NCBWA News from Bo Carter News

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has established a new award honoring student-athletes who are active in service and volunteerism in their communities and will honor nine finalists as part of a Tony Gwynn Community 9 Team in May 2025. A winner selected from the nine finalists will be dubbed the Tony Gwynn Community Service Trophy honoree and announced during the Men’s College World Series in June.

Todd Helton, the 1995 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear recipient, has another feather in his already-extensive baseball cap. Helton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last week in Cooperstown, New York, as the first Howser Trophy winner and first Tennessee alumnus to be recognized with this high baseball honor.

No. 1 Tennessee captured its first NCAA Baseball Championship this year after starting 2024 at No. 5 in the NCBWA polls while NCAA runnerup was preseason No. 10 Texas A&M.

In the midst of the best season in program history, Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione has been named the 2024 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Mike Martin National Coach of the Year.

Georgia 3B-1B-OF Charlie Condon, who produced one of the top hitting performances in Southeastern Conference history this season, is the 37th recipient of the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced its 26th Annual District Players of the Year for all nine districts for the 2024 season.

The five finalists for the Howser Trophy, which has been presented since 1987 except for the 2020 COVID-shortened season, are junior second baseman Travis Bazzana of Oregon State, junior pitcher Chase Burns of Wake Forest, junior first baseman/pitcher Jac Caglianone of Florida, redshirt sophomore third baseman/first baseman/outfielder Charlie Condon of Georgia, and junior starting pitcher Hagen Smith of Arkansas.

No. 1 NCAA Championship seed Tennessee is No. 1 in the survey for the fifth week in succession while Kentucky, Texas A&M and North Carolina remain Nos. 2-4 ahead of No. 5 Clemson as 16 teams compete for eight spots at the NCAA World Series June 14-22/23 at Charles Schwab Park in Omaha, Neb. All 16 NCAA Super Regional competitors are in this week’s Top 25.

Tennessee is No. 1 for the fourth week in succession, while Kentucky and Texas A&M remain Nos. 2-3 ahead of North Carolina and Arkansas. All 16 teams hosting NCAA Regionals are among this week’s Top 25 as well as No. 1 NCAA seed and the other seven seeds 2-8. Twenty-eight of the Division I conference champs either are among the ranked squads or received votes.

Tennessee remains No. 1 for the third straight week, while Kentucky jumped one spot to a season-best No. 2. Texas A&M is No. 3, Clemson is No. 4 and Arkansas is No. 5, as NCAA Division I conference tournaments begin.

The Dick Howser Trophy Committee, in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, has denoted the list of semifinalists for the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear. The prestigious award in college baseball is given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members. This year’s 68 candidates come from 18 different conferences and 48 different schools.

Tennessee remained at No. 1 ahead of three other Southeastern Conference teams in the Nos. 2-4 locales (No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Texas A&M). Kentucky rose to a season-best spot, while North Carolina, of the Atlantic Coast Conference, climbed to a season-best No. 5.

Tennessee becomes the fifth team to garner a No. 1 ranking in this year’s NCBWA survey, just ahead of two-week No. 1 Texas A&M. The Volunteers join A&M, Wake Forest, Oregon State and Arkansas in holding down DI’s top position.

Texas A&M, the fourth school to be ranked No. 1 this spring, is No. 1 for third consecutive week while Arkansas, Tennessee and Clemson remain Nos. 2-4. East Carolina has climbed to a season-high No. 5.

Texas A&M, the fourth school to be ranked No. 1 this spring, while Atlantic Coast Conference powers Clemson and Duke now are Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, behind Arkansas and Tennessee of the Southeastern Conference.

Texas A&M has achieved its first No. 1 ranking this spring while Arkansas, the leader from March 18-April 8, dropped to No. 3 behind No. 2 Tennessee. The Aggies are the fourth team to achieve No. 1 this year, joining Wake Forest, Oregon State and the Razorbacks.

Arkansas (no solar eclipse here) is No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week while Clemson and Texas A&M remain at Nos. 2 and 3 positions for the second poll in succession as well as the Nos. 4-6 slots (Tennessee, Oregon State, Vanderbilt).

Arkansas is No. 1 for the third consecutive week while Texas A&M climbed to a season-high No. 3 ranking. Indiana State, of the Missouri Valley Conference, made its 2024 debut at No. 25 while Big Ten Conference power Nebraska also is in its first ’24 survey at No. 23.

Arkansas, which ascended to No. 1 in the March 18 survey, retained its top position while Oregon State (No. 2) and Clemson (No. 3) held down their same slots from the previous poll. The SEC (11) and ACC (8) had a combined 19 schools represented in this week’s Top 25.

Arkansas, currently carrying a nation-best winning streak of 13 games and 17-2 overall, has become the third different school to top the NCBWA polls this spring. Wake Forest and Oregon State previously held the top position.