The Bench Awards honor the best baseball and softball catchers at the high school level in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia and the top catchers in NCAA baseball and softball. A committee picks the finalists. The Hall of Fame catcher and Reds legend Bench picks the winners.
“Congratulations to the Johnny Bench Awards Class of 2022,” Bench said in a press release. “At the college level, this group is led by two high-quality student-athletes, including a fellow Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, Jordyn Rudd. Our high school awards continue to become more competitive thanks to our growing relationship with regional coaches associations. I’m looking forward to honoring our winners at Great American Ball Park on July 26 and hope the fans in Cincinnati will join us.”
Fans can attend the Johnny Bench Awards Luncheon. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and VIP table sales, please contact Erin Chamberlain at 513-765-7921 or echamberlain@reds.com.
“Reds Country has a rich history of baseball and softball excellence at every level,” said Phil Castellini, Reds President and Chief Operating Officer, in a press release. “We are very grateful to Johnny for recognizing these individual athletes with this prestigious award bearing his name, the greatest catcher of all time.”
Here’s the full list of winners:
Top male NCAA baseball catcher
• Kevin Parada, Georgia Tech
Top female NCAA softball catcher
• Jordyn Rudd, Northwestern University
Top high school catchers from Ohio
• Myaih Cloud, Hayes High School (softball)
• Jimmy Nugent, Badin High School (baseball)
Top high school catchers from Kentucky
• Kayley Batts, Oldham County High School (softball)
• Brody Williams, Lyon County High School (baseball)
Top high school catchers from Indiana
• Brenna Blume, Gibson Southern High School (softball)
• Oscar Pegg, Shakamak High School (baseball)
Top high school catchers from West Virginia
• Josie Bird, Lincoln County High School (softball)
• Ethyn Barnitz, Wahama High School (baseball)
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