UCLA Shortstop Named Dick Howser Trophy Finalist

On the heels of a stellar sophomore season, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky has been named a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), it was announced Thursday.

Cholowsky, who is the first Bruin to be named a finalist for the award since relief pitcher David Berg in 2015, is joined by three other finalists -- Arkansas junior shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, Tennessee junior ace Liam Doyle and Florida State's junior shortstop Alex Lodsie.

The sophomore shortstop is putting together one of the best seasons in UCLA baseball history, earning both the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the Bruins' first season in the Big Ten.

UCLA, led by Cholowsky, is gearing up to take on UTSA in the Los Angeles Super Regional and is boasting a 45-16 overall record on the season, the most games the Bruins have won since 2019, which was their last time making a supers appearance.

According to UCLA Athletics, Cholowsky led all Division I hitters in WAR with a 5.85 mark. He hit 23 home runs and 71 RBIs while putting up a .370 batting average on the season. He also led the Big Ten in OPS (1.261) and slugging percentage (.761).

The Dick Howser Trophy is rewarded every year to college baseball's top player of the year. Think of it as baseball's Heisman.

The award was established in 1987 and is named after Dick Howser, standout Florida State shortstop and MLB World Series-winning manager for the Kansas City Royals in 1985. He passed away from brain cancer in 1987.

Some notable Howser Trophy winners from the last couple of decades include Paul Skenes for LSU in 2023, Adley Rutschman in 2019 for Oregon State, Kris Bryant for San Diego in 2013, Stephen Strasburg for San Diego State in 2009 and Buster posey in 2008 for Florida State.

Needless to say, winning this award more than likely guarantees a pretty successful career in the pros.

The winner of the award will be announced on Friday, June 13, on MLB Network ahead of the Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Bruins first must take on UTSA in Super Regionals at Jackie Robinson Stadiumt this weekend. The first game of the best-of-three series is on Saturday, June 7, at 4 p.m. PT on ESPNU.