Dec. 9, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara baseball pitcher Thain Simon was one of six West Coast Conference athletes to be named to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, it was announced by the College Baseball Foundation.
Simon received three All-America honors after his rookie season as he was named to Baseball America's Freshman All-America second team, and to the Louisville Slugger's and NCBWA Freshman All-America teams. The right-handed pitcher from Toronto was also named the West Coast Conference's top freshman, the Broncos first since 2000.
For the season, Simon was 9-2, starting the year in the bullpen and registering two saves on the WCC opening weekend against San Diego. He received WCC Co-Pitcher of the week honors for his performance. Simon moved into the rotation in April against Gonzaga and picked up win No. 9 against Loyola Marymount after tossing a season-high 7 2/3 innings and tying his season-best eight strikeouts. During the summer, Simon played for Team Canada.
Simon and the Broncos open the 2009 season at the N.C. State Tournament on Friday, Feb. 20 against the Musketeers of Xavier. First pitch is scheduled for 8 a.m. PT. Santa Clara opens its home scheduled on Wednesday, Feb. 25 against California. Game time slated for 6 p.m. at Stephen Schott Stadium.
The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The 2009 award banquet will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 2, in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University.
The Wallace Award is a dedication to the memory of the former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. A four-year starter, he was named All-Southwest Conference and All-District his senior year. He led the Red Raiders to their first-ever appearance in the Southwest Conference Tournament in 1980. After playing two years in the Texas Rangers organization, he returned to Texas Tech and served as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach. In the summer of 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27. The Plano, Texas, native was married to the former Sandy Arnold and they had one daughter, Lindsay Ryan.
