May 15, 2000
HOUSTON, TX -
University of California junior third baseman Xavier Nady has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the 2000 Rotary Smith Award, it was announced today by the Rotary Club of Houston.
Nady, who this season batted a team-leading .329 (.340 vs. Pac-10) with a team-high 19 home runs and 59 RBI, also led the Bears in runs scored (53), total bases (133), slugging percentage (.643) and had a team-high 22 multiple hit games and 16 multiple RBI games. Nady established Cal school records for career home runs (57, third-best mark in Pac-10 history), career RBI (191, tied for the 10th-best mark in Pac-10 history), career total bases (479, sixth-best mark in Pac-10 history) and career slugging percentage (.729). He broke the school record of 50 home runs (Troy Penix, 1990-92) Apr. 14 versus USC, and is also third on the Cal all-time doubles list (53), fourth in runs scored (174), fifth in hits (243) and fifth on the Bears career batting average list (.370).
As a freshman in 1998, Nady was named the National Freshman of the Year, and this past spring he was named the National Preseason Player of the Year. He is also a two-time All-American, a two-time All-Pac-10 selection, a two-time member of the USA National Baseball Team and was Baseball America's Summer Player of the Year in 1999.
Other semifinalists for the 2000 Rotary Smith Award are Kip Bouknight from South Carolina, Taggert Bozied from San Francisco, Brad Cresse from LSU, Kyle Crowell from Houston, Ben Diggins from Arizona, Todd Faulkner from Auburn, Tyrell Godwin from North Carolina, Gabe Gross from Auburn, Mitch Jones from Arizona State, Mark Teixeira from Georgia Tech and Justin Wayne from Stanford.
