Ellis, McKay Named Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalists
May 18, 2017 | Baseball
Louisville duo among 25 players under consideration for national player of the year honor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville junior tandem Drew Ellis and Brendan McKay were named Thursday among 25 semifinalists for the 2017 Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top player in collegiate baseball.
This is the 31st year of the Dick Howser Trophy. The finalists will be announced on Friday, June 9 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The 2017 award will be presented at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, the home of the College World Series for the seventh year. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network on Friday, June 16 and then a press conference with the winner will be held on Saturday, June 17 at 10 a.m. (CDT), the opening day of the 2017 CWS.
Ellis enters the weekend ranked fourth in the NCAA in slugging percentage (.754), ninth in batting average (.398), 10th in on-base (.491) and 26th in home runs (15) to go with 18 doubles while splitting time between first base and third base. The Jeffersonville, Indiana native is No. 1 in the ACC in average, slugging and on-base and fourth in home runs and doubles. Ellis was named as the National Player of the Month for April by the NCBWA and has a .368 career batting average.
McKay ranks 15th in the nation in on-base percentage (.484), 17th in slugging (.691) and 26th in home runs (15) while also ranking eighth in strikeouts (110), 12th in WHIP (0.86) and 19th in ERA (1.80) as a pitcher. The six-time ACC Pitcher of the Week (four this season) also has an 8-3 record in 12 Friday starts on the mound while also starting 51 games this season as a hitter. The Darlington, Pennsylvania native has a 29-10 career record with a 1.98 ERA and 355 strikeouts (second all-time at UofL) to go with a .334 career batting average in 170 starts.
No. 2 Louisville kicks off its final regular season series against Florida State on Thursday at 6 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
2017 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
Pos. Name, School
Riley Adams, C, San Diego
J.B. Bukauskas, SP, North Carolina
Seth Beer, OF, Clemson
Dylan Burdeaux, 1B, Southern Miss
Jake Burger, 3B, Missouri State
Morgan Cooper, SP, Texas
Greg Deichmann, OF, LSU
Jeremy Eierman, SS, Missouri State
Drew Ellis, 3B, Louisville
Stuart Fairchild, OF, Wake Forest
Ben Fisher, 1B, Eastern Kentucky
Steven Gingery, SP, Texas Tech
Brian Glowicki, RP, Minnesota
Hunter Hargrove, 1B, Texas Tech
Adam Haseley, UTL, Virginia
Luke Heimlich, SP, Oregon State
Niko Hulsier, OF, Morehead State
Ryan Mahan, 2B, KentuckyÂ
Brendan McKay, UTL, Louisville
David Peterson, SP, Oregon
Brent Rooker, 1B, Mississippi State
Jake Scheiner, SS, Houston
Braden Schewmake, 2B, Texas A&M
Taylor Schwaner, SS/3B, Southeastern Louisiana
Jake Thompson, SP, Oregon State
Â
