March 25, 2009

College Baseball Awards Show Created

The board of directors and awards committees for the Dick Howser Trophy, Brooks Wallace Award, College Baseball Foundation, College Baseball Hall of Fame, and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association will come together to host an awards program to present the major individual honors for college baseball.

The College Baseball Awards Show will be in Lubbock, Texas, on July 2, 2009. The nationally-televised event will be followed by the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 3.

The awards to be presented include the Dick Howser Trophy, Brooks Wallace Award, NCBWA Stopper of the Year, CBF Pitcher of the Year, and National NCAA Division I Coach of the Year. Recognition of the Pro-Line Athletic/NCBWA All-America and Freshman All-America teams, the NCBWA Freshman Player and Pitcher of the Year, as well as other awards, will be included in the show.

This year marks the 23rd presentation of the Dick Howser Trophy, which traditionally had been presented in Omaha, Neb., during the College World Series. The trophy is named in memory of Florida State’s All-America shortstop Dick Howser, who played in the major leagues and later managed the New York Yankees and led the Kansas City Royals to the 1985 World Championship. The qualities of the recipient include performance, both academically and athletically, leadership, moral character and courage – all exemplified by Dick Howser.

The Brooks Wallace Award has been presented since 2004 to a college player of the year for athletic ability and courage. In 2009, for the first time, the award will be designated for a position player – shortstop. The award memorialized the Texas Tech shortstop who died from leukemia at the age of 27 after an outstanding playing and coaching career at the university.

Voting for the Dick Howser Trophy has been conducted by the NCBWA membership since 1999, after the American Baseball Coaches Association chose the winner from 1987 through 1997. The NCBWA also selects the NCAA Division I Stopper and Freshman of the Year.

The Brooks Wallace Award has been selected by a group of coaches, media, media relations directors and the Wallace Award committee since its inception in 2004.