DALLAS – University of Dayton baseball senior pitcher Nick Wissman has been named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy Award, a national award given to college baseball's top player presented annually by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), the organization announced Thursday afternoon.
 
Wissman, a Dayton native, leads the Atlantic 10 in wins with 10 and is second in the league in saves with seven. His win total is good for second-best in program history for a single season, while the seven saves ranks third. Wissman is the only player in program history to have his name on both lists in the same season.
 
This year's 68 candidates come from 18 different conferences and 48 different schools, with Wissman being the lone representative from the Atlantic 10 Conference. The '24 award will be presented at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, the home of the College World Series, for the 12^th year. The winner 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.
 
The Dick Howser Trophy, presented by The Game Headwear, is 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. The trophy is regarded as one of college baseball's most prestigious awards. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage – all qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.