March 9, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn senior catcher Blake Logan was named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list the Greater Wichita Sports Commission announced on Thursday.
The Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher.
Logan has played in 10 games with eight starts and seven RBI through the early portion of 2017.
A native of Muscle Shoals, Ala., Logan has played in 164 games in his career with 123 starts. He holds a .264 career batting average with 36 doubles and 88 RBI.
Logan has improved his RBI total each season in his career from 17 as a freshman, to 28 as a sophomore and 36 as a junior in 2016. He ranks third among active NCAA players with 14 career sacrifice flies.
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.
The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 17, 2017. 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 5, 2017. 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 20th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29, 2017.