Michael Emodi Named Johnny Bench Semifinalist

Wichita, Kan. -- Creighton junior catcher Michael Emodi has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com.

The Johnny Bench Award is given to the nation's top catcher at the NCAA Division I level each season by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.

Finalists for the award will be announced on June 4 and the award will be presented on June 28 at the 21st Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet.

Emodi has been a force for the Bluejays both behind the plate and at the dish in 2018. He has all but stopped opponents' running game as the Creighton backstop has thrown out 20 of 40 potential base runners (50%). At the dish, Mike is fourth on the squad with a .282 average, he is second on the squad with eight home runs and 41 RBI. Emodi has played in 46 of Creighton's 47 contests, including 44 in the gear.

Originally a walk-on for the Bluejays, Emodi was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch list last season as a sophomore. This is the first time Emodi has progressed to a semifinalist for the award.
The complete list of sixteen semifinalists for the 2018 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com are:

Joey Bart, Georgia Tech Institute of Technology JR
Carter Bins, California State University, Fresno SO
Trevor Casanova, California State University, Northridge JR
Tyler Cropley, University of Iowa SR
Tim DalPorto, Kent State University SR
Logan Driscoll, George Mason University SO
Michael Emodi, Creighton University JR
Nick Fortes, University of Mississippi JR
Alex Holderbach, Eastern Kentucky University JR
Reynaldo Pastrana, Marshall University JR
Cal Raleigh, Florida State University JR
Adley Rutschman, Oregon State University SO
Cesar Salazar, University of Arizona JR
JJ Schwarz, University of Florida SR
Jake Washer, East Carolina University SO
Harris Yett, University of North Carolina at Charlotte JR

Catchers on the list were nominated by their schools. Statistics to compare them were pulled on May 9, 2018. One key criteria in determining the semifinalists is that they must be the starting catcher for their team in 70% of the games. This year there were several strong nominees that did not meet the criteria to move forward in the selection process.

Ballots will be 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 4, 2018. 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 21st Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 28, 2018.

Players Mentioned

Michael Emodi

Related Videos