March 9, 2016 LMU Baseball Schedule |
Junior Cassidy Brown was recently honored by being put back on the Bench â€" earning a spot on the 2016 Johnny Bench Award watch list. The native of Hudson, Ohio was previously listed on the watch list for the award, which is presented by BaseballSavings.com, last season as a sophomore.
Brown is one of 74 catchers who were nominated for the award by their schools. Because the award is given annually to the top division one collegiate catcher, the list will be updated to include other candidates until May 3, 2016.
Complete Release from Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission
Brown has raced out to a blistering start to the 2016 campaign, hitting .432 with six runs scored, four doubles, his first career homer and seven RBI. He is slugging .591 and reaching at a .500 clip. The 6'3, 215-pound backstop currently carries a 10-game hit streak that features multiple hits in seven of the 10. Appearing in all 12 games so far, including starting 10 behind the plate, Brown has thrown out 50% of potential base stealers.
The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 18, 2016. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2016. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 19th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 30, 2016.
"We are extremely appreciative to BaseballSavings.com and Mr. Johnny Bench for supporting this prestigious award," stated Bob Hanson, President/CEO of the Sports Commission. "They are the ones who make all of this possible."
While Bench is remembered for his offense, he may have had the greatest impact behind the plate. He was the first receiver to use a protective helmet in the field, popularized catching one-handed and kept his throwing hand behind his back to protect it from foul tips.
Bench's career honors include: National League Rookie of the Year (1968); National League Most Valuable Player (1970, 1972); World Series Most Valuable Player (1976); 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner. In 1980, he set an endurance record by catching 100+ games for 13 consecutive seasons. Bench was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 1989 with the fourth highest percentage of total votes cast. In 2015, Bench was named as part of the Franchise Four Greatest Living Players, along with Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.
Johnny Bench presented Southern California catcher, Garrett Stubbs, with the award last June in Wichita, Kansas. Kade Scivicque of Louisiana State University and Matt Winn of Virginia Military Institute were the other finalists for the award.
