JONESBORO, Ark. (2/15/22) – Preseason honors continued to roll in for Arkansas State third baseman Ben Klutts, as he was named to the preseason watch list for the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award presented by SR Bats on Tuesday.
The Poteau, Okla., native was one of just 44 players on the list and one of just two from the Sun Belt Conference, joining South Alabama's Santi Montiel. Tuesday's honor joins his Preseason All-Sun Belt billing, which was announced on Feb. 10.
The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, annually honors the most outstanding offensive baseball player at the Division-I level and is based on personal integrity, athletic performance and academic achievement. Originally launched in 2017 to recognize the top Division-I hitter in the state of Texas, it has since become a national honor, entering its second season as a national award in 2022.
Manning the hot corner in all 49 games for the Red Wolves, Klutts hit .320 with seven home runs and 28 RBI, while bolstering his average to .340 in conference games en route to First Team All-SBC laurels.
Klutts led the Red Wolves with 63 hits, including 16 doubles and slugging .518, while being hit by pitch a team-leading 15 times. The rising senior tallied 18 multi-hit performances, including a run of seven in a row that helped land him SBC Player of the Week honors on May 11.
In January, Klutts was picked to be the league's Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, while also earning a spot on Perfect Game's Preseason All-Sun Belt squad. On Feb. 7, Klutts was listed as the 45th-best third baseman in D1 Baseball's Preseason Top-50 Third Basemen.
Arkansas State, which was picked to finish 12th in the conference, opens its 2022 slate with four straight road games – a three-game set at (RV) Samford (Feb. 18-20) and then at fifth-ranked Ole Miss (Feb. 22) – before a 10-game home stand beginning Friday, Feb. 25 versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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