DALLAS – Senior first baseman Sonny DiChiara has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 Dick Howser Trophy, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced this week.
DiChiara is one of 39 semifinalists for the award, including 10 from the Southeastern Conference. He becomes Auburn's fourth semifinalist for the award, joining Hunter Morris (2010), Casey Mize (2018) and Ryan Bliss (2021).
This is the 35th year of the Dick Howser Trophy. The finalists for the award will be announced on Thursday, June 9. The award will be presented at Charles Schwab Field in downtown Omaha on MLB Network on Friday, June 17, in the 9 a.m. CT hour, before a press conference with the winner will be held at 10 a.m., the opening day just prior to the first game of the College World Series.
The Dick Howser Trophy is regarded by many as college 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.
DiChiara leads the SEC in on-base percentage (.561) and slugging percentage (.782) and ranks second in the league in batting average (.382). He also leads the conference in on-base percentage (.544) in league play.
A native of Hoover, Alabama, DiChiara's 17 homers this season match Edouard Julien's total from 2018 for the most by an Auburn player since 2010. He has drawn 62 walks this season, the second most in the country and in the team's single-season history.
DiChiara and the Tigers (37-18, 16-13 SEC) begin their postseason push at the SEC Tournament, set to take on Kentucky (30-24 12-18 SEC) Tuesday night in Hoover.
DiChiara tabbed Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist
