TCU's Broadway Named Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy Finalist

Lance Broadway

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, has released the four finalists for the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball. The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy based on three rounds of voting. The 2005 winner will announced at the College World Series in Omaha on Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. CDT, during a live television show on CSTV: College Sports Television. TCU righthanded pitcher Lance Broadway, Miami righthander Cesar Carrillo, Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon and Florida State outfielder Shane Robinson are the finalists for this year’s award.

All four finalists and their head coaches will be on hand for the live presentation in Omaha. This marks the first time that the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy will be awarded during a national television broadcast. In addition to airing the live announcement on June 17 at 11 a.m. EDT/10 a.m. CDT, CSTV will re-air the broadcast on June 19 and June 25. Please check the CSTV website for all dates and times of re-broadcasts at http://cstv.collegesports.com/tvschedule.htm.

CSTV, the fastest growing independent cable network, has agreements with distributors that serve more than 65 million households nationwide. It deals with the top six distributors – Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and Adelphia, among others.

Broadway, the Conference USA Pitcher of the Year, has established new school and conference records for victories with a nation-leading 15. The Grand Prairie, Texas native is 15-1 with a 1.62 ERA and has struck out 144 batters with just 35 walks in 117 innings pitched. Broadway closed out his season by allowing only two earned runs in his final 45 innings pitched, helping TCU set a new school record for victories in a season.

Carrillo has guided the Hurricanes into the NCAA Super Regionals with a 13-2 record and a 2.22 ERA. A native of Chicago, he has struck out 122 batters and walked only 20. Carrillo has thrown a pair of complete games and also picked up a save earlier in the season.

Gordon, the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, will square off against Carrillo in the Lincoln Super Regional this weekend. The Lincoln, Neb., native is batting a team-best .382 with 22 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 62 RBI. Gordon also tops the team in stolen bases, having swiped 23 in 26 attempts.

Robinson leads the nation in hits (121) and is batting .434. He has hit 25 doubles, six home runs and driven in 43 runs. The Tampa, Fla., product has proved to be a major threat on the base paths as well, swiping 48 bases in 55 attempts. He established a new Seminole record by hitting safely in 40 consecutive games, a streak that spanned from last year’s NCAA Regionals until April 3. It was just the seventh time in NCAA Division I history that a player hit safely in 40 straight games.

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 includes 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 FSU (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 St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 106th year of existence in 2005. 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 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.

Xanthus Higher Education is a progressive, multi-faceted organization that endeavors to assist institutions of higher learning in all aspects of educational debt management, including assisting with student loan allocation and debt consolidation. This is accomplished through the development of strategic alliances and partnerships with selected organizations throughout the United States. Launched in 2002, Xanthus Higher Education is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla.

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 and Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004.