WVU’s JJ Wetherholt is considered one of 5 finalists for School Baseball’s coveted Dick Howser Award, introduced via the Nationwide Collegiate Baseball Writers Affiliation.
MORGANTOWN — After which there have been 5 …
That’s all that’s left within the chase for School Baseball’s coveted Dick Howser Award, introduced via the Nationwide Collegiate Baseball Writers Affiliation. It’s the award referred to as the sports activities Heisman Trophy, and West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt is considered one of them.
An afternoon after he didn’t make the finals of the Golden Spikes Award, given to the most productive beginner participant in the US, the Mountaineer celebrity 2d baseman and leadoff hitter discovered that he used to be considered one of 5 finalists for the Howser.
Certified?
You guess. If truth be told, whilst a case can also be made for all 5, JJ Wetherholt’s case is as sturdy as any as he has compiled a resume that has grown to the scale of a small encyclopedia:
–Nationwide batting championship with a school-record .449 moderate, together with 16 house runs, 24 doubles, a couple of triples, 60 RBI, 67 runs scored, 36 stolen bases.
–That ended in Giant 12 Participant of the 12 months honors, WVU’s first.
–It additionally ended in Collegiate Baseball’s first crew All-The usa.
–Toss in a place at the first crew Instructional All-American crew picked via School Sports activities Communications.
–And now Howser Award finalist.
The contest is powerful.
Wetherholt submit the best offensive season in WVU historical past as he hit a nation-leading .449 with 16 house runs, 24 doubles, two triples, 60 RBI, 67 runs scored, and 36 stolen bases. He used to be additionally named the Giant 12 Participant of the 12 months, a Collegiate Baseball first-team All-American, in addition to a first-team Instructional All-American via School Sports activities Communicators.
Two of them come from LSU. Outfielder Dylan Crews batted .432 with 17 house runs and 63 RBI whilst pitcher Paul Skenes used to be 11-2 in 16 begins with a 1.90 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 99.1 innings. Jac Caglianone is a two-way participant who hit .337 with 31 house runs and 84 RBI whilst compiling a 7-3 checklist in 16 begins with a three.78 ERA for Florida.
They had been the 3 Golden Spikes Award finalists. They had been joined on this via Wetherholt and Wake Woodland’s Rhett Lowden, who’s 14-0 in 16 begins with a 1.73 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings pitched.
You may assume that almost borders on perfection however Randy Mazey, Wetherholt’s supervisor at WVU, sees Wetherholt soaring in that very same mild.
“He simplest hit .450, because of this he makes extra outs than he will get hit,” Mazey jokingly stated. “JJ simply must proceed to be JJ. What adjectives may just you utilize, what superlative may just you utilize to explain that man? No one’s ever been best possible on the recreation of baseball, however he’s been as shut as you’ll get.”
He’d finished the entirety somebody may just ask of him in need of inventing a no-calorie chocolate cake, however taking into consideration he could be the most productive ‘batter’ in baseball, that could be subsequent.
“He’s had the most productive season I’ve ever observed via a unmarried participant, however past that, the kind of teammate he’s, the kind of chief he’s, what he does off the sphere is similarly spectacular to what he does within the box. I’ve by no means been part of a season like that,” Mazey added whilst on the Lexington Regional the place WVU used to be eradicated with losses to Indiana and Kentucky whilst beating Ball State.
Wetherholt wasn’t a ways from the baseball diamond on Thursday when he used to be a visitor at a baseball camp for his former formative years and highschool trainer, Andy Bednar, father of the Pirates’ David, in his house the town of Mars, Pa.
He stated he expects to play some within the Cape Cod League this summer season after which sign up for Crew USA.
