University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Conor Dillon/UGAAA
Daniel Jackson Named Finalist for Buster Posey Award
June 01, 2026 | Baseball
ATHENS-----University of Georgia junior Daniel Jackson has been named a finalist for Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award presented by Hasty Awards, the Wichita Sports Commission announced Monday.
Jackson, a 6-2, 200-pound native of Sandy Springs, Ga., is one of just six players (and first catcher) in NCAA Division 1 history to have at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in a season. Currently, Jackson is batting .396 with 29 home runs, 83 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He ranks in the top five nationally in five offensive categories. He is the first Southeastern Conference player to ever have a 25-25 season.
Last week it was announced that Jackson was one of five finalists for the Baseball America College Player of the Year award plus the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award. He is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.
A first team All-SEC selection, Jackson was instrumental in Georgia capturing the SEC regular season title with a 23-7 mark, its first since 2008. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament as the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever SEC tournament title. This past weekend, he made the NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament team after batting .500 (5-for-10) with a double, two home runs, four RBI and four walks in three games.
Georgia (49-12) is the number three national seed and swept through NCAA Athens Regional. The Bulldogs will play host to No. 14 seed Mississippi State (43-17) in a Super Regional. The start date, times and broadcast information of the Athens Super Regional will be announced by the NCAA by Tuesday morning when all eight Super Regional pairings are set.
The other finalists for the 2026 Buster Posey Award are Jon Embury (Florida Gulf Coast), Chase Fralick (Auburn), Vahn Lackey (Georgia Tech) and Carson Tinney (Texas).
For the first time in the awards existence, the Buster Posey Award will be presented at the NCAA College World Series. The winner will be announced during a press conference in conjunction with the College Baseball Foundation's (CBF) awards at 12:30 PM CT, Saturday, June 13 during the second day of the CWS in Omaha, Neb.
The Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award is presented annually to the top catcher in NCAA Division I baseball, honoring excellence in performance, leadership, and all-around impact at one of the game's most demanding positions. Each year, the award is determined through a national selection process involving coaches, media members, and scouts. Past winners include standout collegiate catchers who went on to MLB careers such as Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Garko, Mitch Garver, Adley Rutschman, Kyle Teel, and 2008 recipient Buster Posey himself, reflecting the award's long-standing recognition of elite talent behind the plate.
This year, 111 catchers from 28 conferences were nominated. Of those 111 catchers, a list of 16 semifinalists was chosen by the Buster Posey Award selection committee on May 11. The selected semifinalists were voted on by Division 1 schools' baseball coaches, sports information directors, college baseball national media, scouts, and the Buster Posey Award selection committee.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
Jackson, a 6-2, 200-pound native of Sandy Springs, Ga., is one of just six players (and first catcher) in NCAA Division 1 history to have at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in a season. Currently, Jackson is batting .396 with 29 home runs, 83 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He ranks in the top five nationally in five offensive categories. He is the first Southeastern Conference player to ever have a 25-25 season.
Last week it was announced that Jackson was one of five finalists for the Baseball America College Player of the Year award plus the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award. He is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.
A first team All-SEC selection, Jackson was instrumental in Georgia capturing the SEC regular season title with a 23-7 mark, its first since 2008. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament as the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever SEC tournament title. This past weekend, he made the NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament team after batting .500 (5-for-10) with a double, two home runs, four RBI and four walks in three games.
Georgia (49-12) is the number three national seed and swept through NCAA Athens Regional. The Bulldogs will play host to No. 14 seed Mississippi State (43-17) in a Super Regional. The start date, times and broadcast information of the Athens Super Regional will be announced by the NCAA by Tuesday morning when all eight Super Regional pairings are set.
The other finalists for the 2026 Buster Posey Award are Jon Embury (Florida Gulf Coast), Chase Fralick (Auburn), Vahn Lackey (Georgia Tech) and Carson Tinney (Texas).
For the first time in the awards existence, the Buster Posey Award will be presented at the NCAA College World Series. The winner will be announced during a press conference in conjunction with the College Baseball Foundation's (CBF) awards at 12:30 PM CT, Saturday, June 13 during the second day of the CWS in Omaha, Neb.
The Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award is presented annually to the top catcher in NCAA Division I baseball, honoring excellence in performance, leadership, and all-around impact at one of the game's most demanding positions. Each year, the award is determined through a national selection process involving coaches, media members, and scouts. Past winners include standout collegiate catchers who went on to MLB careers such as Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Garko, Mitch Garver, Adley Rutschman, Kyle Teel, and 2008 recipient Buster Posey himself, reflecting the award's long-standing recognition of elite talent behind the plate.
This year, 111 catchers from 28 conferences were nominated. Of those 111 catchers, a list of 16 semifinalists was chosen by the Buster Posey Award selection committee on May 11. The selected semifinalists were voted on by Division 1 schools' baseball coaches, sports information directors, college baseball national media, scouts, and the Buster Posey Award selection committee.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
Players Mentioned
C/OF
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