Out of 101 shortstops in college baseball that were named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, three of them play ball in South Louisiana.
LSU’s Jordan Thompson, Louisiana’s John Taylor, and McNeese’s Josh Leslie were each named to the initial list for the award given to the nation’s top shortstop.
“We are seeing some defensive-minded shortstops this year, with many of the kids without an error or very few errors as we sift through the candidates for this year’s Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award,” Larry Wallace, co-chair of the award, said. “Of course, big offensive numbers are again a part of this class as is evident by the power numbers we are seeing.”
The award will be presented later this year by the College Baseball Foundation and is named after Brooks Wallace, who played at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. He died from leukemia at the age of 27.
The award highlights both offensive and defensive success. For Louisiana, John Taylor is hitting .311 with three doubles, two triples, five homers, and 28 runs batted in. He also carries a fielding percentage of .948 on the season with seven errors.
Jordan Thompson has been one of the leaders for the top-ranked Tigers, hitting .298 with eight doubles, six homers, and 32 RBI. The Chula Vista, CA native is fielding at a .957 clip with four errors.
Over in Lake Charles, senior Josh Leslie is having a tremendous season, leading the team in batting with a .325 average with 16 doubles, three triples, five homers, and 43 RBI. The Kenosha, WI native has a .953 fielding percentage for the Cowboys.
“With so many options to watch and keep up with NCAA baseball and the players, we’re actually watching some of the best baseball players in many, many years,” said Tom Quigley, co-chair for the Brooks Wallace Award. “Games are now on ESPN and local TV. Shortstop has been redefined and they are hitting with power and high average. Fielding and defense are extremely strong as well. It’s going to be tough as we narrow the choices the upcoming rounds.”
