DALLAS, Texas – Georgia Tech junior catcher Joey Bart was named the 2018 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) District 4 Player of the Year, it was announced on Friday.
A finalist for both the 2018 Dick Howser Trophy and the 2018 Johnny Bench Award, Bart was recently selected No. 2 overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft becoming the highest draft pick in Tech’s baseball history.
A 2018 first-team all-American, Bart was also tabbed the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the all-ACC first team after a stellar junior campaign in which he led the ACC in hitting with a .359 average on the season. He led Georgia Tech and ranked second in the league in slugging percentage (.632) and hits (79), while also posting a team-high in home runs (16), runs scored (55) and on-base percentage (.471), which all ranked in the top 10 in the ACC.
The Buford, Ga. native posted a season-high 16-game hitting streak, the longest of the year for a Yellow Jacket player, and totaled 24 multi-hit games on the season overall, which included a pair of multi-home run games in which he blasted two long balls at Mercer on April 10 and on the road at Virginia on May 14.
A solid defensive catcher, Bart posted a .992 fielding percentage on the season, threw out 12-of-33 would-be base stealers and recorded three pickoffs from behind the plate.
The 2018 NCBWA District Players of the Year are District 1: OF Ryan Ward (Bryant); District 2: SS Greg Cullen (Niagara); District 3: SP Casey Mize (Auburn) and SP Brady Singer (Florida); District 4: C Joey Bart (Georgia Tech); District 5: 1B Bren Spillane (Illinois); District 6: OF Steele Walker (Oklahoma); District 7: 2B Kody Clemens (Texas); District 8: 1B Nic Ready (Air Force); District 9: RP Jack Little (Stanford) and 1B Andrew Vaughn (California).
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
