Creighton baseball’s Ben North was one of 50 shortstops in the NCAA named as a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award on Wednesday, April 22. The top 50 shortstops in the country were selected based on both their offensive and defensive production this season.
North leads Creighton with a .358 average in 2026, collecting 49 hits, 35 runs scored and 33 RBI. The Minnesota native has 19 combined extra-base hits (11 doubles, two triples and six home runs) to go along with a perfect 16 stolen bases on 16 attempts. In addition to his sizzling performance at the plate, North has dazzled in the field with a .953 fielding percentage. North is the lone BIG EAST shortstop recognized on this list.
The Brooks Wallace 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.
Narrowing our list to even 50 is a difficult task to take on as there are so many deserving shortstops at midseason,” said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. “All these kids are piling up big offensive numbers with power. But just as important are the defensive skills and how well they field their position.”
The watch list includes 2025 Brooks Wallace Award winner Roch Cholowsky (UCLA). Cholowsky and fellow semifinalists Dee Kennedy Jr. (Kansas State), Camden Kozeal (Arkansas), Ryder Robinson (BYU) and Jake Schaffner (North Carolina) have already won Brooks Wallace Award weekly honors in 2026.
The CBF annually presents the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Shortstop), the National Pitcher of the Year Award, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award, the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence.
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