By Dan Hock 
Honoring top high school and college baseball and softball catchers
June 25, 2024
The winners of the 2024 Johnny Bench Awards presented by MSA Sport, which honor the top NCAA Division I male and female college catchers along with the top high school baseball and softball catchers from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia, have been announced.
“Now in our sixth year, it’s great to see the growth of the awards in both Reds Country and from our winners,” said Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. “We get more nominations each year, and it’s gratifying to watch the athletes graduate from high school all-state to college All-Americans, and some are now playing in professional leagues.”
The ten winners will be honored at the Johnny Bench Awards Luncheon on July 30 at Great American Ball Park and recognized that evening during on-field ceremonies before the Reds vs. Chicago Cubs game, 7:10 p.m.
“Johnny Bench is the greatest catcher of all time, so for a high school or college catcher to win an award from Johnny places them in an exclusive class of top catchers,” said Nick Krall, President of Baseball Operations. “The Reds are grateful to Johnny for his loyalty to Reds Country by incentivizing the next generations of catchers to aspire to his standard of excellence.”
2024 Johnny Bench Awards Winners
Top male NCAA baseball catcher
- Cole Messina – University of South Carolina
Top female NCAA softball catcher
- Jocelyn Erickson – University of Florida
Top high school catchers from Ohio
- Macy Chamberlin – Evergreen High School (softball)
- Caden Sheridan – Sheridan High School (baseball)
Top high school catchers from Kentucky
- Reaghan Oney – Montgomery County High School (softball)
- Chance Furnish – Rowan County High School (baseball)
Top high school catchers from Indiana
- Riley Zache – South Bend St. Joseph High School (softball)
- Hogan Denny – Mooresville High School (baseball)
Top high school catchers from West Virginia
- Lauren Guthrie – Sherman High School (softball)
- Luke Samuel – Cabell Midland High School (baseball)
The 2024 Johnny Bench Awards Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, July 30 at Great American Ball Park. For information on table sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets, please contact Garrett Combs at 513-765-7916 or gcombs@reds.com.
Previous collegiate winners include 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick Adley Rutschman, 2021 Team USA Olympian Dejah Mulipola, 2021 Reds first-round draft pick Matheu Nelson and 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove winner Jordyn Rudd.
The full list of previous winners can be found at www.reds.com/BenchAwards.
About the Johnny Bench Awards: The Cincinnati Reds and Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, along with the Reds Hall of Fame, are partnering for The Johnny Bench Awards presented by MSA Sport. The awards honor the best baseball and softball high school catchers from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia as well as the top baseball and softball NCAA Division I catchers. A committee determines the finalists with support from local media, coaches’ associations and scouting organizations in each state. The winners are then hand-picked by Johnny and brought together to celebrate their achievements and meet “Baseball’s Greatest Catcher” at an awards banquet. The awards are permanently located at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Dinsmore at Great American Ball Park.
COURTESY REDS MEDIA RELATIONS
