Dylan Givens recipient of Kenny and Lisa Troutt Scholarship
02/20/2019 | 7:37:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Dylan Givens, a junior from Paducah, Kentucky and member of the Saluki Baseball team, received the Kenny and Lisa Troutt Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic school year. Givens started in nine games on the mound for the Salukis last season.
"Dylan comes from a really good family and we are proud of what he has accomplished both in the classroom and on the field," said head baseball coach Ken Henderson.
Givens transferred to SIU after redshirting his freshman year at John A. Logan College in Carterville.
"SIU means so much to me," said Givens. "Everyone has welcomed me with open arms and made my transition from a junior college to Division I as enjoyable as possible."
As a sophomore, Givens made nine starts and appeared in six other games out of the bullpen. He finished the season third on the team with a 4.18 ERA (second among pitchers with 20+ innings) while limiting opponents to a .257 average over 56.0 innings. He pitched back-to-back seven shutout innings against Belmont (April 17) and SEMO (April 24). Later in the season, he earned MVC Pitcher of the week and was credited with a complete-game shutout after throwing five shutout innings and allowing only one hit against Bradley (May 19, game was shortened due to lightning). Academically, Givens earned a spot on the MVC Academic Honor Roll.
"Dylan is an intelligent and outgoing person who is a great fit with Saluki Baseball and possesses all the values that we look for in student-athletes," said Henderson. "I couldn't be more proud for someone to receive the Kenny and Lisa Troutt scholarship."
Kenny Troutt played football at Southern Illinois University, after transferring from Eastern Illinois in 1966. During his time at SIU, Troutt met his longtime friend Pete Wittmann. The two met on McAndrew Stadium's football field and belonged to the Salukis' team in the late `60s. They went on to become roommates, fraternity brothers, incredibly successful business partners - and remain best friends today in Dallas. In the fall of 2005, the two welcomed the opening of the Troutt-Wittmann Academic Center. The center is a two-story, 10,000-square-foot addition to the north wing of Lingle Hall, which adjoins the SIU Arena. Today, Troutt is the CEO of Dallas-based Excel Communications, Inc. and the owner of WinStar Farm in Kentucky.
"Being a member of the SIU Baseball team has helped me grow a lot as a baseball player and young man," said Givens. "This scholarship means a lot to me because I can further my academics and continue to play the game I love."
