WICHITA, Kan.--- The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced the official watch list for the 2017 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com Fullerton's Chris Hudgins is one of 85 catchers nominated for the award by their coaches. Because the award is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher, the last will be updated to include other candidates until May 1st.
The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced on May 17. 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 on June 5, while 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 the 20th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29th.
After beginning the year sidelined due to injury, Hudgins has come back and made an immediate impact. He's started in all seven games he's played in, batting .292 with seven hits, seven RBI and four runs scored.
In addition to his production on the field, he's one of the clear vocal leaders off of it.
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.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the baseball team has established its own Twitter (@BaseballTitans) and Instagram accounts (csf_titanbaseball).