Mack Chambers Named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
LUBBOCK, Texas – Mack Chambers of The University of New Mexico baseball team has been named to the 2021 Brooks Wallace Award watch list, the College Baseball Foundation announced Tuesday. The watch list features some of the most recognizable names in college baseball who either have paced perennial powers or led some relative newcomers to new heights. The list consists of a group of 100 of the most talented athletes in Division I college baseball.
“This is a very high honor to be named on this list,” said head coach Ray Birmingham. “I believe Mack has a shot at being a big-leaguer.”
This season, Chambers is atop the Mountain West in many categories, including hits (34, fifth), triples (2, T-third), and has a top-ten batting average of .370, ninth-best in the conference. The transfer from Seminole State College has fielded ten double plays on the season and is currently fourth in the conference in assists, tallying a total of 52 on the season.
“When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready,” said Chambers.
With college baseball rosters expanded across the country, the amount and talent level of the shortstop position is like no other time in the game’s history. For that reason, figuring out who exactly are the top players at that spot had been a challenge.
“The list of candidates this year is so competitive we had a hard time pairing down for our first Brooks Wallace Award watch list,” said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. “We continue to look at those great fielding shortstops for this award and are always amazed at how well these kids hit and hit for power as well.”
The award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors the nation’s top shortstop, and will be presented this summer by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
For more information on the Wallace Award or the Night of Champions event, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
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