DALLAS (NCBWA) – North Carolina State University infielder/designated hitter Tommy White and Tennessee right-hander Chase Burns have been named the 2022 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Freshman Hitter and Pitcher of the Year recipients, as announced by the organization today.
White, the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year, was one of the semifinalists for the 35th Dick Howser Trophy. The ACC All-Conference first-team designated hitter hit .362 with 12 doubles, 27 home runs and 74 RBI in 55 games. He had 85 hits, tallying at least one in 45 of 55 games. He also posted a .757 slugging percentage and scored 54 runs. In addition, he had 26 multi-hit games and a team-leading 19 multi-RBI games, helping NC State post a 36-21 record in 2022.
The St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, native was named the NCBWA Freshman All-American first team designated hitter yesterday. White’s 27 home runs broke the NCAA freshman record which had stood for 32 years and was previously set by Georgia Southern’s Todd Green in 1990. He also broke the NC State single-season home run mark and the program’s freshman single-season RBI record.
White was selected as a first team All-American and Co-Freshman of the Year by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last week. Along with being a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, he was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. In addition, he was selected the Dick Howser Trophy Player of the Month in February after tallying 20 hits, 29 RBI, nine home runs, 18 runs scored and a 1.412 slugging percentage in eight games.
Burns was named to the All-SEC second team and the SEC All-Freshman team in 2022. A semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, the right-hander posted an 8-2 record with a 2.91 ERA in 17 appearances and 14 starts. In 80 1/3 innings, he struck out 103 and walked 25, holding opponents to a .216 batting average. He led the Volunteers in innings pitched and was second on the team in strikeouts.
Burns helped Tennessee win the 2022 SEC regular season and tournament titles while posting a nation-leading 57 victories. The Volunteers finished the year with a 57-9 overall record and a 25-5 mark in the SEC. The Volunteers were ranked No. 1 in the NCBWA Division I Poll along with several other polls for most of the season and the No. 1 seed for the 2022 NCAA Championship. Tennessee won the 2022 NCAA Knoxville Regional championship.
The Gallatin, Tennessee, native was voted to the NCBWA Freshman All-American first team, yesterday and named a 2022 Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. In addition, Burns was named to the D1Baseball.com Midseason All-America Team and was the team’s Top Pitcher and Freshman. He was selected as a third team All-American and Co-Freshman of the Year by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last week.
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. For more information about the 2022 NCBWA Freshman All-American team, contact Ryan Bomberger (rbomberger@liberty.edu).