Wichita, KS – Austin Peay State University (APSU) senior catcher Jack Alexander continued to receive national recognition as one of the nation’s best collegiate catchers, Thursday, when the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission named him as one of 16 semifinalists for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year.
Alexander, of Benton, Missouri, is the first Austin Peay catcher to earn recognition as a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award. Ballots will be sent to the national voting committee at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists.
The APSU Govs primary catcher for all of 2022, Alexander caught 401.1 of the team’s 472.1 innings pitched – nearly 85 percent of all the innings. Defensively, he caught an impressive 23 runners stealing becoming only the fifth Govs catcher to nab 20-plus base runners in a season. Alexander also was part of seven double plays during the regular-season – six of the strike ’em out, throw ’em out variety.
Alexander also was Austin Peay State University’s offensive leader, finishing the regular season leading the team with a .348 batting average, 13 home runs, and 54 RBI in 54 games played. Alexander also had 19 doubles to post a .642 slugging percentage. He also had a team-best 27 walks to post a .428 on-base percentage.
Among the Governors all-time season leaders, Alexander’s .642 slugging percentage ranks 13th all-time and is the best mark since Parker Phillips‘ .732 mark in 2019. He also ranks 20th in RBI and 13th in home runs. Alexander’s 23 runners caught stealing are fourth-most in program history and three shy of the program record set by Brendan Loughrey (2000) and matched by A.J. Ellis (2002).
Alexander and the Governors open the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship with a Wednesday 8:00am CT single-elimination, first-round contest against No. 5 seed SIU Edwardsville in Lexington, Kentucky.
