University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Cook, Douglas Named To Smith Award Watch List
4/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Cook, Douglas Named To Smith Award Watch List
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss baseball standouts Jeff Cook and Shea Douglas both have been named to the 2002 Rotary Smith Award, given annually to the nation's best collegiate baseball player.
The preliminary watch list was compiled after submissions by the sports information personnel at all of the Division 1 baseball schools in the country. Additional nominations will be added to the list until the first round of voting begins in May.
Through 41 games, Cook leads the Golden Eagles in a variety of offensive categories. He's currently hitting .439, with 61 hits in 171 at-bats. He also has six doubles, one triple, a team-best 11 home runs and 44 RBIs. His .596 slugging percentage also is the team's best. He also leads Conference USA in runs scored, is fifth in hits, fourth in RBIs, third in home runs and shows up in almost all the league's other offensive categories.
Douglas is equally impressive on the mound. He leads the team with an 8-1 record, his 2.11 ERA is a team-best and he has thrown more innings (68.1) recorded more strikeouts (78) and opponents are hitting just .222 when he's on the mound. He also tops C-USA in victories (8), is third in strikeouts (78), second in earned run average and can be found in most other league pitching categories as well.
Now in its 15th year of honoring the nation?s finest collegiate baseball player, the Rotary Smith Award has been awarded to a different school in each year of its existence. Last season, RHP Mark Prior gave Southern California its first Smith winner.
This year?s race for the Smith Award will feature an entire new cast of candidates since all 12 of last year?s semifinalists have moved on to professional baseball. Last year?s finalists, Prior, John VanBenschoten of Kent State and Chris Burke of Tennessee, were all taken in the first 10 picks of the draft, the third time in the history of the award that all the finalists were tabbed so high.
The 2002 Watch List features candidates from all of the top schools in the nation, along with the national leaders in most statistical categories. Voting to determine the list of 12 semifinalists will begin in mid-May and the list will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season. Three finalists will be announced prior to the start of NCAA Super Regional Action, the week of June 7-9.
Now in its 15th year, the Rotary Smith Award is awarded each summer to the nation?s top college baseball player. This year, the gala Award Dinner is moving to the Hotel Inter-Continental in Houston. The Award, a national project of the Rotary Club of Houston, raises money for Rotary charities, Texas Children?s Hospital and the Karl Young League. All told, 19 former winners and finalists of the Smith Award saw action in the 2001 major league season.
Other Conference USA players on the initial Smith Watch List include: Michael Aubrey (Tulane), Jesse Crain (Houston), Clayton Jerome (TCU), Mark Jurich (Louisville), J.T. LaFountain (Louisville), Brad Lamm (Charlotte), Darryl Lawhorn (East Carolina), John Maine (Charlotte), Sam Narron (East Carolina), Walter Olmstead (TCU), Chris Snyder (Houston), Brad Sullivan (Houston), Terry Trofholz (TCU) and Grant Williams (Louisville).
