The Avon Park, Fla. native is slashing .363/.466/1.103 with career highs in homers (15), RBI (61), runs (60) and stolen bases (13).
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida shortstop Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> was named one of five finalists for the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award on Wednesday, as announced by the College Baseball Foundation.
Presented annually to the nation’s top all-around shortstop, Rivera is the lone SEC player to be named a finalist. Of the previous 25 semifinalists, seven hailed from the SEC.
“The last and final list is always the most difficult to determine each year, but we feel like we did our homework and came up with a great group of shortstops,” said Wallace Award co-chair Larry Wallace. “Once again these guys hit for average and power, and all of them field their position well which is what we look for and expect in choosing the Brooks Wallace Award each year.”
Joining Rivera as a finalist are graduate student Noah Lucier from Fairfield, senior Kevin Dubrule from Army, junior Matt Shaw from Maryland and sophomore Griff O’Ferrall from Virginia.
Having started 57 of a possible 58 contests, Rivera is slashing .363/.466/1.103 with career highs in homers (15), RBI (61), runs (60) and stolen bases (13). Defensively, the Avon Park, Fla. native wields a .959 fielding percentage across 196 chances.
The award 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, a slick-fielding shortstop who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
For more information on the Wallace Award or the Night of Champions event, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
2023 BROOKS WALLACE AWARD FINALISTS
Kevin Dubrule – Senior – Army
Noah Lucier – Grad – Fairfield
Griff O’Ferrall – Sophomore – Virginia
Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> – Junior* – Florida
Matt Shaw – Junior – Maryland
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