RBI, including a three-run homer, on Monday.

“It was kind of unexpected winning the MVP,” Schimpf said. “My goal wasn’t to rack up stats. I just wanted to have fun and do my best. I was interested in having a different baseball experience. I had a lot of fun and I was able to win a championship out of it.”

Schimpf talked about his at bats during the championship series. “Every hitter goes through a little phase where they see the ball really well. Luckily for me, it happened in the series. I was just seeing the ball really well and got some key hits. The pitchers kept pounding the ball inside.”

Schimpf said it was a good experience but it was nothing like playing in the College World Series in Omaha.

“There is nothing other than the Major League World Series to top that,” Schimpf added.

Summer baseball gives you a chance to get away and experience new things in a different setting.

Schimpf put together a strong summer season for Luray, batting .392 (38-for-97) playing in 27 games.

He ripped 11 home runs with three doubles driving in 27 runs. He scored 25 runs.

Schimpf posted a .763 slugging percentage with a .464 on base percentage, while stealing three bases without being caught.

He also played solid defense at second base, committing only two errors, recording a .979 fielding average.

He had 39 put outs with 54 assists.

“Our LSU coaches are big on us playing summer ball. I think it helps a lot of people because they don’t feel the pressure like when they are playing in college. You don’t have to worry about school. You can just go out and have fun playing the game you love. If you do well in summer ball it can be a confidence builder for you when you get back to your college season.”

Schimpf also said it was a good experience getting to meet and play against athletes from different areas including lots of guys with Cuban backgrounds.

Schimpf hit .320 (80-for-250) for LSU in 2008 with 18 doubles, seven triples, 12 homers and 54 RBI. He was the Tigers’ top hitter in NCAA Tournament games, helping lead the Tigers to the College World Series. He batted .452 (14-for-31) in nine NCAA games including three CWS contests with five doubles, one triple, two homers and nine RBI.

Schimpf is the second LSU player to earn MVP recognition this summer.

Sophomore centerfielder Leon Landry was named last week as the MVP of the Cal Ripken Sr. League championship series.

The Valley League, a wooden-bat league located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, is funded in part by a grant from Major League Baseball and is a member of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball.

The league has produced well over 1,000 professional baseball players, including a record 79 former players drafted in the most recent Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft back in June.