WICHITA, Kan. – For the first time in the history of the award, the Wichita Sports Commission released the 2026 Buster Posey Preseason Watch List Wednesday morning, listing Ole Miss’ Austin Fawley as one of the best catchers in the nation.
Previously known as the Johnny Bench Award, the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award honors the nation’s top division one collegiate catcher as voted on by head coaches and sports information directors.
Fawley is one of 10 backstops to be named to the Watch List and one of four from the SEC.
Fawley started 49 games behind the plate for the Rebels in 2025 and is expected to be the starting catcher in 2026. He led the team in slugging percentage in 2025 and finished second on the team in home runs and third in RBI. His 21 home runs were the most by any catcher in the Mike Bianco Era were the third most by a Rebel in a single season.
The junior was named to both the 2025 ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Team and the 2025 Oxford Regional All-Tournament Team. D1Baseball named him as the eighth best catcher in the country in their 2026 Preseason Top 50 Catcher Rankings.