RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team learned on Thursday that sophomore Armani Raygoza, the Southland Conference Player of the Year, is a semifinalist for the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear.
 
The most prestigious award in college baseball has been given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) members since 1987.
 
Finalists will be on June 7. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network in a special national presentation on June 13 at 9:30 a.m.
 
History of the Award
 
Now in it's 38^th season, the Dick Howser Trophy is given in memory of the former Florida State All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage – all qualities that were exemplified by Howser.
 
A Florida native, Howser was twice an All-America shortstop at Florida State (1957-58) and coached Florida State in 1979, after a career as a major league player and coach. Howser then returned to the majors to manage the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, winning the 1985 World Series with the Royals. Florida State's baseball stadium is named for Howser.
 
Raygoza Having a Big Season
 
An All-SLC First Team selection, Raygoza is hitting .387/.478/.706 with 15 home runs, 17 doubles, 55 RBI, 43 runs scored and two stolen bases in 49 games, including 47 starts at designated hitter and two at first base.
 
Raygoza ranks 33^rd in the NCAA and second in the SLC in total bases (137), 36^th in the NCAA and first in the SLC in hits per game (1.53), 36^th in the NCAA and second in the SLC in hits (75), 41^st in the NCAA and second in the SLC in hitting (.387), 42^nd in the NCAA and first in the SLC in slugging (.706), 71^st in the NCAA and first in the SLC in home runs (15), 74^th in the NCAA and third in the SLC in doubles (17), 81^st in the NCAA and first in the SLC in home runs per game (0.31), 94^th in the NCAA and second in the SLC in RBI (55), 104^th in the NCAA and third in the SLC in on-base percentage (.478), 105^th in the NCAA and fourth in the SLC in doubles per game (0.35), and 108^th in the NCAA and second in the SLC in RBI per game (1.12).
 
Raygoza is having one of the top individual seasons in program history, as he ranks fifth in home runs (15), seventh in total bases (137), tied for eighth in doubles (17), tied for 10^th in RBI (55), and 13^th in hits (75). He also has 21 home runs over the last two years, tied for the fourth-highest career total in program history.
 
2025 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
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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