BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford second baseman John Anderson and pitcher Michael Ross were both named semifinalists for the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy, the Dick Howser Trophy Committee in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced Thursday afternoon.
 
The award is given annually to the top player in all of college baseball based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members. The finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 8, and the award will be presented at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, the home of the College World Series, for the 12th year. The winner also will be unveiled on MLB Network on Thursday, June 13, in the 9 a.m. (CDT) highlight show hour. A Friday, June 14, news conference with the winner will be held at 10 a.m., the opening day just prior to the first game of the 77th NCAA College World Series, in the Schwab Stadium Media Room.
 
Anderson is hitting .376 so far this season with 17 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 59 RBI. He is currently tied for second in the Southern Conference in doubles and tied for fifth in the league in RBI. He also leads Samford and ranks eighth in the SoCon with a .667 slugging percentage.
 
Ross has accumulated an impressive 11-0 record so far this season. His 11 wins lead the SoCon and are just one win shy of tying the school record of 12 wins. He also leads the SoCon with a 2.77 ERA. He has recorded 81 strikeouts this season, while allowing just 16 walks and holding opposing hitters to a .227 batting average.
 
Samford will host Wofford in a three-game Southern Conference series, starting Thursday. The teams are scheduled to play Thursday at 4 p.m., Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. All three games can be seen live on ESPN+, and fans can also follow the games online via live stats. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: BASEBALL SCHEDULE.

2024 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS 

Pos. 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
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford baseball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordBaseball (Facebook), @SamfordBaseball (Instagram) and @SamfordBaseball (Twitter).