PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Four players from around The American were named
Midseason Perfect Game/Rawlings College Baseball All-Americans, while three catchers were listed on the
Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year watch list from the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
ECU’s Alec Burleson and Tulane’s Kody Hoese were each tabbed first team Midseason Perfect Game/Rawlings All-Americans, while Houston’s Joe Davis and UConn’s Jacob Wallace were each placed on the second team.
Burleson is a two-way standout that leads The American with a .420 batting average and has 10 doubles and 42 hits. On the mound, he sports a 2-0 record with a pair of saves and a 2.96 ERA. Hoese leads the conference in home runs (14), hits (48), runs scored (34), total bases (99) and slugging percentage (.825).
Davis is the league’s leader in RBIs (38) and is second in home runs (12) and third in slugging percentage (.743). Wallace owns a conference-high seven saves for the Huskies. Through 11 appearances and 19 innings pitched out of the bullpen, the righthander has two wins, a 0.47 ERA and 27 strikeouts, while scattering one run on eight hits and three walks.
USF’s Tyler Dietrich, UConn’s Pat Winkel and ECU’s Jake Washer were each featured on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year watch list.
Washer, a semifinalist for the 2018 Johnny Bench Award, has started 20 of 24 games behind the plate where he is batting .247 (22-for-89) with four home runs, 17 RBIs, four CSBs, a .995 fielding percentage and 10 runs scored. Dietrich has started in 21 of 23 games played this year, batting .256 (20-for-78) with six doubles, 10 RBIs, 29 total bases, seven CSBs and 177 putouts. Through 16 games, Winkel is batting .275 (14-for-51) with nine RBIs and five CSBs.
The Buster Posey Award Watch List, which is in its first year under a new name and 20th associated with the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission, is a rolling list that will be narrowed down to the semifinalists on May 17, 2019. The three finalists will be determined by a national voting panel and announced on June 3 with the winner being announced at the 22nd Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 27.