NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt student-athlete trio of Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter and Enrique Bradfield Jr. were each selected as semifinalists for the 2021 Dick Howser Trophy, announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association this week.
The Southeastern Conference led the way with 14 semifinalists, as Vanderbilt tied with Arkansas for the most in the nation with three representatives.
Entering the weekend, Bradfield ranked among the top 10 in the SEC across five different offensive categories, including: stolen bases (first, 41), batting average (third, .370), on-base percentage (second, .486), walks (sixth, 35) and runs scored (ninth, 48).
Leiter and Rocker, who were also both named to the USA Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, entered the weekend ranked first and second, respectively, nationally in strikeouts.
Rocker leads the country with 11 wins on the season, while ranking first in the SEC in innings pitched with 88.0 innings of work this season.
Leiter ranked third in the conference in ERA, posting a 2.05 mark entering the weekend. He also led the league in hits allowed per nine, with a 3.84.
This is the 34th year of the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given to the top player in collegiate baseball. The finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 10. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network, as the date and time for the announcement will be announced in the near future.
Former Vanderbilt standout David Price is the only Commodore to win the award, as Price received the honor following the 2007 season.
