DALLAS
(NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association,
working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of
Commerce and the College Baseball Foundation, has released
the list of 25 semifinalists for the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy,
given to the top player in collegiate baseball.
The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy
based on two rounds of national voting. Three 2010 finalists will
be announced just prior to the first game of the College World Series
with a press conference slated for Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m.
(CDT) at Rosenblatt Stadium. The winner will be named in a national
broadcast from Lubbock, Texas, on Friday, July 2.
The 25 candidates hail from 13 different conferences and 24 different
schools. The ACC, Big Ten, Conference USA, Ohio Valley and SEC each
led the way with three semifinalists. Nine different positions afield,
including five starting pitchers, four first baseman and four third
basemen among this diversified group.
2010 DICK
HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS |
P Daniel
Bibona, UC Irvine |
SS Drew
Lee, Morehead State |
3B Zach
Cox, Arkansas |
3B Joe Leonard,
Pittsburgh |
DH C.J.
Cron, Utah |
2B Zack
MacPhee, Arizona State |
1B Wes Cunningham,
Murray State |
UT Mike
McGee, Florida State |
OF Alex
Dickerson, Indiana |
P Anthony
Meo, Coastal Carolina |
C Mac Doyle,
Wofford |
1B Hunter
Morris, Auburn |
OF Chris
Duffy, UCF |
P Drew Pomeranz,
Ole Miss |
C Yasmani
Grandal, Miami |
3B Anthony
Rendon, Rice |
P Cole Green,
Texas |
1B Jordan
Ribera, Fresno State |
C Ben Heath,
Penn State |
RP Chance
Ruffin, Texas |
P Danny
Hultzen, Virginia |
3B Rob Segedin,
Tulane |
1B Paul
Hoilman, East Tennessee State |
P Alex Wimmers,
Ohio State |
DH A.J.
Kirby-Jones, Tennessee Tech |
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The 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.
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 twice an 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 displayed at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg –
home of the 2008 American League champion Tampa Bay Rays and the
1999 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four – along with several other
locations. Both the winner and his school receive a special trophy
to keep.
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.
The College Baseball Foundation was established in 2004 and has
inducted 57 greats into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock.
The group promotes the highest ideals and recognition of greatness
on college baseball diamonds in the 150 years since the first intercollegiate
contest in 1859 between Amherst and Williams.
The groups also have come together in 2010 to select the Dick
Howser Trophy, Brooks Wallace Award (Division I Shortstop of the
Year), NCBWA Stopper of the Year, CBF Pitcher of the Year, John
Olerud Award (top two-way player) and NCBWA National Coach of the
Year. The Pro-Line Athletic/NCBWA All-America and Freshman All-America
teams, the NCBWA Freshman Player and Pitcher of the Year also are
being presented by these national entities.
The Howser Trophy was created in 1987, shortly after Howser's
death. Previous winners of the Howser Trophy are Mike Fiore, Miami,
1987; Robin Ventura, Oklahoma State, 1988; Scott Bryant, Texas,
1989; Alex Fernandez, Miami-Dade Community College South, 1990;
Frank Rodriguez, Howard College (Texas), 1991; Brooks Kieschnick,
Texas, 1992 and 1993; Jason Varitek, Georgia Tech, 1994; Todd Helton,
Tennessee, 1995; Kris Benson, Clemson, 1996; J. D. Drew, Florida
State, 1997; Eddy Furniss, LSU, 1998; Jason Jennings, Baylor, 1999;
Mark Teixeira, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001, Khalil
Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003;
Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska,
2005; Brad Lincoln, P/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, P, Vanderbilt,
2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008 and Stephen Strasburg,
P, San Diego State, 2009.
2010 Dick Howser Trophy:
• May 20: Dick Howser Trophy semifinalists announced
• June 8: Two Howser Trophy winners to make MLB debuts
• June 19: Dick Howser Trophy finalists announced
• June 29: Dick Howser Trophy, Easton Foundations
reach sponsorship agreement
• July 2: Dick Howser Trophy Winner announced on
the College Baseball Awards Show
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