Western Kentucky relief pitcher Mason Burns was named a Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist, the award committee announced Thursday in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The Dick Howser Trophy is given annually to the top collegiate baseball player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members. Of the 68 candidates, Burns is one of six players selected from Conference USA and one of three pitchers from the league to make the list.

Burns is in the midst of a historic campaign in 2024 as the go-to guy out of the Hilltopper bullpen following an outstanding junior season in 2023. The senior leads the country in saves with 14 in 25 appearances on the mound for WKU, which is tied with Ian Tompkins for the most in program history in a single season. Burns’ 18 career saves at WKU are tied with Tompkins for the second-most in program history and are five behind the record holder, Matt Wilhite, who posted 23.

Overall, the Bloomington, Illinois, native holds a 2-3 record with 43 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings pitched and a 4.15 ERA this season.

Burns was known as one of the top relief pitchers in the country entering the 2024 season. He was No. 48 on Perfect Game USA’s “Top 75 College Seniors” list and was named to the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team as a relief pitcher. This marks the second in-season recognition Burns has received, as he was one of 59 pitchers named to the 2024 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List last month.

Along with the Dick Howser Trophy, the NCBWA presents the 2024 Stopper of the Year to the top relief pitcher in Division I Baseball and the Mike Martin National Coach of the Year to the nation’s top coach. It also selects All-America Teams for all Divisions; a Division I Freshman All-American team; Division I, II and III Players of the Week; and Division I, II and III Players of the Year.

Finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy will be announced on June 8 and the winner will be presented at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, the home of the College World Series, and on MLB Network on June 13, at 9 a.m. CT.

Burns and the Hilltoppers conclude regular season play this weekend as they host New Mexico State for a three-game series that began with a doubleheader Thursday at Nick Denes Field.