University of Tennessee Athletics
Herrera Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List
March 21, 2003 | Baseball
March 21, 2003
University of Tennessee junior Javi Herrera was one of 32 players listed on the initial watch list for the Johnny Bench Award given to the top national collegiate catcher as given by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on May 20 with the finalists being announced June 2. A final vote among the national committee will occur at the end of the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita, Kan., and the winner will be announced at the sixth annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet.
This is the fourth year of the award in honor of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. Two Southeastern Conference catchers, LSU's Brad Cresse in 2000 and Alabama's Jeremy Brown in 2002, have taken home the honor in the past three years.
Herrera, who was a third team preseason All-America by Baseball America, currently leads the Volunteers with a .394 batting average and ranks third in the SEC in on-base percentage at .506.
He rates as one of the top catchers in the nation, having played on the USA National Team in 2001, and would have been invited back for 2002 had he not gotten injured.
In the Feb. 15 Baseball America Prospects Plus, he ranked as the No. 23 college prospect and the No. 3 catcher behind South Carolina's Landon Powell and Florida State's Tony Richie. Herrera, who is listed as the top collegiate player in the state, ranks No. 20 among the top 50 juniors in nation.
He was ranked as the No. 4 draft preseason prospect in the SEC by Baseball America behind Landon Powell, c, South Carolina, Paul Maholm, lhp, Mississippi State and Aaron Hill, ss/3b, Louisiana State.
