June 9, 2006

HOUSTON - University of Houston junior righthander/DH Brad Lincoln continued to collect honors Friday when he was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy as well as the District VII Player of the Year as chosen by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Lincoln already has been named a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award and a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award. He joined Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum, Cal State Fullerton pitcher Wes Roemer, Rice pitcher Eddie Degerman and James Madison outfielder Kellen Kulbacki in the group of finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy. The 2006 winner will be announced at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on June 16 at 10 a.m.

Lincoln became the first player in both school and Conference USA history to be taken among the Top 10 picks of Major League Baseball's amateur draft Tuesday when he was selected at No. 4 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lincoln, who recently was named to the Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger All-America First Team as a utility player, emerged as one of the nation's finest all-around players in 2006. He compiled a sparkling 12-2 record with a 1.69 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 127.2 innings of work. Those numbers were even better in C-USA games only where he assembled a 7-0 record with a 1.28 ERA.

Lincoln's strikeout total ranked as the third-best mark in UH single-season history and moved him into third in UH career history with 293 punchouts.

He was named a C-USA Pitcher of the Week four times during the regular season and was honored as the Pro-Line Cap National Pitcher of the Week after tossing a five-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in the series opener at No. 1 Rice on May 12.

However, Lincoln was one of the Cougars' leading hitters all season. In 2006, he compiled a .295 batting average with 14 home runs and a team-leading 53 RBIs. He blasted a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Cougars to an 11-10 win over Texas-San Antonio in the season on opener on Feb. 7.

With his pitching and offensive numbers, Lincoln ranked among the Top 10 C-USA individual leaders in five of the six Triple Crown categories for the majority of the 2006 season.

He was honored as the C-USA Pitcher of the Year while also being named to the league's First Team but was recognized at DH on the C-USA All-Tournament Team for his performance at the plate.

Lincoln blasted a home run and earned a pitching win in games at UC Irvine and against C-USA rival Tulane earlier this season. With that, he joined current San Diego Padre pitcher Woody Williams as the only players to hit a home run and collect a win from the mound in the same game twice during their careers.

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 includes performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.

A Florida native, Howser was twice an All-America shortstop at FSU (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 St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 107th year of existence in 2006. 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, Baylor, 1999; Mark Teixeira, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001, Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003 and Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; and Alex Gordon, Nebraska, 2005.

Lincoln was one of nine players chosen as District Player of the Year. He was joined by Pittsburgh junior second baseman Jim Negrych (District I), Monmouth senior shortstop Nick Massari (District II), Kentucky junior first baseman Ryan Strieby (District III), James Madison outfielder Kellen Kulbacki (District IV), Ohio State junior third baseman Ronnie Bourquin (District V), Nebraska junior outfielder Luke Gorsett (District VI), Utah senior shortstop Ryan Khoury (District VIII) and Cal State Fullerton sophomore pitcher Wes Roemer (District IX).

The nine geographic areas of each District are broken down as follows: District I - Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania; District II - Connecticut, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, District of Columbia; District III - Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida; District IV - Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland; District V - Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin; District VI - Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota; District VII - Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana; District VIII - Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Montana; District IX - California, Oregon, Washington, Hawai'i, Arizona, Alaska.