FORT WORTH, Texas — For the second consecutive year, Seattle U baseball's Austin Lively was named among the nation's top hitters, as he was included on the 2021 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award (BBCSA) Watch List. Per the announcement, Lively is the one of two representatives from the Western Athletic Conference and one of 14 players returning to the list.
The BBCSA is annual award for Division I players and is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity. This year's list consisted of 48 names representing 17 conferences around the country, including all five power conferences.
"We received a record number of nominations for the award than ever before and the recognition on the field is only surpassed by the recognition in the classroom," said Tracy Taylor, Executive Director of the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award and the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation. "This year we have eight student-athletes who have already finished their degrees and are pursuing postgraduate studies as well as multiple underclassmen that are on their conference and school honor rolls.
In spite of missing the start of last season to injury, Lively posted solid numbers as he appeared in nine games with eight starts in 2020. In 27 official at-bat, the middle infielder hit .296, slugged .481, and registered a .406 on-base percentage. Lively accounted for 11 runs, including five RBI, while also tallying two doubles and a home run.
The native of Redmond, Wash., will begin this season as a career .317 hitter with 121 runs, 178 hits and 81 runs batted-in. As a result, Lively's name is splashed throughout the Redhawks career leaders as he is tied for third in batting, third in on-base percentage (.419) and runs scored, fifth-overall in hits and eight in RBI.
Academically, Lively is enrolled at Seattle University this year as graduate student and is part of the Sport Business Leadership Master's program. He earned his bachelor's last Spring in Management and earned WAC All-Academic honors in 2019.
Lively returns for the 2021 season following a COVID-shortened senior campaign after reaching an extra season of eligibility by the NCAA.
Lively and the Redhawks will open the 2021 season next week when they square off with regional foe Portland in four-game set, beginning Friday, Feb. 19.
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About the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award
The BBCSA originally started out in 2017 as an honor going to the top college hitter in Texas.? In 2019, the BBCSA expanded becoming a regional award covering Division I programs in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Last year, the BBCSA became a national award; however, no winner was announced due to the Covid-19 virus which cut the college baseball season short.
Fans can follow news about the Bobby Bragan Collegeiate Slugger Award presented by SR Bats and its Player of the Week honorees during the season at www.braganslugger.com.