@MizzouBaseball’s Bond Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List
3/9/2017 1:33:00 PM | Baseball
Tiger catcher is nominated for nation’s best catcher; ranks second in the SEC in batting
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball junior catcher Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) was added to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, announced Thursday by the Greater Wichita Sports Commission. Bond is one of 85 catchers to make the watch list and this is the first time he has appeared on the list during his career.
Bond is off to an extremely hot start for Mizzou, which ranks No. 26 in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine Top 30 and is riding a national-best 12-game winning streak. The Tiger catcher leads the team in batting (.472) and hits (25) while ranking second in the SEC in both categories. Bond has also slugged a team-best three homers, sixth-most in the SEC this season. He tallied Mizzou's first five-hit game since 2011 in a 10-1 win over Eastern Illinois on Tuesday and homered in yesterday's 7-6, 10-inning win over Western Carolina. Bond is fourth in the SEC in total bases (39), runs scored (18) and OBP (.548), and is fifth in slugging (.736).
Additional candidates will be added to the watch list on May 1. The list will then be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 17, 2017. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists, which will be announced June 5. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 20th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29.
Bond and the Tigers continue a season-long 10-game homestand this weekend against Appalachian State, hosting a three-game series that begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network +. For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Baseball and missouri_baseball, respectively).
