Florida Gators

ATHENS, Ga. – Florida Gators first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone has been selected as a semifinalist for the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy, as announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Foundation on Thursday afternoon.
 
Regarded as college baseball's most prestigious award, criteria for consideration of the Dick Howser Trophy includes performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage – all qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life. Brady Singer is the lone Gator to win the honor, doing so in 2018.
 
"The Dick Howser Trophy is 37 years old and continues to increase in prominence and the scope of its reach increases exponentially each year," David Feaster, chairman of the Howser Trophy Committee said. "It is a true testimony to Dick Howser's ability as a player, coach and gentlemen. I am proud to be associated with it."
 
As one of 68 semifinalists for the award, Caglianone has enjoyed a generational season both at the plate and on the mound. The slugger's 28 home runs sit second nationally. He leads Florida and ranks inside the top-10 nationally in each slash category with a remarkable .418/.529/.862 batting line. Caglianone is currently riding a team-record, 30-game hitting streak, which has followed two other remarkable feats in the form of a nine-game homer streak (April 6-19) and 66-consecutive at bats without a strikeout (April 7-27).
 
The Tampa, Fla. native holds status as the 36th-most-difficult batter to strike out in the country despite his prodigious power, fueling an 18-to-38 strikeout to walk ratio. Caglianone paces the Gators in virtually every offensive statistic including OPS (1.391), hits (82), homers, RBI (55), runs (62) and walks. The two-way standout ranks second in the SEC in hits, homers, total bases (169), batting average (seventh in NCAA) and slugging (fifth), third in OBP (10th), fifth in runs scored and t-11th in RBI.
 
On the mound, Caglianone is 5-1 and his .214 batting average against is the seventh-best in the SEC, as the southpaw has been charged with the fifth-fewest hits allowed and third-fewest homers surrendered among qualified SEC hurlers while ranking 14th in the conference with 59 2/3 innings pitched. The southpaw paces the Gators with 12 games started and his 66 strikeouts are good for a 10.0 K/9.
 
This year's 68 candidates come from 18 different conferences and 48 different schools. The Southeastern Conferences leads with 16 semifinalists with the Atlantic Coast having 13. Finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 8.
 
The winner's name is inscribed on the permanent trophy - a bronze bust of Howser displayed often at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg - home of the Tampa Bay Rays – an in various national locales. The winner and his school receive a special trophy to keep.
 
2024 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
 
Position, Name, School
Christian Almanza, 1B, Saint Mary's
Edgar Alvarez, 1B, Nicholls
Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee
John Anderson, 2B, Samford
Jamie Arnold, SP, Florida State
Evan Aschenbek, RP, Texas A&M
Ethan Bates, RP, Louisiana Tech
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State
Chris Beilenson, RP, Duke
Carson Benge, UTIL, Oklahoma State
Brooks Bryan, C, Troy
Chase Burns, SP, Wake Forest
Mason Burns, RP, Western Kentucky
Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
Blake Burke, 1B, Tennessee
Ryan Campos, C, Arizona State
Jac Caglianone, UTIL, Florida
Jakob Christian, OF, San Diego
Charlie Condon, 3B, Georgia
Caleb Cozart, DH, UNC Greensboro
Carter Cunningham, 1B, East Carolina
Kyle DeBarge, SS, Louisiana
Edwin DeLaCruz, C, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Daniel Dickinson, 2B, Utah Valley
Jalin Flores, SS, Texas
Carter Gaston, SP, Portland
Lawson Harrill, OF, Campbell
Luke Holman, SP, LSU
Bridger Holmes, RP, Oregon State
Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
Walter Janek, C, Sam Houston State
Ryan Johnson, SP, DBU
Dakota Jordan, OF, Mississippi State
Keith Jones, OF, New Mexico State
Caden Kendle, OF, UC Irvine
Seaver King, 2B, Wake Forest
Josh Kuroda-Grauer, SS, Rutgers
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
Alec Makarewicz, 3B, NC State
T.J. McCants, OF, Alabama
Cole McConell, OF, Louisiana Tech
Liam McFadden-Ackman, 1B, Northern Kentucky
LP Langevin, RP, Louisiana
Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
Caleb Lomavita, C, California
Izaak Martinez, RP, UC San Diego
Matthew Matthjis, SP, North Carolina
Lyle Miller-Green, OF, Austin Peay
Ben Miller, 3B, Duke
Gage Miller, 3B, Alabama
Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee
Ryan Prager, SP, Texas A&M
Jake Reinisch, DH, Wake Forest
Michael Ross, SP, Samford
Brett Sears, SP, Nebraska
Austin Smith, UTIL, San Diego
Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State
Hagen Smith, SP, Arkansas
James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State
Payton Tolle, SP, TCU
JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
Mason White, SS, Arizona
Tommy White, 3B, LSU
Nick Wissman, RP, Dayton
Jakob Wright, SP, Cal Poly
Blake Wright, 3B, Clemson
Trey Yesavage, SP, East Carolina
 
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