Johnson named to 2022 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
LUBBOCK, Texas – Tennessee Tech junior shortstop Ed Johnson has been named to the 2022 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List as announced by the College Baseball Foundation Tuesday.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information & College Baseball Foundation
LUBBOCK, Texas – Tennessee Tech junior shortstop Ed Johnson has been named to the 2022 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List as announced by the College Baseball Foundation Tuesday.
The award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented this summer by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
"The shortstop position may be being redefined a bit," said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. "So many shortstops in the game today are hitting with power and high batting averages that at one time weren't considered a characteristic of the position. But we are proud to announce our top 100 shortstops who are showing they are some of the best in the game, regardless of position."
It marks the second time in as many years that Johnson finds his name on the list, and the junior has been even better at the plate in 2022. The Golden Eagle lead-off man paces the team with a .400 batting average while reaching at a .452 clip and slugging .615.
The Trussville, Ala. native also leads the purple and gold with 52 hits and 36 runs scored in just 29 games. Boasting six home runs, eight doubles, and a triple, Johnson has driven in 29 while swiping a pair of bags and striking out just 18 times.
In his first season as a Golden Eagle, Johnson has been one of the team's top bats in 2021, currently slashing .329/.396/.519 through 21 games. The Trussville, Ala. native leads the Tech squad with 20 RBI while ranking second on the team in batting average, hits (26) and runs scored (20).
Johnson represents Tech's third shortstop to earn a place on the midseason watch list in the past 10 years, along with former Golden Eagles David Garza (2018) and Dylan Bosheers (2013, 2014 & 2015). Last year he joined both Garza and Bosheers (2014) to become the only Tech shortstops ever to be named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.
"We start the selection process with some 308 shortstops from 31 conferences," said Tom Quigley, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. "Having a weekly award winner has sped up our coverage and allows us to follow the players much earlier in the season. Keep playing hard, field your position, and represent your team with class in the same fashion Brooks did in his playing days at Texas Tech."
For more information on the Wallace Award or the Night of Champions event, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
Photo by Jim Dillon
