LUBBOCK, Texas — Young players are giving their more experienced counterparts some competition on the initial 2016 watch list for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award.
The award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented as part of the annual Night of Champions celebration on July 2 in Lubbock.
Of the 54 players recognized on the first watch list of the year, 19 are classified as freshmen or sophomores. Among that group is Terrin Vavra, a freshman at Minnesota, who’s hitting .390 on the season to go with his .988 fielding percentage. Also keeping pace in that group is sophomore Devin Hairston of Louisville, who’s hitting .388 with 31 RBI and a .959 fielding percentage.
“To see so many younger guys already being really competitive at the shortstop position is exciting,” said Tyler Young, Wallace Award co-chair. “While there are plenty of experienced players on the watch list, it’s great to see the success some of these freshmen and sophomores are having.”
Junior Riley Delgado of Middle Tennessee State leads the watch list with a .404 batting average. In 37 games, he has eight doubles and 21 walks compared to only eight strikeouts. He also has a .953 fielding percentage.
San Francisco junior Nico Giarratano has only two errors on the season, good for a .990 fielding percentage, the highest on the watch list. Through 39 games, he’s hitting .242 with four doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI.
“All of the players on this list have really competitive statistics,” said Larry Wallace, award co-chair. “They’re going to make our jobs really tough as the season continues. I’m looking forward to seeing how this continues to evolve throughout the rest of the season.”
For more information on the Wallace Award or the Night of Champions event, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
2016 Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Watch List
| Name | School | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Alemais | Tulane | AAC |
| Taylor Walls | Florida State | ACC |
| Devin Hairston | Louisville | ACC |
| Brandon Lopez | Miami | ACC |
| Joe Dunand | North Carolina State | ACC |
| JJ Gould | Jacksonville | Atlantic Sun |
| Nick Roscetti | Iowa | Big 10 |
| Kevin Smith | Maryland | Big 10 |
| Terrin Vavra | Minnesota | Big 10 |
| Sheldon Neuse | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| Donnie Walton | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| Mason Hesse | TCU | Big 12 |
| Nicky Lopez | Creighton | Big East |
| Michael Paez | Coastal Carolina | Big South |
| Luke Manzo | College of Charleston | Colonial |
| Brady Policelli | Towson | Colonial |
| CJ Chatham | Florida Atlantic | Conference USA |
| Riley Delgado | Middle Tennessee State | Conference USA |
| Zach Rutherford | Old Dominion | Conference USA |
| Ford Proctor | Rice | Conference USA |
| Nick Dawson | Southern Miss | Conference USA |
| Mitch Roman | Wright State | Horizon |
| Matthew Batten | Quinnipiac | Metro Atlantic |
| Korby Batesole | Fresno State | Mountain West |
| Dalton Bowers | New Mexico | Mountain West |
| Dan Cellucci | Bryant | Northeast |
| Clayton Smithson | Austin Peay | OVC |
| Reid Leonard | Morehead State | OVC |
| Branden Boggetto | Southeast Missouri State | OVC |
| Cody Ramer | Arizona | Pac 12 |
| Colby Woodmansee | Arizona State | Pac 12 |
| Trever Morrison | Oregon State | Pac 12 |
| Tommy Edman | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| Chandler Avant | Alabama | SEC |
| Dalton Guthrie | Florida | SEC |
| Nick King | Georgia | SEC |
| Riley Mahan | Kentucky | SEC |
| Kramer Robertson | LSU | SEC |
| Ryan Gridley | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Errol Robinson | Ole Miss | SEC |
| Marcus Mooney | South Carolina | SEC |
| Danny Rodriguez | Samford | Southern |
| Tripp Shelton | UNC Greensboro | Southern |
| Stijn van der Meer | Lamar | Southland |
| Aaron Palmer | New Orleans | Southland |
| Brennan Breaud | Southeastern Louisiana | Southland |
| Drew Fearing | North Dakota State | Summit |
| Trevin Sonnier | Oral Roberts | Summit |
| Drew LaBounty | South Alabama | Sun Belt |
| Griffin Andreychuk | Seattle | WAC |
| Hayden Nielsen | BYU | West Coast |
| Dustin Breshears | Gonzaga | West Coast |
| Bryson Brigman | San Diego | West Coast |
| Nico Giarratano | San Francisco | West Coast |
