University of North Carolina Athletics
Roger Clemens Award Winner Announced Wednesday
July 12, 2006 | Baseball
July 12, 2006
HOUSTON - Four of the finest pitchers in college baseball are in Houston and will learn on Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd which of them has been voted as the third winner of The Roger Clemens Award, college baseball's version of the Cy Young Award.
For two, Eddie Degerman of Rice and Brad Lincoln of Houston, the Clemens Dinner is a last chance to celebrate their college careers with their home fans before they move on to professional baseball. Degerman is expected to join the State College Spikes (Cardinals), while Lincoln made his first start for the Gulf Coast Pirates last Saturday. Joining the local pair are Tim Lincecum of Washington, who has also begun his pro career at Salem-Kaiser of the Northwest League, and Andrew Miller, who has not yet signed with the Tigers as the sixth overall pick in last June's draft.
The four on Wednesday will pay a visit to the pediatric cancer ward at Texas Children's Hospital before taking part in an on-line chat session with college baseball fans across the country on BaseballAmerica.com. They will then join together for the annual Clemens Award Dinner, where the winner's trophy will be presented by Roger Clemens.
The finalists for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award were selected in voting by a national panel that includes: all Division 1 head baseball coaches, a selection of national media who cover collegiate baseball, the 16 winners of the R. E. "Bob" Smith Award, which was presented to the top player in the country here in Houston from 1988-2003. In addition, the six previous finalists for the Clemens Award are also issued ballots.
The Roger Clemens Award was named after future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens, who began his march to stardom while leading the University of Texas to the College World Series title in 1983. As a professional, Clemens has won 342 games (tied for 8th best in history), fanned over 4,500 hitters and won and seven Cy Young Awards, emblematic as the top pitcher in his league. The Roger Clemens Award is the only award of its kind, honoring the finest pitchers in college baseball.
The event is administered by the Greater Houston Baseball Association, who has donated over $200,000 to the charities from the net proceeds from the first two dinners. The GHBA is a non-profit 501.3 (C) organization dedicated to the growth of amateur baseball in the Houston area.
