May 18, 2000
Arizona State junior catcher Casey Myers (Casa Grande) has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the inaugural Johnny Bench National Collegiate Catcher of the Year, announced the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Myers, who was named a second-team All-American earlier this week, leads the squad in batting average (.413), hits (85) and on-base percentage (.510). He has 188 career RBI in three short years, three shy of making the top 10 in the league. Myers has called the pitches for all of the games this season making him one of the few collegiate catchers to do so. He is currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in RBI per game. The junior has a .996 fielding percentage this season, making only two errors in 460 chances.
Other semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award include (in alphabetical order): Justin Cowan from Nebraska, Brad Cresse from LSU, Danny Massiatte from Louisiana-Lafayette, Bradon Pack from South Carolina, Bryan Prince from Georgia Tech, Dane Sardinha from Pepperdine, Mike Tonis from California, Scott Walter from Loyola Marymount and John Wilson from Kentucky.
Three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award will be selected by a national voting panel at the end of May. The finalists will be announced in Omaha, Neb. during the College World Series. The final vote will occur at the end of the CWS, with the three finalists being invited to Wichita, Kan. for the Third Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet, June 20 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.