Frazier Named Semifinalist for Dick Howser Award
May 14 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Junior Jeff Frazier (Toms River, NJ) was named one of 30 national semifinalists for the Dick Howser National Player of the Year award. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, working in Association with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, released the list of 30 semifinalists on Thursday and Frazier is one of two BIG EAST players on the list, joined by Pittsburgh’s PJ Hiser.
Frazier is hitting .385 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 53 RBI and a .659 slugging percentage. He is also hitting .403 in BIG EAST play. He is tied for the RU career home run mark (32) with Pete Zoccolillo and his next blast will set the record. He already owns the single-season mark of 13, set as a freshman in 2002. Frazier is one of just nine players in school history to crack the 200-hit mark in their career, currently sitting in seventh place with 210. With eight more hits this season, he will move as high as fourth and needs 16 hits to tie fellow Toms River native Jake Daubert (226 hits) for third on the list – the highest total for a player with just three varsity seasons. Frazier also owns 161 career RBI, fourth all-time at Rutgers, and 44 doubles, tied for seventh. He is hitting .350 in his 2+ seasons with RU.
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.
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; and Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003.
2004 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
SS Dustin Pedroia, Arizona State
RP Steven Register, Auburn
UT/ATH Connor Robertson, Birmingham-Southern
3B Brad McCann, Clemson
UT/ATH Ryan Jones, East Carolina
2B Trevor Lawhorn, East Carolina
P Justin Hoyman, Florida
OF Eddy Martinez-Esteve, Florida State
P Jered Weaver, Long Beach State
OF Jon Zeringue, LSU
1B Billy Becher, New Mexico State
3B Alex Gordon, Nebraska
C Chris Iannetta, North Carolina
P Spencer Grogan, Oklahoma State
1B-P Stephen Head, Ole Miss
UT/ATH P.J. Hiser, Pittsburgh
P Philip Humber, Rice
P Wade Townsend, Rice
OF Jeff Frazier, Rutgers
C Landon Powell, South Carolina
OF Ryan Frith, Southern Miss
2B Jarrett Hoffpauir, Southern Miss
2B Jed Lowrie, Stanford
P J.P. Howell, Texas
SP Jason Meyer, Texas A&M
1B Josh Brady, Texas Tech
P Matt Fox, UCF
2B Warner Jones, Vanderbilt
UT/ATH Joe Koshansky, Virginia
OF Chris Rahl, William & Mary
