Bench Awards recognize top college, high school catchers

The 2024 Johnny Bench Awards presented by MSA Sport were held Tuesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. The awards honor the top NCAA Division I male and female college catchers along with the top high school baseball and softball catchers from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia.

The winners and their families attended a luncheon emceed by Reds radio broadcaster Tommy Thrall and former WCPO sports anchor Dennis Johnson. Bench, Reds President and Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini and Reds Hall of Fame outfielder George Foster were also in attendances, along with representatives from MSA Sport and other program partners.

“I want to congratulate all the award winners. I’m so happy we’ve expanded this to high school sports,” Castellini said. “We’re drafting younger and younger every year. The development really does begin there in baseball and softball, even before the high school level.”

2024 SEC Player of the Year Jocelyn Erickson represented the University of Florida as the top NCAA Division I softball catcher. The sophomore threw out 13 of the 19 runners who tried to steal against her in 2024 to earn a Gold Glove. Erickson also broke the single-season program record for runs batted in with 86, which smashed the previous record of 80 set by Megan Bush in 2011, on her way to being named the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Catcher of the Year. Previous collegiate softball winners include 2021 Team USA Olympian Dejah Mulipola and 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove winner Jordyn Rudd.

Joining her on the NCAA side was All-American Cole Messina. The University of South Carolina junior set an SEC Tournament record with 16 RBIs in five games. He threw out 13 runners over the course of 2024. Messina was recently picked in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. Among the recipients on the baseball side in past years are 2019 No. 1 overall Draft pick and two-time Baltimore Orioles All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman and 2021 Reds first-round Draft pick Matheu Nelson.

In the final game of her high school career, Ohio high school winner Macy Chamberlin of Evergreen High School tied and then broke Ohio’s record for career home runs. She hit her 60th and 61st home runs in Evergreen’s 6-2 win over Port Clinton. The Penn State commit is also a three-time All-Ohio nominee. Ohio baseball winner Caden Sheridan, who is also an All-Ohio nominee, recorded a .471 batting average with 13 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs for Sheridan High School. He will attend Morehead State in the fall.

Kentucky high school winners included Chance Furnish from Rowan County High School. Furnish is a mentee of Foster’s and will join the Winthrop baseball team in the fall. Sitting next to him on stage was Miss Kentucky Softball Reaghan Oney from Montgomery County High School. The Troy commit set the state record for home runs in a season (24) and consecutive games with a home run (seven) in 2024.

“I started catching my seventh-grade year. I was always a middle infielder, never the biggest on the team,” Oney said during the Q&A session. “My dad looked at me and was like, ‘You’re a catcher’ and I was like ‘OK, I’ll try it out.’ I did it all through high school and I absolutely loved it.”

Indiana baseball winner Hogan Denny is the No. 20 catcher ranked nationally and No. 1 catcher in Indiana according to Perfect Game. The Mooresville High School graduate will remain in-state this fall as a member of Indiana’s baseball team. His counterpart, softballer Riley Zache, recorded a .537 batting average with 10 home runs for Saint Joseph High School in 2024. She is committed to Oklahoma alongside her younger sister, Berkley.

Luke Samuel and Lauren Guthrie were honored for their achievements in West Virginia. Samuel, a recent graduate of Cabell Midland High School, helped his team to back-to-back state championships with a .375 batting average. Samuel is set to attend Marshall on an academic scholarship. Softball winner Guthrie also shined at the plate. She batted over .500 in back-to-back seasons for Sherman High School and will attend Bellarmine in the fall.

“It's like being a lineman in football, it's unappreciated. The catcher, we need to give them appreciation,” Bench said. “But at the same time, it means that they've spent all these years from the time they had Little League up to where they are committing themselves to it and they've been outstanding, and I think they should have a little more recognition.”

After the luncheon, the group enjoyed a tour of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Dinsmore, watched Reds batting practice from the field, participated in a pregame ceremony and settled in to watch the Reds beat the Cubs.