SAN ANTONIO (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has named its Dick Howser Trophy Players of the Month for May, presented by The Game Headwear, tabbing Stanford outfielder Brock Jones its player of the month and Long Beach State right-handed pitcher Juaron Watts-Brown its pitcher of the month.
Jones, a native of Fresno, California, slugged 11 homers and drove in 27 runs during a 17-game month for Stanford. He hit .412 (28-for-68) with 32 runs scored, two doubles and one triple. Jones had a 15-12 walk-strikeout ratio, sporting a .956 slugging and a .529 on-base percentage, stealing 7-of-8 bases. On the year, Jones has hit .329 with 68 runs, 10 doubles, five triples, 17 homers and 48 RBI, drawing 50 walks and stealing 15 bases.
A native of Hanford, California, Watts-Brown went 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts in May, throwing one complete game. He tossed 33 innings, allowing only 16 hits and six runs, walking nine and striking out 55. He threw the first complete game no-hitter in LBSU history on May 8 vs. UC Riverside, fanning 16. He retired the first 11 batters he faced before allowing a two-out walk in the fourth inning, then set down the next 16 in a 114-pitch no-hitter. He earned Big West Pitcher of the Week, Collegiate Baseball and D1 Baseball National Player of the Week honors, was named the NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week and the College Baseball Foundation Pitcher of the Week. On the year, Watts-Brown went 4-4 with a 3.68 ERA in 15 games and 12 starts, fanning 111 in 73 1/3 innings.
This marks the seventh consecutive year that the NCBWA has honored a player and pitcher of the month. Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, ncbwa.com.