DALLAS (NCBWA) – Five future 2021 consensus
All-America selections and youngsters who led their respective
schools to NCAA play this spring are finalists for the
34th Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear
in balloting by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association in conjunction with the Dick Howser Trophy
committee and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of
Commerce.
Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung,
Arkansas relief ace Kevin Kopps, Vanderbilt
pitching standout Jack Leiter, Florida State
catching stalwart Matheu Nelson and Vanderbilt
starter Kumar Rocker are the five finalists for
the prestigious Howser Trophy.
This marks the third time that two Howser Award finalists
have come from the same school, all from Vanderbilt. In 2013,
pitcher Tyler Beede and second baseman Tony Kemp made the list
and in 2015, the Commodores once again placed two players as
finalists for the coveted award, former major league pitcher
Carson Fulmer and current Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby
Swanson.
The winner will be announced on Friday, June 18, first on MLB
Network and then at a national news conference via Zoom call at
a time to be determined just prior to the 74th NCAA College
World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
Each finalist symbolizes the major principles of character, leadership,
desire and competitive spirit exhibited by Dick Howser, the All-America
shortstop, head coach at Florida State and manager of the 1985 World
Series Champion Kansas City Royals. He also is the namesake of Florida
State’s Dick Howser Stadium.
Jung, the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, leads the league
in several categories, including home runs with 21, runs-batted-in
with 67 and slugging percentage at .766. He has reached safely in
all 54 games for the Red Raiders who host Stanford this weekend
in the Lubbock Super Regional. The Jung name is familiar at Tech
and nationally as Jace’s older brother Josh Jung also was an All-America
infielder and the first-round draft choice in 2020 by the Texas
Rangers.
Jace Jung is a San Antonio, Texas, resident and paced the Red
Raiders to a 3-0 record (now 39-15 overall) to sweep the first round
NCAA Lubbock Regional with victories over Army West Point, North
Carolina and UCLA.
Kopps also is a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award
with some of the top relief stats in modern NCAA history. He came
on in the third inning to toss a career-high seven innings in relief
and to pitch the No. 1 nationally Razorbacks to a clinching, 6-2
triumph over Nebraska at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional to lead
UA into the Fayetteville Super Regional against NC State.
The Sugar Land, Texas, senior righthander already was named Collegiate
Baseball 2021 Player of the Year and has earned All-Southeastern
Conference and All-America laurels. The SEC Pitcher of the Year
leads all Razorbacks hurlers with 79 2/3 innings pitched (all out
of the bullpen), a 0.68 ERA, 120 strikeouts and 11 saves. He has
been a part of three combined shutouts as well, has allowed just
six runs (all earned), and opponents are hitting just .156 against
him.
Leiter started the season at 7-0 for a Vanderbilt squad that
has been ranked as high as No. 1 nationally and has been dominant
throughout the year. The sophomore righthander from Summit, New
Jersey, comes from a long family of pitchers, including his father
Al Leiter (19-year veteran lefty in the majors), uncle Mark and
cousin Mark Jr.
Jack Leiter, earlier in ’21, tossed a 16-strikeout no-hitter
against South Carolina in SEC activity and then hurled seven more
no-hit innings against Missouri with 10 strikeouts. In four of his
first five wins opponents had one run or fewer, and Leiter has been
in a pitched battle with teammate Rocker for NCAA season strikeout
leadership. Currently, the sophomore right has 146 ahead of Rocker’s
143 as Vandy prepares to host East Carolina in the Nashville Super
Regional.
Nelson, a sophomore from Largo, Florida, ended the season with
23 home runs – tied for first in NCAA Division I. He led the Seminoles
to third place in the NCAA Oxford Regional and contention for the
Atlantic Coast Conference crown for most of ’21 with a .330 batting
average, 17 doubles and a .723 slugging percentage.
The All-ACC stalwart follows in the footsteps of 2008 FSU Dick
Howser Trophy winner and Major League Rookie of the Year and All-Star
catcher Buster Posey and has been rated as one of the top backstoppers
in the history of the program from offensive and defensive standpoints.
Nelson also made just three errors in 602 chances for a .995 fielding
percentage.
Rocker has dominated SEC hitters for three seasons with the Commodores
as well as throwing the first no-hitter in NCAA Super Regional annals
in 2019 with a 19-strikeout night. Vandy went on to down Michigan
in the NCAA World Series for the national title as he closed that
season at 12-5, a 3.25 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 99 2/3 frames as
a freshman.
The junior righty from Athens, Georgia, has been among national
leaders again this spring with a 12-3 overall mark, 2.65 ERA and
144 strikeouts – second nationally to teammate Jack Leiter. Rocker,
the son of 1988 Vince Lombardi and Outland Trophy winner Tracy Rocker
of Auburn (also in the NFF College Hall of Fame), already has first
team All-America and All-SEC honors on his 2021 resume.
Recent finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy have included the
likes of Florida starting pitcher Brady Singer (2018 winner), Texas
second baseman Kody Clemens, Auburn pitcher Casey Mize, Georgia
Tech catcher Joey Bart, Clemson outfielder Seth Beer (2016 winner,
first freshman to receive Dick Howser Trophy), Wake Forest third
baseman Will Craig, Louisville utility player Brendan McKay, Kent
State pitcher Eric Lauer, and Texas A&M third baseman Boomer White,
Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi (winner), UCLA relief pitcher
David Berg, Vanderbilt starting pitcher Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt
shortstop Dansby Swanson and Miami (Fla.) third baseman David Thompson;
and 2019 finalists catcher Adley Rutschman (’19 Howser Trophy recipient)
of Oregon State, 1B Andrew Vaughn of California, OF JJ Bleday of
Vanderbilt, pitcher Alek Manoah (just made his MLB debut with the
Toronto Blue Jays on May 21) of West Virginia and pitcher Noah Song
of Navy.
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; Rickie 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; Stephen Strasburg, P,
San Diego State, 2009; Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice, 2010; Taylor Jungmann,
P, Texas, 2011; Mike Zunino, C, Florida, 2012; Kris Bryant, 3B,
San Diego, 2013; A.J. Reed, Kentucky, 2014; Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas,
2015; Seth Beer, Clemson, 2016; Brendan McKay, Louisville, 2017;
Brady Singer, Florida, 2018; and Adley Rutschman, Oregon State,
2019.
The trophy was not awarded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 shortened
season.
2021 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear: • Fri.,
May 21: Dick Howser Trophy semifinalists announced •
Thu., June 10: Dick
Howser Trophy finalists announced • Fri.,
June 18: Dick Howser Trophy winner announced |
Presentation video
Related links: • More on
the Dick Howser Trophy
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