THE FLATS – No. 20 Georgia Tech baseball’s true freshman catcher Kevin Parada (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) has been lauded for the first half of his inaugural season, garnering midseason watch list honors for the Golden Spikes Award, it was announced Wednesday.
The midseason watch list features 45 of the nation’s top amateur players from high school and college, with Parada being one of the seven representatives from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Parada is one of just four true college freshmen to make the list.
Parada has made a name for himself as one of the top freshman period in the nation earning multiple midseason freshman of the year honors by ranking fifth in the ACC with a .368 batting average. He also ranks second in doubles (10), fourth in hits (42), sixth in triples (two) and ninth in slugging (.623).
Playing against one of the toughest conferences in the country, the California native hasn’t shrunk to the competition, also tops the rankings in ACC-only statistics:
- Hits: 36 – No. 1 in ACC
- Doubles: 9 – No. 1
- Triples: 2 – No. 1
- Batting Average: .383 – No. 2
- Slugging: .617 – No. 8
Nationally among freshmen, Parada is top-10 in hits and doubles and top-20 in hitting. Defensively, the true freshman has also been a terrific back stop, making 24 starts at catcher for the 20th-ranked Yellow Jackets, including 20 of the last 21 games.
Known as “Catcher U,” Parada is the third-straight catcher and fourth catcher overall from the Yellow Jackets to make the Golden Spikes midseason watch list – Kyle McCann – 2019; Joey Bart – 2017, 2018; Zane Evans – 2013.
USA Baseball will announce the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists on June 8.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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