HATTIESBURG, Miss. (NCBWA) - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, has released the four finalists for the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball. The membership of the NCBWA will choose the winner based on three rounds of voting.

The 2005 winner will announced at the College World Series in Omaha on Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. CDT, during a live television show on CSTV: College Sports Television. TCU righthanded pitcher Lance Broadway, Miami righthander Cesar Carrillo, Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon and Florida State outfielder Shane Robinson are the finalists for this year's award.

All four finalists and their head coaches will be on hand for the live presentation in Omaha. This marks the first time that the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy will be awarded during a national television broadcast. In addition to airing the live announcement on June 17 at 11 a.m. EDT/10 a.m. CDT, CSTV will re-air the broadcast on June 19 and June 25. Please check the CSTV website for all dates and times of re-broadcasts.

CSTV, the fastest growing independent cable network, has agreements with distributors that serve more than 65 million households nationwide. It deals with the top six distributors - Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and Adelphia, among others.

Broadway, the Conference USA Pitcher of the Year, has established new school and conference records for victories with a nation-leading 15. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native is 15-1 with a 1.62 ERA and has struck out 144 batters with just 35 walks in 117 innings pitched. Broadway closed out his season by allowing only two earned runs in his final 45 innings pitched, helping TCU set a new school record for victories in a season.

Carrillo has guided the Hurricanes into the NCAA Super Regionals with a 13-2 record and a 2.22 ERA. A native of Chicago, he has struck out 122 batters and walked only 20. Carrillo has thrown a pair of complete games and also picked up a save earlier in the season.

Gordon, the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, will square off against Carrillo in the Lincoln Super Regional this weekend. The Lincoln, Neb., native is batting a team-best .382 with 22 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 62 RBI. Gordon also tops the team in stolen bases, having swiped 23 in 26 attempts.

Robinson leads the nation in hits (121) and is batting .434. He has hit 25 doubles, six home runs and driven in 43 runs. The Tampa, Fla., product has proved to be a major threat on the base paths as well, swiping 48 bases in 55 attempts. He established a new Seminole record by hitting safely in 40 consecutive games, a streak that spanned from last year's NCAA Regionals until April 3. It was just the seventh time in NCAA Division I history that a player hit safely in 40 straight games.

The Xanthus Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball's most prestigious award. The award was created in 1987, shortly after Howser's death.

Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.

A Florida native, Howser was a two-time All-America shortstop at Florida State University (1957-58), then coached the Seminoles in 1979 after a career as a major league player and coach. After one year in the college ranks, Howser returned to the majors to manage the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals and won the World Series with the Royals in 1985. The baseball stadium on the Florida State campus is named for Howser.

The winner's name is inscribed on the permanent trophy, a bronze bust of Howser permanently displayed at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. Both the winner and his school receive a special trophy to keep.

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 105th year of existence in 2004. The organization has long been a vital force in the baseball affairs of the city, both in spring training and during the pursuit of a major league baseball franchise for the Tampa Bay area, and continues its solid role in the 21st Century.

NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.

For more information on the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy, contact David Feaster of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce at 727-388-1000 or Russell Anderson of Conference USA at 214-774-1351.

Please also visit www.dickhowsertrophy.com or learn more about Xanthus at www.studentloansource.com.

Related link:
• Dick Howser Trophy official site (dickhowsertrophy.com)