University of Texas (UT) Longhorns baseball player Ivan Melendez was awarded the 2022 Dick Howser Award on Friday, according to press releases issued by the program and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), the body that presents the accolade.
The Howser Award is given to the best college baseball player during the most recent season.
Melendez, who was born in El Paso and transferred to UT from Odessa College, smashed more than 30 home runs (HR) in 2022 to become the nation's leader in the category and the Longhorns' new longball king, surpassing Kyle Russel's 28 by two, Austin ABC affiliate KVUE reported.
According to the NCBWA, Melendez, who was a redshirt junior, is the fourth UT player since 1992 to be named a recipient.
“Congratulations to Ivan Melendez for winning the 2022 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear,” award chairman David Feaster said in the NCBWA statement. “Texas now has the most winners of the trophy with four winning the award five times, and Clemson is next with three. That shows the prominence of these two great college baseball programs and their longtime development of outstanding student-athletes.”
UT's release said that the 22-year-old Melendez joins an exclusive fraternity in Austin that includes two-time winner Brooks Kieschnick, Scott Bryant and Taylor Jungmann.
Kieschnick took the Howser home in 1992 and 1993 while it was presented to Bryant nearly five years prior. Jungmann was the Longhorns' last awardee before Melendez, who's fresh from helping guide the university to its 38th National College Athletic Association (NCAA) College World Series (CWS) appearance.
KVUE reported that Melendez, who's also the Big XII Conference Player of the Year and a national player of the year for two publications, bested Oregon State pitcher Connor Hjerpe, Tennessee third baseman Trey Lipscomb, Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada and Clemson third baseman Max Wagner to become the 35th Howser Award honoree.