NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt’s Ryker Waite is one of 50 semifinalists for the 2026 Brooks Wallace Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced Wednesday.
Waite has made an impact both with his glove and bat this season, hitting .301 with five home runs, two triples and nine doubles. The sophomore leads the team in walks with 35 and is second in stolen bases with nine. Waite has driven in 32 runs on the season and hit a grand slam in Tuesday’s win over Xavier.
Defensively, Waite and the Commodores have turned more double plays than any other SEC team this year. According to D1Baseball’s Synergy stats, Waite ranks 13th among DI shortstops in defensive runs saved with 8.58.
The foundation chose semifinalists based on both their offensive and defensive production. The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. 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 Brooks Wallace Award or any of the CBF awards, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.
