By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information & College Baseball Foundation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Tennessee Tech sophomore shortstop Ed Johnson has been named to the 2021 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List as announced by the College Baseball Foundation Tuesday.

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.

"The list of candidates this year is so competitive, we had a hard time pairing down for our first Brooks Wallace Award watch list," said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. "We continue to look at those great fielding shortstops for this award and are always amazed at how well these kids hit and hit for power as well."

In his first season as a Golden Eagle, Johnson has been one of the team's top bats in 2021, currently slashing .329/.396/.519 through 21 games. The Trussville, Ala. native leads the Tech squad with 20 RBI while ranking second on the team in batting average, hits (26) and runs scored (20).

A transfer from Auburn, the shortstop has racked up eight extra-base hits, including four doubles, a triple and three round-trippers while swiping a pair of bags. Johnson has also worked a .963 fielding percentage on the defensive side of the diamond.

Earlier this season, Johnson took home his first Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors after batting .500 and slugging 1.000 in four games. He scored eight runs and drove in 11 while smashing each of his three home runs on the year. The youngster also finished 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts during the week while playing perfect defense at short.

Johnson represents Tech's third shortstop to earn a place on the midseason watch list in the past 10 years, joining former Golden Eagles David Garza (2018) and Dylan Bosheers (2013, 2014 & 2015) in the exclusive club. Both Garza and Bosheers (2014) went on to earn a place among the Brooks Wallace Award semifinalists later in their respective seasons as well.

"Baseball is back in full swing and it's great to get out to NCAA ballparks," said Tom Quigley, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. "Shortstops seem to be really hitting the ball well at this point as we have our top 100 and there are 52 players still hitting above .300 and some five or six still above .400. Defensive fielding percentage has high emphasis as well for finalists. We look forward to watching the excitement build as we whittle down our Brooks Wallace Award list for 2021."

For more information on the Wallace Award or the Night of Champions event, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.

Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information