JB Middleton, Nick Monistere Named Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalists
5/15/2025 2:26:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Dick Howser Trophy Committee, in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, has revealed the semifinalists for the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear and includes Southern Miss right-handed pitcher JB Middleton (Yazoo City, Miss.) and second baseman Nick Monistere (Brandon, Miss.).
This prestigious award in college baseball has been given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members since 1987. This is the 38th year of the Dick Howser Trophy and the 2025 finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 7.
Middleton holds a 9-1 record this season with a 2.00 ERA, having won his last six decisions. He holds down No. 4 in the national rankings in both hits allowed per nine innings (5.17) and WHIP (0.83), No. 5 in ERA and wins, and No. 15 in strikeouts (98). He has thrown 85 1/3 innings and walked just 22, while opponents hit just .164 against him this season.
Monistere has started in all 51 games for the Golden Eagles, holding a .330 batting average with 10 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs and a team-best 61 RBI. He was the NCBWA Player of the Month for April. He ranks first in the Sun Belt in RBI and tied for second in homers, tied with teammate Matthew Russo.
Both players also are two of the five finalists for the Ferriss Trophy, given to the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi.
This year's 64 candidates hail from 21 different NCAA Division I conferences, Division I independent Oregon State and 39 different schools.
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.
"The Dick Howser Trophy was founded shortly after his death by a few friends of Dick's in the St. Petersburg Area who played, coached and worked with him," David Feaster, chairman of the Howser Trophy Committee said. "This award is presented to the best college player, not the best professional prospect among all NCAA Division I players and also to the player who best exemplifies the traits most associated with Dick Howser – leadership, moral character, and courage. So many of the previous winners have not only gone onto solid careers in professional baseball, but most have distinguished themselves in community service and the business world from the lessons learned during their college careers. We also are proud to be working with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as the voting body for the 28th consecutive year, and this group helps us receive a nationally representative vote for the Howser Trophy."
NCBWA voting membership includes writers, broadcasters, and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
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
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
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
This prestigious award in college baseball has been given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members since 1987. This is the 38th year of the Dick Howser Trophy and the 2025 finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 7.
Middleton holds a 9-1 record this season with a 2.00 ERA, having won his last six decisions. He holds down No. 4 in the national rankings in both hits allowed per nine innings (5.17) and WHIP (0.83), No. 5 in ERA and wins, and No. 15 in strikeouts (98). He has thrown 85 1/3 innings and walked just 22, while opponents hit just .164 against him this season.
Monistere has started in all 51 games for the Golden Eagles, holding a .330 batting average with 10 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs and a team-best 61 RBI. He was the NCBWA Player of the Month for April. He ranks first in the Sun Belt in RBI and tied for second in homers, tied with teammate Matthew Russo.
Both players also are two of the five finalists for the Ferriss Trophy, given to the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi.
This year's 64 candidates hail from 21 different NCAA Division I conferences, Division I independent Oregon State and 39 different schools.
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.
"The Dick Howser Trophy was founded shortly after his death by a few friends of Dick's in the St. Petersburg Area who played, coached and worked with him," David Feaster, chairman of the Howser Trophy Committee said. "This award is presented to the best college player, not the best professional prospect among all NCAA Division I players and also to the player who best exemplifies the traits most associated with Dick Howser – leadership, moral character, and courage. So many of the previous winners have not only gone onto solid careers in professional baseball, but most have distinguished themselves in community service and the business world from the lessons learned during their college careers. We also are proud to be working with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as the voting body for the 28th consecutive year, and this group helps us receive a nationally representative vote for the Howser Trophy."
NCBWA voting membership includes writers, broadcasters, and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
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
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
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
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