SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With the regular season entering its final weekend, Sacramento State sophomore closer Kade Brown continues to stand in the national spotlight, named as one of 67 semifinalists for the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy.
Now in its 38th year, the DIck Howser Trophy is awarded to the nation's top player according to voting by the members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The finalists will be announced on June 7, with the winner of the award unveiled prior to the start of the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
According to archived records dating back to the 2000 season, Brown is believed to be the first Sacramento State student-athlete to be named to either the watch list or as a semifinalist for the award. The lone representative from the Western Athletic Conference among this year's honorees, he is one of 11 from the West Coast named as a semifinalist along with three players from UC Irvine, two from both Oregon State and Oregon, as well as one each from UCLA, USC, and UC Santa Barbara.
A preseason All-America selection by the NCBWA and one of 56 named to the organization's midseason watch list for the Stopper of the Year Award, Brown enters the final week of the regular season ranked No. 3 in the NCAA with his 13 saves while posting a 3-2 record with a 2.50 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP over 20 appearances, striking out 47 over 39.2 innings of work and holding opposing hitters to a .183 average.
He is coming off a win in the finale against conference rival Utah Valley on the road to help the first-place Hornets clinch the series, throwing three innings of relief while allowing a run on four hits and striking out a pair. Over his last nine appearances, Brown is 2-0 with six saves and a 1.59 ERA, allowing just three runs on 12 hits over 17 innings, striking out 18 and walking seven.
Brown's 13 saves are second on the school's single-season list, while his 21 career saves are fourth in only two seasons on the mound for Sacramento State.
Entering this week's regular season finale, Brown leads the WAC in opponent batting average (.183), saves, fewest runs allowed (12), fewest earned runs allowed (11), and fewest runs allowed per game (2.72), while ranking second in the league in ERA (2.50) and fewest hits allowed per game (5.90), standing tied for fourth in fewest hits allowed (26), and eighth in strikeouts per game (10.66).
This year's group of semifinalists hail from 21 different NCAA Division I conferences, Division I independent Oregon State, and 39 different schools from across the country. The field consists of 10 outfielders, seven second basemen, seven shortstops, seven third basemen, four first basemen, four catchers, five designated hitters, and two multi-position utility players.
There are also 16 starting pitchers and four relievers — a group which Brown is a part of — who are the leading candidates for the 2025 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award recognizing the nation's top relief pitcher.
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 baseball's most prestigious award. 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.
A Florida native, Howser was twice an All-America shortstop at FSU (1957-58), then coached the Seminoles in 1979, after a career as a major league player and coach. After one year coaching in the college ranks, Howser returned to the majors to manage the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals and won the World Series with the Royals in 1985. The baseball stadium on the Florida State campus is named for Howser.
2025 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS (Alphabetically)
Pos. - Name, School
DH - Kuhio Aloy, Arkansas
SS - Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas
SP - Kade Anderson, LSU
SP - Jamie Arnold, Florida State
SS - Aiva Arquette, Oregon State
1B - Brady Ballinger, Kansas
SP - Tyler Bremer, UC Santa Barbara
SP - Harrison Bodendorf, Oklahoma State
RP - Kade Brown, Sacramento State
OF - Drew Burress, Georgia Tech
OF - Robbie Burnett, Georgia
UT - Bryce Calloway, New Orleans
SS - Roch Cholowsky, UCLA
3B - Kerrington Cross, Cincinnati
OF - Charles Davalan, Arkansas
2B - Ryan Daniels, UConn
SP - Liam Doyle, Tennessee
SP - Joseph Dzierwa, Michigan State
1B - Andrew Fischer, Tennessee
C - Ryan Galvan, Texas
SP - Trevor Hansen, UC Irvine
3B - Ethan Hedges, USC
OF - Ike Irish, Auburn
C - Grant Jay, DBU
1B - Jared Jones, LSU
2B - Gavin Kilen, Tennessee
SS - Matt King, Arizona State
SP - Jake Knapp, North Carolina
SS - Justin Lebron, Alabama
3B - Kade Lewis, Wake Forest
SP - Tommy LaPour, TCU
OF - Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
SS - Alex Lodise, Florida State
RP - Lucas Mahlstedt, Clemson
SP - JB Middleton, Southern Miss
3B - Ben Miller, Duke
2B - Nick Monistere, Southern Miss
SP - Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina
OF - Mason Neville, Oregon
OF - Cameron Nickens, Austin Peay
3B - Brady O'Brien, Richmond
RP - Ricky Ojeda, UC Irvine
SP - Jack Ohman, Yale
DH - Jordy Oriach, New Mexico
DH - Armani Raygoza, UTRGV
3B - Ace Reese, Mississippi State
OF - Jace Rinehart, West Virginia
SP - Ruger Riojas, Texas
2B - Nick Rodriguez, Missouri State
3B - Matt Schark, Southern Illinois
C - Luke Stevenson, North Carolina
UT - Noah Sullivan, Mississippi State
DH - Johnny Sweeney, USC Upstate
OF - Devin Taylor, Indiana
SP - Zane Taylor, UNCW
OF - Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern
C - Carson Tinney, Notre Dame
2B - Cooper Torres, ETSU
OF - Gavin Turley, Oregon State
2B - Mitch Voit, Michigan
RP - Dylan Volantis, Texas
SP - Joey Volini, Florida State
2B - Kyle Walker, Arizona State
SP - Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma
1B - Jacob Walsh, Oregon
SS - Colin Yeaman, UC Irvine
DH - Ryland Zaborowski, Georgia
