Richie Martin Named A Finalist For the Brooks Wallace Award
Friday, June 12, 2015 | Baseball
LUBBOCK, Texas – With four teams from the Southeastern Conference in the College World Series, it's no surprise the three finalists for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame's Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award hail from that conference.
It's also no surprise that all three were high draft picks in this week's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and will be leading their respective teams in Omaha beginning Saturday.
The finalists for the award are three of the top overall players in the nation - juniors Dansby Swanson of Vanderbilt, Alex Bregman of LSU and Richie Martin of Florida. Sponsored by Mizuno, the Wallace Award recognizes the nation's top shortstop and will be presented during the National College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions celebration on June 29 in Lubbock.
"The SEC is known for turning out some of the best players in the country on a yearly basis, and this year's crop of Wallace Award finalists is certainly no exception," said Tyler Young, Wallace Award co-chairman. "Each of these players has distinguished themselves among the top talents, as evidenced by not only their team's success but their individual accomplishments as well."
Swanson was the No. 1 overall choice in the Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, after leading the defending champion Commodores back to the CWS. Entering the weekend, Swanson is hitting .350 with 15 home runs, 62 RBIs and 16 steals in 18 attempts. He has committed just seven errors for a .975 fielding percentage.
Bregman won the Wallace Award as a freshman in 2013 and has the Tigers back in the College World Series for the first time since that season. He enters Omaha hitting .312 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs while stealing 37 bases in 47 attempts. In 63 games he has committed just nine errors for a .974 fielding percentage. He was taken No. 2 overall by the Houston Astros.
Martin has the Gators playing some of their best baseball of the season entering the College World Series, having swept Florida State in the Super Regional and going 3-0 in the Gainesville Regional. Martin is hitting .292 with five home runs, 33 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He has just eight errors for a .974 fielding percentage and was picked No. 20 overall by the Oakland A's.
"With three quality players putting up incredible numbers, picking the winner will be a hard task," Wallace Award co-chairman Larry Wallace said. "The fact that they all competed against each other in the SEC just shows the depth of talent in that league."
For more information on the Brooks Wallace Award or the National College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
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