Lavarnway A Finalist

Sunday, January 25, 2009

From Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity

Yale sophomore outfielder/catcher Ryan Lavarnway is one of 10 semifinalists still in the running for the College Baseball Foundation's Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Award. The semifinalists represent nine schools in eight conferences. Lavarnway is the only Ivy Leaguer remaining.

A unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection, Lavarnway led the nation in batting average (.467) and slugging percentage (.873). He is just the second Yale player to lead the nation in any statistical category, and the first since Bill Polinsky averaged 1.14 stolen bases per game in 1961. He also ranked in the top 50 nationally in RBIs per game (13th, 1.28), doubles per game (37th, 0.4), and home runs (41st, 14). Lavarnway set Yale single-season marks for batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, hits (70), doubles (17), RBIs (55) and total bases (131). The Woodland Hills, Calif., native had a school-record 23-game hitting streak to start the season, and an Ivy-record 25-game streak dating back to 2006.

After the list was cut to 20 quarterfinalists, the vote was opened up to the sports information directors and head coaches at the remaining schools. Those votes were combined with those of the selection committee to reduce the field to 10.

From this group of 10, three finalists will be announced during the College World Series, which begins on Friday. Those three will be accompanied by their parents and head coaches to Lubbock, Texas, for the College Baseball Foundation's Hall of Fame festivities. The winner will be announced live on Fox College Sports on July 3.

The Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Award was first presented in 2004 in memory of former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. A four-year starter at shortstop from 1977-80, Wallace died of cancer at age 27 on March 24, 1985. Previous winners of the award include Kurt Suzuki of Cal State Fullerton (2004), Nebraska's Alex Gordon (2005), and Houston's Brad Lincoln (2006).

- A.S.