WICHITA, Kan. – Florida Gulf Coast catcher Jon Embury, currently ranked ninth in the nation in hits per game, was named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award this week by the Wichita Sports Commission. Embury is one of 16 semifinalists listed for the award that is given annually to collegiate baseball's top catcher.

Of the 16 semifinalists, Embury is just one of two catchers listed from the state of Florida, one of three from a mid-major program and the only player listed from the Atlantic Sun Conference.

In total, four semifinalists were from the Southeastern Conference, three from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences, two from the Big Ten Conference, one each from the ASUN, Atlantic 10 and Southwestern Athletic conferences, and one from a Division I independent (Oregon State).

Among those semifinalists, Embury ranks second in hits (79), third in runners caught stealing (16), fourth in batting average (.376), home runs (17) and total bases (143), and fifth in slugging percentage (.681), OPS (1.121) and RBIs (60).

Embury is one of the nation's top hitters, averaging 1.61 hits per game while his 79 hits ranks 36^th in the country. His 17 home runs rank 51^st in the nation, lead the ASUN and rank 11^th in program history. The sophomore's 1.22 RBIs per game ranks 36^th in the nation and leads the ASUN and his .376 batting average leads the ASUN and ranks 47^th in the country.

The 16 runners Embury has thrown out attempting to steal this year rank tied for the fourth most in a single season in FGCU history and lead the ASUN by seven.

This year, 111 catchers from 28 conferences were nominated during the nomination process from Wednesday, Feb. 11 to Friday, May 8. Of those 111 catchers, a list of 16 semifinalists was chosen by the Buster Posey Award selection. The selected semifinalists will be voted on by Division I schools' baseball coaches, sports information directors, college baseball national media, scouts, and the Buster Posey Award selection committee during the voting period from Monday, May 18 to Thursday, May 28. Once voting concludes, five finalists will be announced on Monday, June 1 at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT.
 
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About the Wichita Sports Commission
Since 1997, the Wichita Sports Commission has worked to promote, acquire, and support a diversity of youth, amateur, and professional sports programs and events enhancing the Wichita area economy and quality of life. We work to showcase the Wichita area as a Midwestern hub through the planning and promoting of sporting events or activities and have had an economic impact of over $600 million. WSC owns and organizes several signature events, including the Prairie Fire Race Series, the Greater Wichita Sports Banquet, the prestigious Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, Wichita Corporate Challenge and Wichita Turkey Trot.
 
Buster Posey Award Semifinalists

• Cashel Dugger, Junior, UCLA
• Jon Embury, Junior, Florida Gulf Coast
• Chase Fralick, Sophomore, Auburn
• Jacob Galloway, Senior, Oregon State
• Ryder Helfrick, Junior, Arkansas
• Daniel Jackson, Junior, Georgia
• Vahn Lackey, Junior, Georgia Tech
• Maikol Lucena, Junior, Bethune-Cookman
• Burke-Lee Mabeus, Sophomore, Oregon
• Bear Madliak, Redshirt Senior, Kansas State
• Jack Natili, Junior, Cincinnati
• Blake Primrose, Sophomore, Saint Joseph's
• Mark Quatrani, Junior, Notre Dame
• Matt Quintanar, Junior, Texas Tech
• Carson Tinney, Junior, Texas
• Macon Winslow, Junior, North Carolina