By Mike Walsh
Correspondent

Louisville catcher Jack Payton has been named a finalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.

Payton, an Orland Park resident who prepped at Brother Rice, is one of three finalists along with Kyle Teel of Virginia and Ryan Snell of Lamar. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series.

The finalists will be invited to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 25th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29.

Payton, a junior, is the second Louisville player to be named a finalist for the award since its inception in 2000, following Henry Davis in 2021.

Payton led the Cardinals (31-24) in hitting for the second straight season in 2023, finishing with a .374 batting average. He was also first in OPS (1.114), hits (67), total bases (115), slugging (.642) and on-base percentage (.472), and was co-leader in runs (43) and home runs. He had 10 doubles and 41 RBI.

The 12 home runs are a career best for Payton, who appeared in 48 games for the Cardinals this season, starting all but one.

Behind the plate, Payton posted a .994 fielding percentage and threw out 32 percent of potential base stealers.

 

Dynamic Duo
Two Loras men’s volleyball players form the area have been lauded for their excellence on the court during the 2023 season.

Graduate student Patrick Mahoney was chosen the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year.

The Oak Lawn native is a three-time CCIW All-Conference First Team performer after leading the league with 98 blocks. His 27 solo blocks were the most in the league. The Marist alum finished with an attacking percentage of .473) and 35 service aces.

Fellow Oak Lawn resident Joe Horn also was recognized as a CCIW First Team member. The St. Rita graduate, who was named to the All-CCIW Second Team in 2021 and 2022, finished this season second in the league with 727 total assists for an average of 9.82 per set.

Horn was named the conference’s Defense/Libero/Setter of the Week twice during the 2023 season, giving him three of those honors for his career.

Both Mahoney and Horn were feted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as they were named to the AVCA’s All-West Region Team for the 2023 campaign. In addition, they were honored as AVCA All-Americans, with Mahoney on the Second Team and Horn an honorable mention selection.

Mahoney is a two-time All-American after garnering honorable mention status in 2021. This is Horn’s initial appearance.

Loras was 18-6 overall on the season and 6-4 in the CCIW.