Wilson Weber’s torrid finish to the Oregon State baseball regular season has thrust him into contention for his position’s most prestigious individual award.
Weber on Monday was named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, given annually to college baseball’s top catcher, joining 12 other highly regarded backstops.
The senior from Gresham, who has emerged as one of the Beavers’ most respected and vocal leaders, was a force down the stretch of the regular season, hitting .381 (16 for 42) with six homers, three doubles, 22 RBIs and 11 runs scored in May.
The late-season tear solidified his position in the middle of the OSU lineup and boosted his statistics to career-high levels. He’s batting .332 with 10 homers, 11 doubles, 49 RBIs and 38 runs scored this season.
And amid all the production, Weber has been a rock behind the plate, playing in 52 of the Beavers’ 54 games this season, including 49 starts. He’s committed just two errors, produced a fielding percentage of .996, and thrown out 15 would-be base stealers, anchoring a defense that ranks sixth in college baseball with a .982 fielding percentage.
The group of semifinalists includes Cal Poly junior Jack Collins, Texas junior Rylan Galvan, Arizona junior Adonys Guzman, Florida junior Luke Heyman, Georgia Tech sophomore Vahn Lackey and North Carolina sophomore Luke Stevenson. Wilson is the only senior in the group.
He is trying to become the second Oregon State player to win the award, alongside Adley Rutschman (2019), who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick of the MLB draft and a Big League All-Star.
The award, which is determined by a vote of Division I head coaches and communications contacts, will be whittled down to three finalists on June 5, and that trio will be invited to Wichita, Kansas, for a ceremony announcing the winner June 26.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.