Rivera is slashing .370/.467/.647 with a career-high 14 home runs and 56 RBI.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The College Baseball Foundation honored Florida shortstop Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> as one of 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award on Tuesday.
Presented annually to the nation’s best all-around shortstop, Rivera is one of seven SEC players to be named a semifinalist.
“It’s crunch time in college baseball as teams head to their respective conference tournaments and look ahead to the playoffs,” said Wallace Award co-chair Larry Wallace. “The cream of the crop rises, and it is no different with this field of shortstops in this year’s semifinalists list. More importantly, we look for leaders as well as big character guys to represent our Brooks Wallace Award each year and expect to find that young man in the weeks to come.”
Enjoying one of the most impressive seasons of any player in the country, Rivera owns a robust .370/.467/.647 slash line backed by 68 hits, 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 55 runs, 33 walks and 13 stolen bases. All of those numbers represent career highs, as does Rivera’s .965 fielding percentage across 173 defensive chances.
“These shortstops are the best in the nation,” said Wallace Award co-chair Tom Quigley. “Some are staying really hot. The cream is rising to the top all the way to the end. With our semifinalists listed there are some 15 conferences still represented. It is going to be difficult to pick an award winner this season.”
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 SEMIFINALISTS
Andy Blake – Senior- Columbia
Drew Cowley – Senior – Oregon
Kevin Dubrule – Senior – Army
Noah Fisher – Grad – Northern Kentucky
Cole Foster – Junior – Auburn
JJ Freeman – RS-Senior – Delaware
Phillip Glasser – Grad – Indiana
Jacob Gonzalez – Junior – Ole Miss
Nick Goodwin – Junior – Kansas State
Hunter Haas – Junior – Texas A&M
Dakota Harris – Junior – Oklahoma
Jim Jarvus – Senior – Alabama
Josh Kuroda-Grauer – Sophomore – Rutgers
Noah Lucier – Grad – Fairfield
Mik McClaughry – Senior – Arizona
Alex Mooney – Sophomore – Duke
Griff O’Ferrall – Sophomore – Virginia
Dominic Pitelli – Junior – Miami
Jake Rainess – RS-Junior – Maine
Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> – Junior – Florida
Matt Shaw – Junior – Maryland
Tevin Tucker – RS-Senior – West Virginia
Jonathan Vastine – Sophomore – Vanderbilt
Jacob Wilson – Junior – Grand Canyon
Braylen Wimmer – Senior – South Carolina
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