Thompson Named Dick Howser Trophy Finalist
DALLAS – Junior All-American third baseman David Thompson was among the five players named as finalists for the 2015 Dick Howser Trophy presented by Easton Foundations.
Balloting was conducted by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, in conjunction with the Dick Howser Trophy committee and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
Thompson is the sole finalist from the ACC, joined by Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi, UCLA relief ace David Berg, Vanderbilt starting pitcher Carson Fulmer and Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson to make up the elite final five finalists for the 29th annual Howser Trophy ceremonies.
Thompson, a junior from Miami, Fla., has earned All-America first-team honors from Collegiate Baseball and first-team All-ACC accolades by the league’s coaches. Thompson, the nation’s leader in home runs (19) and RBIs (85), was a critical member of a Miami offense that finished the regular season ranked first in runs scored and runs per game. He led Miami in nearly every offensive category, including home runs, RBIs, doubles (18), total bases (159) and slugging percentage (.677). Thompson was one of just three players to start all 62 games in 2015, helping power the Hurricanes to a 47-15 overall record, their second straight ACC Coastal Division crown, the NCAA Coral Gables Regional title and a berth in the NCAA Coral Gables Super Regional against VCU this weekend.
Thompson would become the second player to ever win the Dick Howser Award, joining Mike Fiore, who won the inaugural award in 1987.
The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network on Thursday, June 11, and then a press conference with the winner will be held on Saturday, June 13 at 10 a.m. (CDT), the opening day of the 2015 College World Series.
Each finalist also represents the ideals of character, leadership, desire, and competitive spirit exhibited by Dick Howser, the All-America shortstop and later head coach at Florida State, before managing the Kansas City Royals to the world championship in 1985. He also is the namesake for Dick Howser Stadium at FSU.
Voting for the Dick Howser Trophy has been conducted by the NCBWA membership since 1999 after the American Baseball Coaches Association selected the recipient from 1987-1998. The NCBWA also selects the Stopper of the Year, the Division I National Coach of the Year and National Freshman Hitter and Pitcher of the Year, along with NCAA Division II and III All-America teams, Players and Coaches of the Year.
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, P, Baylor, 1999; Mark Teixeira, 1B, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001; Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickie Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, P, Houston, 2006; David Price, P, Vanderbilt, 2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008; Stephen Strasburg, P, San Diego State, 2009; Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice, 2010; Taylor Jungmann, P, Texas, 2011; Mike Zunino, C, Florida, 2012; Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego and A.J. Reed, P/1B, Kentucky, 2014.
