DALLAS – Coastal Carolina sophomore designated hitter and first baseman Derek Bender was one of 60 NCAA Division I baseball student-athletes named a 2023 Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, the Dick Howser Trophy Committee, in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCWBA) and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce announced on Friday, May 19.

The 2023 Dick Howser Trophy, presented by The Game Headwear, is the most prestigious award in college baseball and is given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting.

Balloting was done by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, in conjunction with the Dick Howser Trophy Committee and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week powered by Diamond Sports on May 15, Bender is hitting .335 (67-for-200) with 17 home runs, two triples, nine doubles, 74 RBIs, 51 runs, four sacrifice flies, two stolen bases, a .655 slugging percentage, and a .396 on-base percentage.

Bender leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks eighth nationally with 74 RBIs on the season, while his 1.48 RBIs per game average also leads the Sun Belt and ranks eighth in all of NCAA Division I.

His 74 RBIs are just eight away from tying the Coastal Carolina single-season record of 82 RBIs held by both David Anderson (2009) and Zach Biermann (2019).

He leads the team with 17 home runs on the season, which is fourth in the Sun Belt and tied for 50th nationally, and has hit two home runs in three different games this season – versus Wake Forest (March 7), Georgia Southern (April 7), and Southern Miss (April 21).

The sophomore has reached base safely in 45 of the 50 games he has played and scored a run in 35 of those 50 contests. He has driven in multiple RBIs in 18 games on the season, including a season-high five RBIs in five different games.

This is the 36th year of the Dick Howser Trophy. The finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 8. The 2023 award will be presented at Charles Schwab Field in downtown Omaha, the home of the College World Series for the 11th year. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network on Thursday, June 15, in the 9 a.m. CDT hour. A Friday, June 16, press conference with the winner will be held at 10 a.m. CDT, the opening day just prior to the first game of the 76th NCAA College World Series.

The Dick Howser Trophy, presented by The Game Headwear, 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, is regarded as baseball's most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.

The No. 8 Chants (34-17, 20-7 Sun Belt) and the Marshall Thundering Herd (16-34, 5-22 Sun Belt) will play tonight, May 19, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
 
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