Kendal Wells the 2026 Jonny Bench Award Winner

First Freshman Ever: Kendall Wells Wins the Johnny Bench Award

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Kendal Wells the 2026 Jonny Bench Award Winner

The Oklahoma Sooner did something no college softball freshman had done before — and the lesson belongs to every catcher who wants to know what the ceiling looks like.

On July 7, Kendall Wells walked into Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and shook Johnny Bench’s hand.

She stood on his field. She accepted the award that bears his name. And when the ceremony ended, she had done something no college softball freshman had ever done in the award’s history.

The Johnny Bench Award — USA Baseball’s highest honor for a college catcher — went to a freshman.

Wells plays catcher for the Oklahoma Sooners. In her first college season, she hit .358, launched 39 home runs (a new Oklahoma single-season record), drove in 88 runs, and scored 70 times. Her slugging percentage reached 1.028, ranked fifth nationally and first in the SEC. Her OPS was 1.508.

Those numbers earned her more than one trophy. She was named the NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year, the Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year, and the SEC Player of the Year. The NFCA put her on the First Team All-American. USA Softball added her to the Women’s National Team athlete pool.

But the Johnny Bench Award is different.

It doesn’t go to the best hitter. It goes to the best catcher — the one who throws, blocks, calls games, and leads from behind the plate. Johnny Bench didn’t just hit. He redefined what the position could look like. The award carries that standard.

Wells met it as a freshman.

She is the second Oklahoma catcher to win. Kinzie Hansen took it in 2023. Now Wells holds it too, and she’s the first freshman in the award’s history to do so on the softball side.

The ceremony came before the Reds vs. Phillies game. Wells stood on major league ground, was recognized in front of a major league crowd, and walked away with a connection to the greatest catcher of his generation.

That moment isn’t just a career highlight. It’s a target.

If your catcher is working on her game right now — in the cage, in the bullpen, in the dirt at practice — this is what the ceiling looks like. Not just a hot bat. Not just one skill. The whole job, done better than anyone else in the country.

Wells did that in her freshman year.

Try this at your next practice

The Johnny Bench Award goes to the complete catcher — offense, defense, and leadership. Wells won it by excelling at everything. Here are three drills your catcher can run at the next practice to build that complete game.

1. Framing + Blocking Combo Round

Set up 20 pitches in sequence: 10 on the edges (framing reps) followed by 10 balls in the dirt (blocking reps). No break between. This forces the catcher to shift modes mid-session, the same way a real game does. Focus: soft hands on the frames, chin to chest on the blocks.

2. Pop Time Emphasis

From receiving stance, take 5 throws to second on a stopwatch. Target: under 1.8 seconds for high school, under 2.0 for youth. Work the transfer — glove to throwing hand — not just the arm. That’s where time gets saved.

3. Opposite-Field Tee Work

Set the tee on the outer half. Hit 15 balls to the opposite gap, driving through contact. Wells’ .480 OBP means she put the bat on everything. Discipline to the opposite field is how catchers handle quality pitching when they finally see it at the next level.

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