ECU's Smith Tops Kunkel, Rodriguez for Bench Award
6/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
WICHITA, Kan. -- East Carolina's Jake Smith was named winner of the 2006 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award that is presented annually to the top collegiate catcher in the nation as he edged out University of Michigan fifth-year senior co-captain Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) and University of Miami (Fla.) junior Eddy Rodriguez.
Kunkel (right) with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench
The announcement was made at the Ninth Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet Wednesday evening (June 28) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and the award was presented by catching legend Johnny Bench.
Kunkel and Wolverine head coach Rich Maloney were guests of the Greater Wichita Sports Commission at the event.
Kunkel, Rodriguez and Smith met with Bench at a dinner reception on Tuesday (June 27) and on Wednesday morning they participated in a catcher's clinic at Wichita's Lawrence Dumont Stadium, home of the National Baseball Congress World Series since 1935. In the afternoon they made a visit to St. Francis Via Christi Hospital.
Kunkel, who has just started his professional career in the Detroit Tigers organization, hit .335 (77-for-230) for the Wolverines in 2006 while earning the Ray Fisher Award as Michigan's Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. Kunkel is playing for the Oneonta Tigers in the New York Penn League.
N O T E S
Kunkel was a semifinalist for the Bench Award in 2005 before reaching the finals for the award in 2006.
Kunkel, who came back for his fifth season after turning down the chance to sign with Detroit in the summer of 2005, served as a co-captain and earned All-Big Ten first team honors and was named the all-tournament catcher in the Big Ten Tournament hosted by the Wolverines. He was named winner of U-M's Fisher Award as team MVP and won the Ted Sizemore Award as Michigan's top fielder in back-to-back seasons (2005-06). As a fifth-year senior the Tigers held his rights and signed him after the Wolverines were eliminated in the Atlanta Regional prior to the 2006 draft.
The Bench Award honors the best catcher in the nation, not the best hitting catcher, so Kunkel's defensive skills were important. Kunkel, one of just two Wolverines to start all 64 games, had a .995 fielding percentage with just two errors in 398 chances in 2006 and he led the Big Ten in pickoffs (5) for the third straight year. Kunkel threw out 26 of 53 players attempting to steal (.491) while helping hold U-M opponents to a Big Ten low of just 37 steals in 64 games. He allowed just two passed balls and 17 wild pitches.
Enrolled in the Division of Kinesiology with a major in sports management and communications, Kunkel graduated in April.
East Carolina's Jake Smith, drafted by Oakland in the 21st round of the Major League draft, has started his pro career playing in Vancouver. Miami's Eddy Rodriguez, who helped lead the Hurricanes to the College World Series, was taken in the 20th round by Cincinnati and has not decided if he will turn pro or return to school for his senior year.
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
