May 17, 2007
Alvarez
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. –The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce announced today that Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez and pitcher David Price were named two of the 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy.
The award is given to the top player in collegiate baseball. The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy based on three rounds of voting. The 2007 winner will be announced just prior to the first game of the College World Series, with a press conference slated for Friday, June 15, at 10 a.m. (CDT) at the Omaha Press Club.
The 16 candidates hail from eight different conferences, with top-ranked Vanderbilt, No. 4 Florida State and No. 8 Virginia being the only schools to produce multiple semifinalists. The list includes six pitchers, eight position players and two utility players.
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.
Alvarez, the 2006 consensus National Freshman of the Year, is among the offensive leaders for the Commodores with a .380 batting average to go along with 15 homers and 55 RBI.
Price, a semifinalist for the award a year ago, is in the midst of his best season at Vanderbilt. The junior from Murfreesboro is 9-0 with a 2.91 ERA and has 149 strikeouts and 26 walks in 105.1 innings this season. He has tallied double-digit strikeouts in nine of his 14 starts this year and is currently second the nation in strikeouts per nine innings.
Price
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In addition, Price is one of 10 semifinalists for the Roger Clemens Award, given out to the best pitcher in college baseball.
The other semifinalists are Adrian Alaniz of Texas, Barry Enright of Pepperdine, Preston Guilmet of Arizona, Bryan Henry of Florida State, Brian Matusz of San Diego, Adam Mills of Charlotte, Kyle Nicholson of Texas A&M, Nick Schmidt of Arkansas, and Jacob Thompson of Virginia. This group includes three seniors, four juniors and three sophomores. Six of the 10 throw right-handed.
The 10 were selected during the first round of voting, which ended on May 14. Voters include all Division 1 head baseball coaches, a selection of national media who cover collegiate baseball, the 16 winners of the R. E. “Bob” Smith Award, which was presented to the top player in the country here in Houston in 1988-2003, and the 10 previous finalists for the Clemens Award. The second round of voting will begin on May 28, with the announcement of the three finalists set for June 7.
The Roger Clemens Award was named after future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens, who began his march to stardom while leading the University of Texas to the College World Series title in 1983. As a professional, Clemens has won 348 games (eighth best in history), fanned more than 4,600 batters and won and seven Cy Young Awards, emblematic as the top pitcher in his league. The Roger Clemens Award is the only award of its kind, honoring the finest pitchers in college baseball.
The event is administered by the Greater Houston Baseball Association, who has donated more than $300,000 to the charities from the net proceeds from the first three dinners. The GHBA is a non-profit 501.3 (C) organization dedicated to the growth of amateur baseball in the Houston area.
