University of North Carolina Athletics
Federowicz Up For Johnny Bench Award
March 4, 2008 | Baseball
March 4, 2008
WICHITA, Kan. - North Carolina junior catcher Tim Federowicz was named to the official watch list for the 2008 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award delivered by AT&T and Papa John's Pizza, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced Monday. Thirty-six catchers from twenty-two conferences were nominated for the award by their coaches. Because the award is given annually to the top division one collegiate catcher, the list will be updated to include other candidates until May 5, 2008.
A preseason All-America, Federowicz is batting .308 with two home runs and three RBI on the season. He has started seven of Carolina's eight games behind the plate and has picked off two runners.
The watch list will be narrowed down to ten semi-finalists, whom will be announced May 14, 2008. Statistics will be compiled on each of the semi-finalists and sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 3, 2008 prior to the NCAA Super Regionals and Major League Baseball Draft. 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 11th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 27, 2008.
Johnny Bench presented Mississippi State catcher, Edward Easley, with the award last June in Wichita, Kansas. Buster Posey of Florida State University and Matt Wieters of Georgia Tech were the other finalists for the award.
"We are extremely appreciative of the Coleman Company, AT&T and Papa John's Pizza being the sponsors of this prestigious award," stated Bob Hanson, President/CEO of the Sports Commission. "They are the ones who make all of this possible."
"We are grateful that Johnny Bench is the namesake for our award because he is, without a doubt, the greatest catcher to ever play the game," Hanson said. "We are very excited to have someone of his caliber support our efforts in honoring the accomplishments of these college players."
While Bench is remembered for his offense, he may have had the greatest impact behind the plate. He was the first receiver to use a protective helmet in the field, popularized catching one-handed and kept his throwing hand behind his back to protect it from foul tips.
Bench's career honors include: National League Rookie of the Year (1968); National League Most Valuable Player (1970, 1972); World Series Most Valuable Player (1976); 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner. In 1980, he set an endurance record by catching 100+ games for 13 consecutive seasons. Bench was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 1989 with the fourth highest percentage of total votes cast.
