LUBBOCK, Texas – When it comes to teams vying for a conference championship or a berth in the NCAA regionals, great defensive play is a must. When that great defensive play is paired with solid offensive numbers, that usually signals the player also is a team leader.

Those are the characteristics exemplified by the five finalists named by the College Baseball Foundation for the annual Brooks Wallace Award. Each one played a key role in helping their teams put together outstanding seasons, with four of the five heading to the NCAA Tournament this week.

The five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award are graduate student Noah Lucier from Fairfield, senior Kevin Dubrule from Army, juniors Matt Shaw from Maryland, Josh Rivera from Florida and sophomore Griff O’Ferrall from Virginia.

“The last and finalist is always the most difficult to determine each year, but we feel like we did our homework and came up with a great group of shortstops,” said Wallace Award co-chair Larry Wallace. “Once again, these guys hit for average and power, and all of them field their position well which is what we look for an expect in choosing the Brooks Wallace Award each year.”

The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented later this year by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.

Here is a closer look at the five finalists:

• Kevin Dubrule, Sr., Army: The Black Knights were one of the first teams to secure their spot in the NCAA tournament by winning the Patriot League championship, and Dubrule has been a key contributor in that effort. For the season, he is hitting .411 with nine home runs and 68 RBIs, and has compiled a .953 fielding percentage.
• Noah Lucier, Grad, Fairfield: The Stags captured their third straight Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference title and No. 1 seed in the conference postseason tournament this year, and Lucier was a big reason why. The transfer from Stonehill College hit .365 on the season with a pair of home runs and 39 RBIs, and was fantastic in the field, compiling an impressive .983 fielding percentage, best among the five finalists.
• Griff O’Ferrall, So., Virginia: A first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference shortstop, O’Ferrall helped lead the Cavaliers to a second-place finish in the ACC with his production both at the plate and in the field. He entered the ACC Tournament with a .404 batting average to go with 34 RBIs and just six errors on the season while fielding at a .965 clip.
• Josh Rivera, Jr., Florida: In addition to having an outstanding season personally, Rivera was a key player in the Gators’ push to win the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship. In 54 games played for Florida, Rivera hit .361 to go with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs, and finished in the top 15 in the SEC in batting average, runs, hits, on-base percentage and RBIs while fielding at a .968 clip.
• Matt Shaw, Jr., Maryland: In helping lead the Terrapins to the regular-season Big Ten championship, Shaw was the driving force and was named the conference Player of the Year in the process. On the season, he hit an impressive .361 with 23 home runs and 66 RBIs while compiling a .970 fielding percentage. The 23 home runs tied for sixth in the nation.

For more information on the Brooks Wallace Award or the College Baseball Foundation, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.