DALLAS — UTSA junior outfielder Michael Rockett was one of 50 players nationwide named to the 2008 Dick Howser Trophy watch list, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced Thursday.

Working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Area Chamber of Commerce, the membership of the NCBWA will choose the winner bases on three rounds of voting, with the winner to be announced at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 14.

Rockett is the only player from the Southland Conference and joins Texas A&M’s Dane Carter as the only two nominees from a team in the state of Texas. The Sugar Land native currently owns a .385 batting average, 20 doubles, five triple, five home runs, 54 RBIs, a .657 slugging percentage and a .402 on-base percentage. Rockett, a two-time second-team all-conference selection and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2006, was named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week on March 3 after going 10-for-16 (.625 avg.) with four doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBIs. He became just the second player in school history to hit for the cycle on March 1, doing so in the first four innings of a 16-2 rout of Sacred Heart.

The Dick Howser Trophy, 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, is regarded by many as college baseball's most prestigious award.

Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser’s life.

A Florida native, Howser was a two-time All-America shortstop at Florida State University (1957-58), then coached the Seminoles in 1979 after a career as a major league player and coach. After one year 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, who will be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.

The winner's name is inscribed on the permanent trophy, a bronze bust of Howser permanently displayed at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Both the winner and his school receive a special trophy to keep.

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 109th year of existence in 2008. The organization has long been a vital force in the baseball affairs of the city, both in spring training and during the pursuit of a major league baseball franchise for the Tampa Bay area, and continues its solid role in the 21st Century.

NCBWA 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.

The Howser Trophy was created in 1987, shortly after Howser's death. Previous winners of the Howser Trophy are Mike Fiore, Miami, 1987; Robin Ventura, Oklahoma State, 1988; Scott Bryant, Texas, 1989; Alex Fernandez, Miami-Dade Community College South, 1990; Frank Rodriguez, Howard College (Texas), 1991; Brooks Kieschnick, Texas, 1992 and 1993; Jason Varitek, Georgia Tech, 1994; Todd Helton, Tennessee, 1995; Kris Benson, Clemson, 1996; J. D. Drew, Florida State, 1997; Eddy Furniss, LSU, 1998; Jason Jennings, P, Baylor, 1999; Mark Teixeira, 1B, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001, Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, UT, Houston, 2006; and David Price, P, Vanderbilt, 2007.