WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita Area Sports Commission named senior catcher Josh Spano of the High Point University baseball team to the 2015 Johnny Bench Award Watch List on Wednesday. The award is given annually to the top Division I catcher.
“It is pretty special that Josh Spano has been named to the Johnny Bench Watch List for the third consecutive year,” head coach Craig Cozart. “This is a tremendous credit to his capabilities and the work he puts in behind the plate. He is a huge part of our opportunity to have success here and we are proud of him.”
This is the third-straight year that Spano has been named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. He has started 11 games this season and is hitting .195 with two RBI and six runs scored. Spano has played very well behind the plate, throwing out three of four attempted base stealers on the year. For his career, Spano has played in 166 games with 163 starts and has hit .279 with 74 RBI and 81 runs scored. He also has thrown out 58 potential base stealers.
Spano is one of four Big South catchers on this season’s Johnny Bench watch list along with Roger Gonzalez of Winthrop, Steven Leonard of Campbell and Josh Reavis of Radford.
Spano is the third catcher from HPU to be named to the watch list and the second to be named to the list for three-straight seasons. Billy Alvino was named to the watch list from 2007-09 and was a semifinalist 2009. Kyle Mahoney was named to the watch list in 2010 and 2011.
The watch list of 75 will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on May 14, 2015.