THE FLATS – No. 6 Georgia Tech baseball’s true freshman catcher Kevin Parada (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) continues to earn national recognition, getting named to the Buster Posey Award watch list on Friday, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced Friday.
Formerly known as the Johnny Bench Award, the renamed Buster Posey Award honors the top collegiate catcher nationally in a season. Parada is one of just five freshmen to earn a spot on the coveted list.
Parada has made a name for himself as one of the top freshman period in the nation, leading the ACC through 20 games (19 starts) by hitting .434. He also leads with nine doubles, ranks second in hits (36) and triples (two), while is currently sixth in slugging (.699) and on-base percentage (.478).
Playing against one of the toughest conferences in the country, the California native hasn’t shrunk to the competition, also topping the rankings in ACC only statistics:
- Batting Average: .443 – No. 1 in ACC
- Hits: 31 – No. 1
- Doubles: 8 – No. 1
- Triples: 2 – No. 1
- Runs scored: 17 – No. 3
- Slugging: .700 – No. 4
- On-Base: .480 – No. 6
- RBI: 14 – No. 7
Nationally among freshmen, Parada is third in hitting and tied for third in hits and doubles. Defensively, the true freshman has also been a terrific back stop, making 18 starts at catcher for the sixth-ranked Yellow Jackets, including 17-straight to date.
Known as “Catcher U,” Georgia Tech has had three finalists for the award, including Joey Bart, who won the award in 2018. Matt Wieters and Zane Evans were also finalists at Tech.
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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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