ODU baseball
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion junior shortstop Zach Rutherford continues to rack up the accolades.
Rutherford has been named one of five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation’s top shortstop, the College Baseball Foundation announced on Wednesday.
The Chesapeake native hit .332 with 25 doubles, two home runs and 56 RBIs this season en route to First Team All-Conference USA honors. The 25 doubles currently rank third in the NCAA, while his 56 RBIs are in the top 60 nationally.
One of the nation’s most sure-handed shortstops, Rutherford also excelled in the field. The C-USA Defensive Player of the Year led the conference with 196 assists, 28 more than any other player in the league, while committing just five errors. Rutherford’s .982 fielding percentage is a new single-season school record for shortstops.
Rutherford is ranked by several different publications as a top-100 MLB Draft prospect and is expected to be an early-round selection in this June’s draft.
Rutherford joins Devin Hairston of Louisville, Jeremy Eieman of Missouri State, Orlando Garcia of Texas Tech and Logan Warmoth of North Carolina on the list of finalists.
ODU shortstop Zach Rutherford
“We feel the young men who remain on this list are very deserving of the award this year,” said award co-chair Larry Wallace. “All have had exceptional years and must be recognized as the best shortstops in the country. We will have to go that extra inning to determine which one will represent the Brooks Wallace Award for 2017.”
The award, sponsored by Mizuno, 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, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
Brooks Wallace Award Finalists
Devin Hairston, Jr., Louisville
Jeremy Eierman, So., Missouri State
Orlando Garcia, Jr., Texas Tech
Zach Rutherford, Jr., Old Dominion
Logan Warmoth, Jr., North Carolina
