Bulldogs Easley, Turner On Dick Howser Trophy Watch List
Easley, from Olive Branch, Miss., ranks second on the team and fifth in the SEC with a .393 batting average. He smacked his ninth and 10th home runs in a 7-4 Wednesday night win over Southern Miss., and leads the club with 48 RBI. Easley has also thrown out an SEC-leading 20 base-runners, eight in the past five games, and has picked two other runners off base.
Turner enters the weekend with an SEC-leading .444 batting average. Earlier this week the Cleveland, Tenn., product was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the second time he's been accorded the honor this year. Turner leads the team and ranks second in the SEC with 67 hits, paces the club with 22 multiple-hit games and enters the weekend series riding an 18-game hitting streak.
The MSU players are among eight Southeastern Conference players named to the Howser Trophy watch list.
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.
A Florida native, Howser was a two-time All-America shortstop at Florida State University (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 winner's name is inscribed on the permanent trophy, a bronze bust of Howser permanently displayed at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both the winner and his school receive a special trophy to keep.
The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 108th year of existence in 2007. 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.
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; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; and Brad Lincoln, P, Houston, 2006.