Shehan Named Howser Award Semifinalist

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern University’s Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) was named as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced the 16 semifinalists to receive the ‘National Player of the Year Award’.

Shehan is the only representative from the Southern Conference and one of three outfielders among the final 16. The NCBWA membership will conduct another round of voting to choose the national award winner.

The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy based on three rounds of voting.  The 2008 winner will be announced just prior to the first game of the College World Series, with a press conference slated for Saturday, June 14, at 10 a.m. (CDT) at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

This week Shehan was ranked among the ‘Top 100’ nationally in eight different categories - including a nation’s best 165 total bases. Shehan also ranks second in batting average (.445), runs per game (77), slugging percentage (.835) and on-base percentage (.564). Shehan’s current .445 season batting average would rank third in program history.

With one more home run, Shehan will have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Only one other time in Georgia Southern history has that been accomplished (Rob Fitzpatrick, 21 homers/25 stolen bases in 1990). There has been only one player in NCAA history to reach the 30/30 plateau, 1997 Howser Award winner J.D. Drew of Florida State (31/32).

In addition to leading the squad in: runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI (69) and walks (47), he ranks second in home runs (19) and stolen bases (20-21). Twice this year Shehan has hit two home runs in a game - the series opener against USC Upstate then three games later in the same week versus Columbia (part of the NCAA record 14 hit).

He is a national ‘Player of the Week’ award winner, twice been named SoCon Player of the Week and was the SoCon’s ‘March Player of the Month”.

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 twice an 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 winner's name is inscribed on the permanent trophy, a bronze bust of Howser displayed at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg - home of the Tampa Bay Rays and the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four – along with several other locations. Both the winner and his school receive a special trophy to keep.

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 109th year of existence in 2008. The organization has long been a vital force in the baseball affairs of the city, both in spring training and during the pursuit of a major league baseball franchise for the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg area and continues its solid role in the 21st Century.

NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.

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; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; and Brad Lincoln, P/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, P, Vanderbilt.

2008 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS

Ike Davis, UT, Arizona State

Brett Wallace, 3B, Arizona State

David Cooper, 1B, California

Buster Posey, C, Florida State

Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia

Chris Shehan, OF, Georgia Southern

Sawyer Carroll, OF, Kentucky

Collin Cowgill, OF, Kentucky

Jemile Weeks 2B, Miami ( Fla. )

Aaron Crow, P, Missouri

Johnny Dorn, P, Nebraska

George Brown, P, St. John’s

Brian Matusz, P, San Diego

Stephen Strasburg, P, San Diego State

Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina

Shooter Hunt, P, Tulane