Two Jayhawks Up for National Awards

March 18, 2009

SAN DIEGO, Calif. –

Two members of the Kansas baseball team, senior catcher Buck Afenir and senior outfielder Nick Faunce, are in the running for national awards.

Afenir has been named to the watch list for the Coleman Company’s Johnny Bench Award – which honors the top catcher in college baseball each year. Faunce is one of 30 national finalists for the Senior CLASS Award presented by Lowe’s, which honors the top senior student-athlete in college baseball.

Afenir, a 6-foot catcher from Escondido, Calif., leads the Jayhawks with a .421 batting average and has two doubles, a triple, two homers and 10 RBIs in 13 games this season. The Kansas senior has been named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention the last two seasons, and was selected as a preseason all-conference selection by the Lubbock Avalanche Journal earlier this year. This marks the second time in his career that Afenir has been a candidate for the Johnny Bench Award.

Faunce, a 6-foot outfielder from Eugene, Ore., is batting .265 in 14 games for the Jayhawks this season with six doubles and a home run – a grand slam Sunday at No. 4 Arizona State. Faunce has been named Academic All-Big 12 the last two seasons and is a nine-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll at KU. Faunce will graduate with a degree in biochemistry this spring.

Afenir, Faunce and the Jayhawks will conclude their road trip this evening with the second-game of a two-game set at San Diego State. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. (CST).