2021 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
FORT WORTH, Texas – Tennessee Tech junior outfielder Jason Hinchman was officially named to the 2021 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List Wednesday, joining a list consisting of 48 players representing 17 conferences around the country.
The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in the country. The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.
"The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List presented by SR Bats is not only loaded this year but has a somewhat unique look," said Tracy Taylor, Executive Director of the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award and the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation. "The abrupt ending of the 2020 season, the shortened MLB Draft, and an extra season of eligibility have all changed some of the dynamics of the watch list from previous years. The watch list has traditionally been dominated by juniors, but this year we have more seniors than ever before and they headline an outstanding list for 2021 that has garnered more than 80 All-American and All-Conference honors."
Hinchman, who will make the transition from first base to the outfield for the 2021 campaign, led the Golden Eagles offensively in their abbreviated 2020 season before the COVID-19 pandemic brought an abrupt stop to all NCAA spring competition. The Winston, Ga. native hammered six home runs and four doubles with 13 RBI in 15 games, slashing .414/.485/.793 while scoring 10 runs and stealing three bases.
He paced Tech in batting average, hits, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, stolen bases, walks and fielding percentage. In the first week of the 2020 campaign, he took home Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week honors.
In 2019, his first season starting for the purple and gold, Hinchman established himself as one of the premier power hitters in the country, leading the nation in home runs per game and finishing second with a whopping total of 24 long balls. It marked the second-most in program history and fifth-most in league history. He earned an OVC First Team nod after batting .278 with 54 runs scored, 11 doubles, 55 RBI and .697 slugging percentage, as well as a team-high 43 walks. Hinchman also made just three errors all season at first base.
The BBCSA originally started out in 2017 as an honor going to the top college hitter in Texas. In 2019, the BBCSA expanded becoming a regional award covering Division I programs in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Last year, the BBCSA became a national award; however, no winner was announced due to the Covid-19 virus which cut the college baseball season short.
The winner of the BBCSA will be announced in June and honored at a gala in the fall at the Fort Worth Club. Texas Tech's Hunter Hargrove won the initial BBCSA in 2017. Dallas Baptist's Devlin Granberg took home the honor in 2018 with Texas Tech's Josh Jung winning the award in 2019.
Fans can follow news about the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award presented by SR Bats and its Player of the Week honorees during the season at www.braganslugger.com.
The Golden Eagles are scheduled to officially kick of the 2021 campaign Friday, Feb. 19 with a 3:00 p.m. CT contest with Southern Illinois at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. The two teams will then square off in doubleheader action on Saturday, beginning at noon.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
