Texas Tech baseball’s Orlando Garcia and Steven Gingery have been named finalists for two awards presented by the College Baseball Foundation, it was announced today.
Garcia is one of five selections for the 2017 Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation’s top shortstop and is named after former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace. Gingery highlights one of five finalists for the Pitcher of the Year Award.
Both honorees are the only student-athletes from a Texas school or from the Big 12 to appear on the lists this season. No Red Raider has ever won one of the accolades. The two awards will be presented at the 2017 College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions later in the summer.
Garcia, a junior infielder from El Paso, has put together a .298 average at the plate with 62 hits and 57 RBI, which ranks second in the conference this season. On April 10, Garcia was named Big 12 Player of the Week, as well as Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week. He was also a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team on May 23.
Sophomore left-hander pitcher Gingery has had a strong second year in the scarlet & black. The Huntington Beach, California, native is 9-1 over 14 starts in 2017. His nine victories rank 20th in the NCAA and is one away from the ninth spot all-time in the Texas Tech record books.
After the second week of the year, Gingery was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, while also garnering midseason All-America honors from D1 Baseball and Perfect Game early in April. On April 12, he was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason watch list and was later honored at the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a unanimous first team All-Big 12 award winner on May 23.
The No. 5 Red Raiders open postseason play at home in front of a sold out Rip Griffin Park on Friday, June 2, at 2 p.m. against Delaware.
COURTESY OF TEXAS TECH ATHLETICS
