DALLAS – Evan Dempsey continued to rake in the national honors Thursday as the Florida Gulf Coast junior was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear. This trophy has been given to the top collegiate baseball player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members since 1987.

This is the 39^th year of the Dick Howser Trophy, and the 2026 finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 4. The Dick Howser Trophy Committee, in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced the list of 48 players named semifinalist.

The '26 news conference with the winner will be held at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, the home of the College World Series, for the 14th time. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network in a special national presentation at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) prior to the Friday, June 12, news conference in Omaha at 10 a.m. (CDT) in the Schwab Field Media Room before the first game of the historic 80th NCAA College World Series.

This year's 48 candidates come from 12 different NCAA Division I conferences, Division I independent Oregon State and 31 different schools. The Southeastern Conference leads with 15 semifinalists, while the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences follow with eight each, Big Ten with six, Sun Belt and independent Oregon State with two, the Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10, Big West, Mid-American, Ohio Valley, Southwestern Athletic and Western Athletic with one.

Dempsey is just one of three players (representing 6% of the semifinalists) from schools in Florida to be listed among the semifinalists, along with Florida's Aidan King and Florida State's Wes Mendes. He is also one of nine athletes (representing 19% of the semifinalists) to hail from non-Power 4 programs along with selections from Cal Baptist, Richmond, Southern Miss, Southern U, Tennessee Tech, Troy, UC Santa Barbara and Western Michigan.

Top-ranked UCLA leads the semifinalists list with four, followed by Georgia Tech, Texas and Texas A&M with three each and Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oregon State and West Virginia with a pair apiece. The nine defensive positions feature nine outfielders, five shortstops and catchers, four second basemen, three first basemen, third basemen and one utility player. There are 15 starting pitchers and three relief pitchers who are leading candidates for the 2026 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award for the top relief pitcher. The Stopper Award also will be announced at the June 12 news conference along with the 2025 NCBWA Division I Coach of the Year.

Dempsey currently ranks sixth in the nation in total strikeouts delivered (106), 24^th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.44) , 40^th nationally in WHIP (1.07) and 44^th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.82), leading the Atlantic Sun Conference in all four categories.

Offensively, he leads the ASUN and ranks 73^rd nationally in runs (5%) while ranking 66^th nationally in hits per game (1.47), a mark that ranks fourth in the league with two of the three ASUN players ahead of him being teammates Jon Embury and Javier Gorostola. Dempsey also ranks 36^th nationally in hits (75), 39^th nationally in doubles (18) and 135^th in the country in batting average (.361).

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 on to 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 happy to be working with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as the voting body for the 29th 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.
 
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2026 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS (Alphabetically)
Pos. Name, School

• Jarren Advincula, Georgia Tech, 2B
• Drew Burress, Georgia Tech, OF
• Dylan Carey, Nebraska, SS
• Lorenzo Carrier, Pitt, OF
• Roch Cholowsky, UCLA, SS
• Quinton Coats, Cincinnati, 1B
• Nu'u Contrades, Arizona State, 2B
• Tague Davis, Louisville, 1B
• Jason DeCaro, North Carolina, SP
• Evan Dempsey, FGCU, UTIL
• Hunter Dietz, Arkansas, SP
• Mason Edwards, USC, SP
• Jackson Flora, UCSB, SP
• Will Gasparino, UCLA, OF
• Joey Giordano, Richmond, SP
• Caden Glauber, North Carolina, RP
• Graham Grahovac, Texas A&M, 1B
• Eric Guevara, Auburn, 3B
• Easton Hawk, UCLA, RP
• Landon Hairston, Arizona State, OF
• Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas, C
• Daniel Jackson, Georgia, C
• Jimmy Janicki, Troy, C
• Jorsixt Jimenez, Tennessee Tech, OF
• Gavin Kelly, West Virginia, 2B
• Dee Kennedy, Kansas State, SS
• Aidan King, Florida, SP
• Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech, C
• Tyson LeBlanc, Kansas, SS
• Tanner Malley, Western Michigan, OF
• Michael Malki, California Baptist, SP
• Wes Mendes, Florida State, SP
• Kyle Morrison, Southern Miss, 2B
• Alex Petrovic, Auburn, SP
• Tre' Phelps, Georgia, 3B
• Logan Redderman, UCLA, SP
• Ace Reese, Mississippi State, 3B
• Kollin Ritchie, Oklahoma State, OF
• Aidan Robbins, Texas, OF
• Albert Roblez, Oregon State, RP
• Aiden Sims, Texas A&M, SP
• Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M, OF
• Carson Tinney, Texas, C
• Tomas Valincius, Mississippi State, SP
• Dylan Volantis, Texas, SP
• KJ White, Southern Univ., SS
• Dax Whitney, Oregon State, SP
• Maxx Yehl, West Virginia, SP