On Friday, Texas Longhorns' first baseman Ivan Melendez won the 35th Dick Howser Trophy as the most outstanding player in the country this season.
Melendez's 32 home runs this season are the most in Division I since 2003. He also leads the nation with 94 RBIs, and a .866 slugging percentage and he led the Big 12 with a .401 batting average.
The junior El Paso, Texas native is the fourth Longhorn to win the Howser Trophy. Others include Brooks Kieschnick (1992-93), Scott Bryant (1989) and Taylor Jungmann (2011).
Melendez has also been named the national player of the year by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and Perfect Game and is a consensus All-American.
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Other Howser Trophy finalists were Oregon State pitcher Connor Hjerpe, Tennessee third baseman Trey Lipscomb, Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada and Clemson third baseman Max Wagner.
Melendez and the Longhorns will begin play in the College World Series in Omaha on Friday. Melendez, a likely high draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft will look to slug Texas to their 7th national championship as he closes his college career.
