University of North Carolina Athletics
Miller Claims 2006 Roger Clemens Award
July 12, 2006 | Baseball
July 12, 2006
HOUSTON - North Carolina left-hander Andrew Miller picked up yet another honor for his record-setting junior season Wednesday in the 2006 Roger Clemens Award, college baseball's version of the Cy Young, which was presented at the Marriott Westchase Hotel.
Baseball America's National Player of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Miller won the 2006 Clemens Award over Rice's Eddie Degerman, Washington's Tim Lincecum and Houston's Brad Lincoln. Miller joins previous winners Luke Hochevar (Tennessee) and Jered Weaver (Long Beach State) as recipients of the top pitching award in collegiate baseball.
Miller, who was presented the award by Clemens, was the No. 6 pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. This season, he was 13-2 with a 2.48 ERA and set the Carolina single-season strikeout record with 133 and also finished second in wins (13) and innings pitched (123.1). Miller also set the UNC career strikeout record with 325 in just three seasons and is third all-time with 27 wins and fourth with 309 innings.
Additionally, Miller earned first-team All-America honors from every major national outlet and picked up All-ACC honors for the third time in his career. He spearheaded the Tar Heels' talented starting rotation, which led UNC to a runner-up finish at the 2006 College World Series.
The finalists for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award were selected in voting by a national panel that includes: all Division I 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.
