LEXINGTON ? Kentucky first baseman Ryan Strieby has been named to the watch list for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is awarded by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce to the top player in collegiate baseball.
Strieby is leading the 13th-ranked Wildcats in home runs (12), doubles (18), RBIs (55), slugging percentage (.700) and on-base percentage (.481) while batting in the middle of the lineup. With his bat in the middle of the lineup, the Wildcats rank fifth in the nation in both home runs and doubles while being 11th in scoring.
Strieby is the only player in the Southeastern Conference to rank in the top 12 in the league in batting average (11th), home runs (4th) and RBIs (1st). For good measure, he also leads the SEC in doubles while ranking second in both on-base and slugging.
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 a two-time 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 membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy based on three rounds of voting. The 2006 winner will be announced at the College World Series in Omaha on Friday, June 16, at 9:30 a.m. CDT.
The Howser Trophy was created in 1987, shortly after Howser’s death. Previous winners include 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, RHP, Long Beach State, 2004; and Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005.
