THE FRANK CHRISTIAN TROPHY
The Figment Sporting Journal has selected a player deemed to be the best in college baseball every year since 1927. That award will now have a name after it was announced recently that the Frank Christian Trophy has been created and will be presented annually to college baseball's top player beginning with the 1935 season.
Christian was a legendary coach at Lubbock State who guided the Hawks from 1910 when the AIAA baseball originally began until his retirement following the 1933 season. He led the Hawks to a pair of National Titles in 1922 and 1928 and his team qualified for the AIAA playoffs on 4 other occasions. His lifetime managerial record of 620-582 places him second only to Hal Quinn in college wins and games managed. Among the many players he developed for the next level is Bill Moore, who was recently named the greatest player in the first 25 years of AIAA baseball and was the only two-time winner of the College Player of the Year award. Coaching ran in the Christian family as Frank's brother John Christian was a long-time football and basketball coach, first at Noble Jones in Atlanta and later for Red River State.
CENTRAL OHIO'S JONES WINS INITIAL CHRISTIAN TROPHY
As was widely expected Central Ohio University pitcher Al Jones was named the first recipient of the Frank Christian Trophy as college baseball's top player for 1935. The 21 year old Nashville, Tennessee native is following in his older brothers footsteps as Freddie Jones was a standout second baseman for the Aviators before joining the St Louis Pioneers. Freddie was the first Central Ohio player to be named the College Baseball Player of the Year, having won the award in 1930.
While expected to be selected in the December draft, it is very unlikely the younger Jones will be a first round pick like his brother. OSA scouts see him as a back end of the rotation type pitcher once he matures, but do rave about his dominant curve ball and his ability to get strikeouts. That was on full display this season as Jones led the AIAA in K's by a wide margin, fanning 141 batters in 110 innings of work while posting a 9-3 record.
Here is the complete list of college player of the year winners.
Code:
FRANK CHRISTIAN TROPHY* WINNERS
YEAR NAME POS CLASS SCHOOL
1927 Sam Orr 2B FR Henry Hudson
1928 Tommy Wilcox P JR Liberty College
1929 Vic Crawford OF JR Commonwealth Catholic
1930 Freddie Jones 2B SO Central Ohio
1931 Bill Moore 1B SO Lubbock State
1932 Bill Moore 1B JR Lubbock State
1933 Joe Hancock P JR Henry Hudson
1934 Sal Pestilli OF FR Narrangansett
1935 Al Jones P JR Central Ohio
* Award was not dubbed the Frank Christian Trophy until 1935