McNeese’s Andruw Gonzales named to Buster Posey Award Watch List

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese junior catcher Andruw Gonzales is one of 12 catchers in the NCAA that has been added to the 2023 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List, the Wichita Sports Commission announced on Tuesday. He’s one of 86 catchers in Division I to be nominated for the award.

A native of Elgin, Texas, Gonzales is hitting .230 on the season with three home runs and 17 RBIs, but his biggest strength is his defense where he’s thrown out 22 of an attempted 42 base stealers, a .532 caught stealing percentage.

Gonzales is the third Cowboy player this season to be named to a national award watch list. Starting pitcher Grant Rogers is on the watch list for the National Pitcher of the Year and Josh Leslie is listed on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List as the nation’s top shortstop.

The Posey watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 22, 2023. Ballots will be sent to the national voting committee at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2023. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced on June 29, 2023.

The Buster Posey Award was first awarded in 2000 to LSU’s Brad Cresse and has been awarded every year since, minus the 2020 season that was canceled due to COVID.