The Johnny Bench Award was created in 2019 to honor the best catcher in both college baseball and college softball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The award is administered by MSA Sport and presented after the conclusion of the College World Series.
Named for Johnny Bench, it was first awarded in 2019. Previously, there was another award called the Johnny Bench Award, but after Bench decided to create his own national award, that award was renamed the Buster Posey Award.[1]
In addition to naming the top college baseball and softball catchers, the top high school catchers in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia are also recognized.[2]
| Year | Links to the article about the corresponding baseball year |
|---|---|
| Player | Name of the player |
| School | The player's college when he won the award |
| Class | The player's year in college when he won the award |
| ^ | Player won the MLB Rookie of the Year Award[a] |
| § | Player also won the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy in the same year |
| ‡ | Player is active in MLB[b] |
| Year | Name | School | Class | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Adley Rutschmanठ| Oregon State | Junior | [3] |
| 2020 | Patrick Bailey‡ | NC State | Junior | [4] |
| 2021 | Matheu Nelson‡ | Florida State | Junior | [5] |
| 2022 | Kevin Parada‡ | Georgia Tech | Sophomore | [6] |
| 2023 | Kyle Teel‡ | Virginia | Junior | [7] |
| 2024 | Cole Messina‡ | South Carolina | Junior | [8] |
| 2025 | Caden Bodine | Coastal Carolina | Junior | [9] |
| Year | Name | School | Class | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dejah Mulipola | Arizona | Junior | [3] |
| 2020 | Morganne Flores | Washington | Senior | [4] |
| 2021 | Kayla Kowalik | Kentucky | Junior | [5] |
| 2022 | Jordyn Rudd | Northwestern | Senior | [6] |
| 2023 | Kinzie Hansen | Oklahoma | Senior | [7] |
| 2024 | Jocelyn Erickson | Florida | Sophomore | [8] |
| 2025 | Reese Atwood | Texas | Junior | [9] |
