Appalachian State University junior Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) is one of 25 shortstops nationwide that remains in contention for the 2012 Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award, the College Baseball Hall of

Fame announced on Tuesday. The Wallace Award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors college baseball’s top shortstop. Callaway, a unanimous first-team all-Southern Conference selection by the league’s coaches and media, hit .333 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 50 RBI during the regular season to help lead Appalachian (38-14, 21-9 SoCon) to its first SoCon championship in 25 years. He finished the regular season among the NCAA Division I leaders in RBI (60th), runs scored (49 - 84th) and stolen bases (22 - 59th) while also ranking in the SoCon’s top 10 in RBI (5th), runs (7th), steals (5th) and sacrifice flies (6 - 3rd).
He is also an anchor of the Southern Conference’s top defensive club with 147 assists (4th in SoCon) and 35 double plays fielding (5th). In his second season with the Mountaineers after playing as a freshman at Young Harris College, Callaway was named to the Wallace Award’s initial 50-member watch list earlier this month. He is the only SoCon representative and one of only 10 players from outside of Bowl Championship Series conferences remaining on the current list of 25 nominees.
Callaway returns to his hometown of Greenville, S.C. this week when top-seeded Appalachian competes in the SoCon Tournament at Fluor Field. The Mountaineers begin postseason play on Wednesday at 5 p.m. versus eighth-seeded Furman (26-29, 13-17 SoCon). The tournament runs Wednesday-Sunday at Fluor Field.

Photo Courtesy: Will Callaway, by Dave Mayo, ASU Athletics