By Brandon Rebboah '13
Santa Clara, Calif.- Three Bronco baseball players, two former and one current, Curtis Wagner, were honored at the 27th annual Santa Clara County Hot Stove banquet, held on Jan. 25 at the San Jose Elks Club. The banquet honors Bay Area baseball talent who have excelled at the high school, collegiate, and professional ranks. The event boasts an impressive array of talent at all levels. Former winners of awards include Santa Clara's Randy Winn and Mike Crudale.
Wagner, along with Stanford's Ben Clowe and San Jose State's Tim Quiery received the Lloyd Christopher award, which is annually given to three current Bay Area collegiate players for their play during the previous season. Wagner's solid offensive and defensive made him the clear candidate to be Santa Clara's recipient. Wagner hit .404 and amassed 32 RBI while also being named to the WCC All-Academic Team and a ESPN/COSIDA Academic All-American. In addition to Wagner, the other Lloyd Banks recipients were Stanford's Ben Clowe and San Jose State's Tim Quiery.
Former Bronco Tommy Medica was honored as the Collegiate Player of the Year. Medica hit 13 homers while posting a .386 batting average. The other former Santa Clara player honored was Daniel Nava. Nava received the banquet's Major League Rookie of the Year award. Nava currently plays for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, but was called to the majors on June 12 of last season. Nava became the second player in major league history to hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his professional career. Nava played 60 games for the Boston Red Sox and hit .242 with 26 RBI.
