ST. LOUIS, Mizzouri  ? Rawlings, in conjunction with the American Baseball Coaches Association announced the 2008 Collegiate Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners this past summer.  The Rawlings Gold Glove has been the standard for outstanding defensive play in the Major Leagues for over half a century.  Vance Albitz of the UC San Diego baseball team was the only Division II shortstop to earn the award. 

The collegiate Rawlings Gold Glove Awards are awarded to the following levels:  NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College Division I and high school.  Each winner will receive their own rawlings Gold Glove Award.  Rawlings will also provide institutions with a duplicate award in recognition of each player's achievement.

“Our company is proud to see that defense is being recognized and rewarded at all levels of play,” said Rawlings President and General Manager Robert Parish.  “These elite athletes deserve tremendous recognition for their fielding skills and contribution to the game of baseball.”

Nomination and voting for the NCAA Rawlings Gold Glove Awards mirrors that of the ABCA's Rawlings College All-American Awards.  Coaches can nominate players by contacting their regional chair.

Last year Albitz started every game for the Tritons at shortstop, recording a .977 fielding percentage.  He had 108 putouts, 188 assists and seven errors in 61 games.  He was also a force atop the Triton batting order, hitting at a .355 clip and a school-record 86 hits.  He added 31 walks and struck out just seven times in 242 at-bats.