University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Fowler Named Johnny Bench Award Semifinalist
5/17/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2013
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss senior catcher Chase Fowler has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the 2013 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com, as announced today by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The award is given to the nation's top collegiate catcher.
Fowler has caught 45 of 49 games and has seen action in 46, ranking among the team's offensive leaders for most of the season. He is tied for the team lead in multi-RBI games with seven (four, 2-RBI and three, 3-RBI) and has hit safely in 35 of 46 games. Fowler, who leads the team with three triples, had a hitting-streak of nine games at one point and has 13 multi-hit games to his credit. He was named C-USA Hitter of the Week on April 15 after helping the Golden Eagles to a 5-0 week. Fowler has enjoyed a solid season behind the dish, throwing out 21-of-37 attempted base stealers (56.8%) and allowed just three passed balls.
The award is named after Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, who was twice selected the Most Valuable Player in the National League and a 14-time All-Star. He won 10 Gold Gloves in his major league career, caught 100 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 1989 with the fourth highest percentage of total votes cast.
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 4, 2013. 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 16th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 27, 2013.
| 2013 Johnny Bench Award Semifinalists | |
| Player | Team |
| Tyler Baker | Wichita State |
| Corey Bass | North Florida |
| Garrett Custons | Air Force |
| Blair DeBord | Kansas State |
| Zane Evans | Georgia Tech |
| Chase Fowler | Southern Miss |
| Aramis Garcia | FIU |
| Mitchell Garver | New Mexico |
| Stephen McGee | Florida State |
| Spencer Navin | Vanderbilt |
| Jake Romanski | San Diego State |
| Victor Romero | Oklahoma State |
| Ronnie Shaeffer | UC Irvine |
| Stuart Turner | Mississippi |
| Matt Winn | Virginia Military Institute |
