Baseball’s Charles Galiano Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List

Wichita, Kansas – (March 12, 2015) - The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced the official watch list for the 2015 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com.  Seventy-five catchers were nominated for the award by their coaches, and among them is Fordham junior Charles Galiano.
 
He is the third Ram to be named to the Watch List, joining John Mollicone in 2007 and Chris Walker in 2011.

The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 14, 2015. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 2, 2015. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 18th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 25, 2015.
 
 "We are extremely appreciative to BaseballSavings.com and Mr. Johnny Bench for supporting this prestigious award," stated Bob Hanson, President/CEO of the Sports Commission. "They are the ones who make all of this possible."
 
While Bench is remembered for his offense, he may have had the greatest impact behind the plate. He was the first receiver to use a protective helmet in the field, popularized catching one-handed and kept his throwing hand behind his back to protect it from foul tips.
 
Bench's career honors include: National League Rookie of the Year (1968); National League Most Valuable Player (1970, 1972); World Series Most Valuable Player (1976); 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner. In 1980, he set an endurance record by catching 100+ games for 13 consecutive seasons. Bench was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 1989 with the fourth highest percentage of total votes cast.
 
Galiano has been a three-year starting catcher for the Rams and one of the team's top offensive threats.  A Philadelphia Phillies draft pick out of high school, he has started 115 out of 117 games over the past three seasons, collecting 20 doubles, five home runs, and 66 RBI.  Behind the plate, he has posted a .988 fielding percentage, committing only nine errors in those 117 games, and is the only Atlantic 10 catcher named to the watch list.
 
2015 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com Watch List
Riley Adams - FR - University of San Diego
Dylan Alexander - SO - California State University, Northridge
Max Andersen - SR - Miami University
Jake Atkinson - FR - Utah Valley University
Aaron Barnett - SO - Pepperdine University
Danny Bermudez - JR - Western Carolina University
John Bormann - SR - University of  Texas at San Antonio
Austin Bossart - SR - University of Pennsylvania
Ben Breazeale - SO - Wake Forest University
Cassidy Brown - SO - Loyola Marymount University
Shaun Chase - SR - University of Oregon
Andrew Clow - SR - Mount St. Mary's University
Gavin Collins - SO - Missisippi State University
Nick Collins - JR - Georgetown University
Zack Collins - SO - University of Miami
Danny De La Calle - SR - Florida State University
R.J. Devis - JR - Rutgers University
Dustin Dhanani - SR - Alabama A&M University
Roger Diaz - SR - Grambling State University
Nick Dini - SR - Wagner College
Chris Eades - JR - Southeastern Louisiana University
Cody Gaertner - JR - Ohio University
Charles Galiano - JR - Fordham University
Mitch Ghelfi - JR - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Roger Gonzalez - JR - Winthrop University
Aaron Gretz - SR - Ohio State University
Chase Griffin - SR - Georgia Southern University
Brad Hartong - SR - Indiana University
Parker Hills - SR - Lafayette College
Ryan Hissey - JR - College of William & Mary
A.J. Kennedy - JR - California State University, Fullerton
Tyler Lawrence - SO - Murray State University
Steven Leonard - JR - Campbell University
Stuart Levy - SR - Arkansas State University
Tanner Lubach - SR - University of Nebraska
Charlie Madden - SO - Mercer University
Kevin Martir - JR - University of Maryland
Jon Mayer - JR - Bucknell University
Patrick Mazeika - JR - Stetson University
Max McDowell - JR - University of Connecticut
Adam McGinnis - SO - Western Illinois University
Matt Menard - SO - Baylor University
Ryan Messex - SR - Western Kentucky University
Scott Mitchell - JR - Southeast Missouri State University
Sean Murphy - SO - Wright State University
Chris Okey - SO - Clemson University
Brian Olson - SR - Seattle University
Josh Reavis - SR - Radford University
John Clay Reeves - SR - Rice University
Austin Rei - JR - University of Washington
Ian Rice - JR - University of Houston
Jarett Rindfleisch - SO - Ball State University
Daniel Rizzie - JR - Xavier University
Joey Roach - JR - Georgia State University
Chris Robinson - SR - Morehead State University
Jake Rogers - SO - Tulane University
Mike Rosenfeld - SR - Duke University
Daniel Salters - JR - Dallas Baptist University
Tyler Sanchez - JR - St. John's University
Kade Scivicque - SR - Louisiana State University
Nick Sebastian - SR - New York Institute of Technology
Brian Serven - SO - Arizona State University
Evan Skoug - FR - Texas Christian University
Will Smith - SO - University of Louisville
Josh Spano - SR - High Point University
Garrett Stubbs - SR - University of Southern California
Brett Sunde - JR - Western Michigan University
Robert Swenson - SR - Chicago State University
Cameron Toole - JR - McNeese State University
Josh Treff - JR - Northeastern University
Erik VanMeetren - SR - University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Taylor Ward - JR - Fresno State University
Travis Watkins - SO - East Carolina University
Samm Wiggins - SR - Houston Baptist University
Matt Winn - SR - Virginia Military Institute