WICHITA, Kan. - UConn's Joe Pavone, an All-Star catcher for Chatham in 2010, is among 43 players named to the 2012 Johnny Bench Award Watch List.

Pavone, a red-shirt senior at UConn, sports a .333 average (13-for-39) in the Huskies' first ten games. Despite missing all of the 2011 season because of an injury, the Connecticut captain earned a spot on the 2012 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. An East Division All-Star for Chatham in 2010, Pavone appeared in 39 games, hitting .290 (29-for-100) with eight runs batted in.

The Bench Award is given to the nation's top collegiate catcher every year and was won by James Madison's Jake Lowery last season. The entire 2012 list is available at WichitaSports.com