Two Alabama Baseball Players Named Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalists

The Alabama baseball program had two players named semifinalists for one of college baseball's premier honors.

Alabama's TJ McCants (44), one of the Crimson Tide's Dick Howser Trophy semifinalists. | Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The 68 semifinalists for the 2024 awarding of the Dick Howser Trophy have been named, and two of them represent the Alabama Crimson Tide. Third baseman Gage Miller and center fielder TJ McCants were announced Thursday as members of the semifinalist list.

Alabama third baseman Gage Miller (12), the Crimson Tide's other Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. | Alabama Athletics

The prestigious trophy is bestowed annually to the top player in college baseball, voted on by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Recent SEC winners of the award include Brady Singer (2018, Florida), Kevin Kopps (2021, Arkansas) and reigning winner Paul Skenes (LSU). In a four-season stretch from 2007-10, the winners in order were David Price, Buster Posey, Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon.

Miller and McCants were new additions to the Alabama team in 2024. McCants, formerly at Ole Miss, has already set a career high in single-season home runs with 14, also leading the team in doubles. He's hitting .316 with one series left in regular season play. Miller, now manning the hot corner following the departure of Colby Shelton, leads the team in home runs (18) and batting average (.376). Both players have 49 runs batted in.

The number of new faces in the Crimson Tide's lineup has not stopped the squad from amassing 32 wins, with a chance for more prior to the start of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., next week. Alabama's two Dick Howser Trophy semifinalists have been among the better players in the conference this spring, and both are in the top 10 in a number of categories.

If either player was to win the award, for which finalists are set to be announced on June 8, they would become the first in program history to do it. The Howser was first presented in 1987 to Mike Fiore. The first SEC winner was recent Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Todd Helton (Tennessee) in 1995.