Georgia’s Charlie Condon was selected the winner of the Dick Howser Trophy on Saturday as the national player of the year in college baseball after he led the country in home runs and batting average.
Condon batted .433 and hit 37 homers, the most by a Division I player since Rice’s Lance Berkman had 41 in 1997. Condon played first and third base and in the outfield and committed just four errors in 163 chances. He is projected to be an early pick in next month’s amateur draft.
The consensus first team All-American and Southeastern Conference player of the year became the first Georgia player to win the Howser Trophy, which is awarded based on voting by members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Other Howser Trophy finalists were Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Wake Forest pitcher Chase Burns, first baseman-pitcher Jac Caglianone of Florida and pitcher Hagen Smith of Arkansas.
The Howser Trophy honors the memory of Dick Howser, a two-time All-America shortstop for Florida State (1957-58) and later manager of the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals. The award has been presented since 1987, shortly after Howser’s death.
