Texas Longhorns Transfer Named To Watch List For Honorable Catcher Award

Texas Longhorns catcher Carson Tinney has been in the 40 Acres for a grand total of a little over seven months, and the potential for the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish plate protector is already through the roof.

That potential continued to skyrocket Wednesday morning when he was named as one of 10 players selected to the preseason watch list for the 2026 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award.

This is nothing new for Tinney, as he was in the running for the award last season as well, losing out to Coastal Carolina's Caden Bodine.

Tinney Named To Watch List For Buster Posey Award

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) hits a double against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game five of the 2021 NLDS at Oracle Park. | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The award is given out annually by the Wichita Sports Commission to college baseball's top catcher and used to be named the Johnny Bench Award, named after the Hall of Famer from the Cincinnati Reds who won two World Series and two NL MVPs with the "Big Red Machine" in the 1970s.

It was later renamed to the Buster Posey Award in 2019, named after the San Francisco Giants backstop who won three World Series (2010, 2012, 2014) as well as the 2012 NL MVP award.

Texas catcher Rylan Galvan was also named as a finalist for the award last year, and now Tinney has a chance to become the first player from the Burnt Orange to take home the accolade.

Also named to the list were Creighton's Connor Capece, Florida State's Hunter Carns, Ole Miss' Austin Fawley, Auburn's Chase Fralick, Arkansas' Ryder Helfrick, Georgia Tech's Vahn Lackey, Cincinnati's Jack Natili, Army's Jack Quinlan, and North Carolina's Macon Winslow.

Tinney saw a breakout season during his sophomore year with the Fighting Irish, leading the team in just about every offensive statistic there was.

The Castle Pines, Colorado native posted a .348 batting average with 17 home runs, 53 runs batted in, 52 runs scored, 119 total bases, and a .498 on-base percentage in his 48 appearances during the 2025 season.

His elite production both at the plate and behind it gave him first-team All-ACC honors, as well as All-American distinctions by Baseball America and the National College Baseball Writers of America and District 5 Player of the Year honors by the latter publication.

His freshman year in South Bend was plagued by injury, only allowing him to play in 28 games while making 15 starts, which saw him tally three home runs and nine runs batted in during the year.

Tinney and the Horns open up their 2026 season with a weekend hosting of UC Davis starting next Friday, February 13.