Komine Named Semifinalist for Rotary Smith Award

Arlington, Texas-Nebraska pitcher Shane Komine was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Rotary Smith Award honoring college baseball's top player on Wednesday.

The Smith Award, which is presented by the Rotary Club of Houston, is presented annually to the nation's top player. Komine joined fellow Big 12 Conference pitcher Justin Simmons from Texas on the list of semifinalists. Komine is the first Husker semifinalist since Ken Harvey was named a Smith Award finalist in 1999.

Komine, a 5-10, 175-pound right-hander from Honolulu, Hawaii, owns a perfect 6-0 record this season and is bidding to become just the 14th pitcher in NCAA history to win 40 games and strike out 400 batters. The native of Honolulu, Hawaii, owns a 37-8 career record with a 2.80 ERA. He also owns the Nebraska record with 475 career strikeouts. This season, the two-time All-American and two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year owns a sparkling 1.84 ERA in 63.2 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .159 against him, a mark that leads the Big 12.

As a junior, Komine posted the best season in school history by a Husker hurler, compiling a 14-2 record with a 3.35 ERA while leading Nebraska to its first-ever College World Series appearance.