South Carolina Baseball's Cole Messina Wins Johnny Bench Award

South Carolina's Cole Messina has been racking up the awards this offseason and he just added another to the list. He was awarded the 2024 Johnny Bench award which is given to the male and female catchers in baseball and softball. He becomes the first Gamecock to ever win the award.

On the year, Messina led the team with a .326 batting average adding in 64 runs, 73 hits, 71 RBIs, and 21 home runs. He also threw out 13 base runners, with three of those coming in one game in the Raleigh Regional against James Madison on May 31. Over his three-year career, Messina has a .305 batting average, 38 home runs and 137 RBI. It's not often baseball teams can find both a productive offensive player and a top-end defensive player at catcher, but Messina is that rare combination.

Messina was named to both All-Raleigh Regional and All-SEC tournament squads. During the SEC tournament, he played in five games, setting the SEC tournament record with 16 RBIs, and hit two home runs. Messina was added to the All-SEC second team after batting .330, with six home runs, and 28 RBIs in conference play.in their latest mock draft. They have the Milwaukee Brewers taking Messina 67th overall. The draft is only two weeks away as day one of the draft will take place on Sunday, July 14.

ou can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

South Carolina Baseball's Cole Messina Named Hitter of the Month Following College WoThe National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) has honored South Carolina’s standout catcher Cole Messina with the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy National Hitter of the Month award for May.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

South Carolina's Shamari Earls Bringing Elite Skill to GamecocksMeet South Carolina commit Shamari Earls, an elite defensive back joining the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

South Carolina's Cole Messina is named a consensus All-AmericanAfter his on the field efforts for the Gamecocks, Messina becomes the second consecutive Gamecock to be a consensus All-American.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

Former South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston hired to succeed Creighton's Ed Servais after '25Mark Kingston has been hired as Creighton's baseball coach effective at the end of the 2025 season. He was fired as South Carolina’s coach two weeks ago. Kingston will replace Ed Servais, who announced last month he would retire after next season. Creighton announced at the time it wanted his successor to be on staff for a year.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

South Carolina Gamecocks Catcher Cole Messina Named All-AmericanIt’s official, Gamecock junior catcher Cole Messina is an All-American. ABCA/Rawlings released their All-America teams this morning and honored Messina on the 2nd team.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

South Carolina Baseball Players In Middle Of Tough Decisions Amidst Hiring Paul MainiAs the 2024 MLB Draft approaches, several key players from the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team face important decisions about whether to enter the draft or return for another season.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »