May 16, 2001
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State University senior All-American catcher Casey Myers added to his already impressive list of honors and awards for the 2001 season and his Sun Devil career by being named one of 12 semifinalists for the prestigious Smith Award and one of 10 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year award today.
Myers, who is leading the Sun Devils and second in the Pacific-10 Conference with a .407 batting average, has backed up his stellar junior season of 2000 (.412-18-97) with another solid season this year. The 2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year and also a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award last year, Myers has virtually made a clean sweep of the national awards. The senior backstop is also among a list of 20 players named as a semifinalist for the NCBWA Dick Howser Player of the Year award.
With 66 RBI on the season, Myers now has 271 in his four-year career, inching towards the Pac-10 and ASU career record of 283. With 11 more RBI, Myers will tie former Sun Devil Andrew Beinbrink (1996-99) who holds both records. He recently became only the third Sun Devil in history to pass 300 hits in a career (306) and is a .387 hitter during his career in Tempe. In addition to his 81 hits, 47 runs scored and six home runs in 2001, Myers is slugging .578, has maintained a .486 on-base percentage and is fielding .984 behind the plate. He has recorded a hit in 40 of ASU's 51 games this year, leading the Sun Devils to a 34-16-1, 12-9 record and a consistent top 20 ranking. He leads the Devils with 28 multi-hit games and as cumulated an amazing 94 multi-hit affairs in his career.
A final vote among the national selection committee will occur at the end of the College World Series. All three finalists will be invited to Wichita for the 4th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 19, 2001 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Voting to determine the three 2001 Rotary Smith finalists will begin on Thursday, May 17 and run through May 30. Finalists will be announced prior to the start of NCAA Super Regional Action, the week of June 1-3. A list of the players named semifinalists for both awards is provided below:
Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year Semifinalist: Steve Booth San Francisco Jeremy Brown Alabama Chris Hamblen Cincinnati Brad Harper Fresno State Casey Myers Arizona State Chris Netwall Penn State Paul O'Toole Notre Dame Bryan Prince Georgia Tech Kelly Shoppach Baylor Tim Whittaker South Carolina
Rotary Smith Player of the Year Semifinalists Kenny Baugh Rice Dewon Brazelton Middle Tennessee Aaron Heilman Notre Dame Mark Prior USC Justin Pope Central Florida Kirk Saarloos Cal State Fullerton Brian Baron UCLA Chris Burke Tennessee Jake Gautreau Tulane John-Ford Griffin Florida State Casey Myers Arizona State John VanBenschoten Kent State
Copy By Jeff R. Evans
ASU Media Relations