WICHITA, Kan. – Tennessee junior Connor Pavolony was named to the 2021 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Pavolony is in his third as the Vols’ primary catcher this season. The junior backstop put up respectable numbers while starting 34 games as a freshman in 2019 before getting off to a fantastic start to the 2020 season. When the season was called, Pavolony was tied for second on the team with a career-high four home runs and ranked second on the team with a .737 slugging percentage. He also ranked fourth on the team with a .342 batting average and fifth on the squad with 12 RBI despite playing in just 12 of the team’s 17 games. Pavolony is one of the top defensive catchers in the league, as well, boasting a strong arm and quick release.

The Georgia native caught the attention of media outlets and scouts alike heading into his junior campaign, earning preseason second-team All-America honors from D1Baseball.com while also coming in at No. 39 on the organization’s top 2021 College MLB Draft Prospects list. He was named the third best catcher in the country by D1Baseball.com in their preseason power rankings of the position.

Pavolony is one of 69 players named to the watch list, which will be narrowed down to the semifinalists on May 20. 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 on June 7. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series and all three finalists will be brought to Wichita, where the winner will be announced at a date that is yet to be determined.

The complete list of watch list candidates can be seen HERE (PDF).

-UT Athletics