Stutes, Canham Up For National Honor - Oregon State University Athletics

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State catcher Mitch Canham and Beaver pitcher Mike Stutes are among 112 baseball players from across the country named as semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate player by the College Baseball Foundation. Canham (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS), a junior, and Stutes (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lake Oswego HS/Santa Clara U.), a junior, were on the list announced Wednesday.

Canham is also among 50 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given the nation’s top amateur player by USA Baseball, and among 50 players on the watch list for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given to the nation’s top player as selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Canham is batting .369 with eight home runs and 50 runs batted in. Among the Pac-10 leaders through Sunday’s games, Canham is tied for second in RBIs; is fifth in batting average, slugging percentage (.631) and on-base percentage (.492); and is tied for eighth in home runs.

Stutes has a 9-1 record with a 2.90 earned run average. Among the Pac-10 leaders through Sunday’s games, Stutes is first in opponents’ batting average (.198), tied for second in wins, fifth in strikeouts (77), tied for seventh in innings pitched (80 2/3) and eighth in ERA.

The Brooks Wallace Award is dedicated to the memory of Brooks Wallace, a shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977-80. After two years in the Texas Rangers’ minor league system, he returned to Texas Tech as a graduate assistant and assistant coach. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1984 and died in 1985 at age 27.

The selection committee will narrow the list to 30 semifinalists in late May, then three finalists will be named during the College World Series in June. The 2007 award will be held July 3 in Lubbock, Tex., and will be televised by FSN.