Baylor Baseball’s Kolby Branch Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
LUBBOCK, Texas – Baylor baseball freshman shortstop Kolby Branch has been named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, as announced by the College Baseball Foundation.
The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It’s named after former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980 and died of leukemia at the age of 27.
Through 37 games, Branch is hitting .356 with four home runs and 33 RBIs, having started every game the Bears have played so far this season. The rookie from Lucas, Texas, started 12 of the first 16 games at second base, before moving full-time to shortstop, where he has now made 25 starts.
The award recognizes outstanding defensive play as much as it does production at the plate. Branch has committed just four errors in 164 chances for a .976 fielding percentage.
Branch is one of seven Big 12 players named to the watch list, joining Kansas State’s Nick Goodwin, Oklahoma’s Dakota Harris, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Brown, TCU’s Anthony Silva, Texas Tech’s Tracer Lopez and West Virginia’s Tevin Tucker.
Additionally, Branch is one of just 10 freshmen on the watch list, made up of a total of 101 shortstops from across the nation.
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2023 BAYLOR BASEBALL HONORS
Kolby Branch, INF
- April 19 - Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
Blake Helton, RHP
- Preseason - D1Baseball Top 200 Starting Pitchers (No. 123)
Will Rigney, RHP
- Preseason - Perfect Game Top 50 Seniors
- March 20 - Big 12 Pitcher of the Week
- March 20 – Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week