Schmidt on Brooks Wallace Award Watch List

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –– Arkansas sophomore Nick Schmidt was among 120 college baseball players named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list on Wednesday by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Texas.

Schmidt, a left-handed pitcher from St. Louis, Mo., went 8-2 last season with a 2.80 ERA in 99.2 innings of work. He registered wins over College World Series participants Florida, Tennessee and CWS Champion Texas during his freshman campaign.

He was a freshman All-America by Louisville Slugger and SEbaseball.com tabbed him as the SEC’s Freshman of the Year. Schmidt set the Arkansas freshman record for starts with 17 and tied for the most innings pitched with 99.2. His eight wins and 89 strikeouts were the third most by a rookie in school history.

Schmidt is one of 12 players from the SEC to be included on the Wallace Award Watch which is given annually to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player.

The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by late May.Then the selection committee will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals at a press conference in Omaha.The finalists, their head coaches, and their parents will be invited to Lubbock, TX, for a schedule of special events tied to the award banquet, which will again be nationally televised by Fox Sports Network.

Dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech shortstop and assistant coach, Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. A 4-year starter, he was named All-Southwest Conference and All-District Six his senior year when he led the Red Raiders to their first-ever appearance in the Southwest Conference Tournament. After playing two years in the Texas Rangers organization, he returned to Texas Tech and served as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach.

In the summer of 1984 he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27. The Plano, Texas, native was married to the former Sandy Arnold and they had one daughter, Lindsay Ryan.

The selection committee for the Wallace Award is comprised of a national panel of preeminent coaches, sports information directors, former winners and beat media who most closely follow the sport. Screening Committee members will evaluate the candidates and will continue their review throughout the entire baseball season.

The list will expand and contract during the regular season and additional Wallace Watch candidates may be added as the season progresses. Voting for the three finalists and the Wallace Award winner will be conducted by confidential balloting, with totals tabulated by the J.W.Anderson & Associates accounting firm in Lubbock, TX.

2006 Wallace Watch

Ian Kennedy, P, USC Shane Robinson, OF, Florida State Shelby Ford, SS, Oklahoma State Matt McHargue, 1B, USF Max Scherzer, P, Missouri Marc Maddox, 1B, Southern Miss Joe Savery, P-ATH, Rice Dallas Buck, P, Oregon State Ty Dunham, P, Central Michigan Adrian Alaniz, P, Texas Matt LaPorta, 1B, Florida J. P. Arencibia, C, Tennessee Wade LeBlanc, P, Alabama Michael Ambort, C, Lamar Tim Lincecum, P, Washington Matt Rizzotti, 1B, Manhattan Jason Meyer, P, Texas A&M Chris Minaker, SS, Stanford Jim Negrych, 2B, Pittsburgh Hector Ambriz, P-ATH, UCLA Adam Carr, 1B, Oklahoma State Wes Roemer, P, Cal State Fullerton Brooks Brown, P, Georgia Colin Curtis, OF, Arizona State Drew Stubbs, OF, Texas Andrew Miller, P, North Carolina Evan Longoria, 3B, Long Beach State Scott Sizemore, 2B, VCU Beau Mills, 3B, Fresno State Mike Folli, SS, Buffalo Matt Melancon, P, Arizona Joseph Callendar, 2B, Texas Tech Joe Spiers, SS, Hawai’i Joba Chamberlain, P, Nebraska Matt Farrington, P, Houston Nick Schmidt, P, Arkansas Chris Campbell, 2B, College of Charleston Clay Dirks, P, LSU Brad Emaus, 3B, Tulane Greg Dowling, 1B, Georgia Southern Jay Heafner, 3B, Davidson Jeff Kunkel, C, Michigan Chris Perez, P, Miami Kevin Gunderson, P, Oregon State Tyler Chambliss, P, Florida State Steven Wright, P, Hawai’i Pat McMahon, C, Northwestern Jim Viscomi, OF, Evansville Brennan Boesch, OF, California Chris Valaika, SS, UC Santa Barbara Jake Ball, SS, Jacksonville State Michael McKenry, C, Middle Tenne. St. Matt Wieters, C-ATH, Georgia Tech Chad Huffman, OF, TCU Jeremy Jones, OF, N. Carolina A&T Matt Lewis, OF, Penn State Heath Rollins, P-ATH, Winthrop Sean Doolittle, P-ATH, Virginia Matt Antonelli, 3B, Wake Forest Cory Riordan, P, Fordham Derrick Lutz, P, George Washington Bernard Robert, P, Alabama John Jay, OF, Miami Jordan Pacheco, 2B, New Mexico Paul Coleman, P, Pepperdine Luke Hopkins, 1B, New Mexico State Luke Trubee, P, Dayton Chris Johnson, 2B, Stetson Chris Coghlan, 3B, Ole Miss Jared McGuire, 3B, Boston College Wes Hodges, 3B, Georgia Tech Steven Guerra, P, Oklahoma Anton Daley, DH-ATH, Prairie View Troy Krider, DH-ATH, Michigan State Rowdy Hardy, P, Austin Peay Taylor Fowler, P, Arkansas State Kodiak Quick, P, Kansas Brian Blomquist, P, Illinois Tim Bascom, P, Central Florida P. J. Walters, P, South Alabama Scott Cousins, P-ATH, San Francisco Johnny Dorn, P, Nebraska Keith Weiser, P, Miami (OH) Corey VanAllen, P, Baylor Elih Villanueva, P, Florida International Mitch Hilligoss, SS, Purdue Brandon Hynick, P, Birmingham-Southern James Bennett, OF, UL Monroe Charlie Yarbrough, OF, Longwood Blake Davis, SS, Cal State Fullerton Kyle Jones, Texas State, DH-ATH David Price, P, Vanderbilt Brett Pill, 1B, Cal State Fullerton Jay Miller, OF, Washington State Taylor Harbin, 2B, Clemson Shane Buschini, OF, San Diego Kraig Binick, OF New York Tech Joseph Hunter, OF, Mississippi State Gib Hobson, P, NC State Brett Sinkbeil, P, Missouri State Jon Willard, OF, South Carolina Michael Taylor, OF, Stanford Derek Schermerhorn, 3B, Wichita State Josh Landry, OF, Louisiana Daniel Delcalso, 2B, UC Davis John Gaub, P, Minnesota John Shelby, DH-ATH, Kentucky Brennan Garr, P-ATH, N. Colorado Jared Hughes, P. Long Beach State Chad Tracy, C, Pepperdine Quinton Berry, OF, San Diego State Ryan Bird, OF, UNLV Hunter Mense, OF, Missouri Brandon Dewing, P, San Jose State Chris Pettit, OF, Loyola Marymount Scott Reese, P, Creighton Matt Poulk, 3B, UNC-Wilmington Cory Luebke, P, Ohio State Nick Hill, P, Army Ben Saylor, 1B, BYU Justin Baum, 3B-C, Pacific Luis Alamia, OF, Texas Pan American Kevin Koski, OF, Southern Illinois Aaron Bates, 1B-C, North Carolina State Mickey Storey, P, Florida Atlantic Scott Simon, 1B, Northern Illinois