Travis Watkins

Height:
6-0
Weight:
220
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Concord
High School:
Cox Mill
Major:
MBA

2017: First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American – first in program history … Third-Team All-America selection by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) ... Johnny Bench Award semifinalist … Earned First-Team All-AAC honors after leading the Pirates in 10 categories including fielding percentage (.994), hits (84), home runs (10), and multi-hit games (27), RBI (49), slugging percentage (.526) and total bases (130) … Batted .340 with 47 runs scored … Named to the 2017 AAC All-Tournament Team after hitting at a .294 clip (5-for-17) with a home run and six RBI … One of 11 male student-athletes to receive the institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Award from The American … Ranked among the league leaders (Top 10) in 10 offensive categories including second in hits with 84 … Three of 10 home runs were grand slams … Hit a pair of home runs (consecutive at-bats) on Senior Night vs. Campbell (May 16) – his final collegiate game inside Clark-LeClair Stadium … Threw out 11 of 34 runners on the season … Tallied 27 multi-hit (tied for team lead) and 11 multi-RBI games … Registered at least one hit in 46 of 60 games (2 hit-17, 3-hit-9, 4-hit-1) … Had a season-long eight game hit streak from May 12-23, while adding three six-game and one seven game streak … Drove in at least one run in 24 contests with a season-high six against Elon (March 21, 2017) … Recorded double-digit putouts in a game 16 times with a game-best 16 against Western Carolina (March 3) … Four of 10 home runs were against AAC opponents … Tallied three game-winning hits (LaSalle, Tulane, UCF) … Scored at least one run in 32 games (multiple runs 11 times) … Led the club with 25 extra base hits … Committed just three errors on the season … Named preseason First-Team All-AAC by the leagues eight coaches … Tabbed as preseason AAC Player-of-the-Year by D1Baseball … Listed as the seventh-best overall catcher (Top 50) and seventh overall prospect in The American by D1Baseball.

2016: Named Most Outstanding Player of the Charlottesville Regional after batting .462 (6-for-13) with five RBI and a pair of home runs, one of which was a walk-off against regional host Virginia – a three-run shot … Johnny Bench Award semifinalist for second time in career (four-time watch list candidate)… Earned Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference honors … Senior CLASS Award candidate … Named ECU Male Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year at the 27th Annual Breakfast of Champions and Mr. Pirate at the Annual Goldspys … Batted .326 (76-for-233) while leading the team with seven home runs, 44 RBI and 43 runs scored … Started all 61 games played behind he plate … One of five Pirates to hit over .300 on the year ... Struck out 61 times with 29 walks … Tallied 18 multi-hit games and led the club with 12 multi-RBI contests … Enters 2017 having reached base safely in 12-straight games … Belted home runs against Rice, UNC Wilmington, Connecticut, Virginia, William & Mary and Texas Tech (twice) … Followed regional play batting .400 (4-for-10) with two more home runs and seven RBI against No. 5 National Seed Texas Tech in the Lubbock Super Regional … Hit four home runs during three-game stretch in postseason action (June 4-10) … Registered a team-best eight game-winning RBI including three in postseason play … In all, had game-winning hits against Duke, Memphis, Connecticut, UCF (twice), Virginia, William & Mary and Texas Tech – four coming via the long ball … Registered at least one hit in 49 of 61 games played … Opened up the season recording at least one hit in 17 of 18 games which included hit streaks of eight and nine games … Also added a seven game and two six game streaks … Scored at least one run 30 times and multiple runs 10 times with a career-best four against NC State (April 19) … Had at least one RBI in 24 contests … Tallied five total sac flies … Ranked among the league leaders in 10 offensive categories including sac flies (second), hits (third), batting average (fourth), on-base percentage (.407/fifth), RBI (sixth), total bases (seventh/111), runs scored (ninth), slugging percentage (.476/ninth), home runs (t9th) and total plate appearances (277/tenth) … Swiped 3 of 5 bases (Tennessee, Rice and Connecticut) … Was hit by six pitches … Committed seven errors in 504 chances for a .986 fielding percentage … Registered 434 putouts, 63 assists and turned four double plays … Threw out 20 of 53 would be base stealers … Batted .290 (27-for-93) with one home run, 13 RBI and nine runs scored in 24 league games … Started all eight postseason games (2/AAC Tournament, 3/Charlottesville Regional, 3/Lubbock Super Regional).

2015: Johnny Bench Award semifinalist ... Started 60 games (58/C, 2/DH) as a redshirt sophomore ... Batted .292 (62-for-212) with three home runs, five doubles, 36 RBI and 28 runs scored ... Drew 18 walks, was hit twice and struck out 31 times ... Swiped 6 of 8 bases including a single-game career-high four at Elon (Mar. 15) ... Tallied 10 total sacrifices and stood 20th nationally with seven sac flies ... Belted first career homer (two-run shot) against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 21) in the Keith LeClair Classic ... Followed that with a grand slam two-and-half weeks later against the Spartans (Mar. 11) ... Last round tripper of the year was a solo shot against UCF (May 20) in the AAC Tournament ... Tied Reid Love with six game-winning RBI (St. John’s/Feb. 22, Albany/Feb. 28, Monmouth/Mar. 8, Tulane/April 3, UCF/April 25, Cincinnati/May 15) ... Ranked second on the team with 16 two-out RBI (trailed only Luke Lowery/25) ... AAC Honor Roll selection (Mar. 9) ... Ranked fourth on the team with 16 multi-hit games, while sharing second with seven multi-RBI contests ... Had career-long 14-game hit streak from Mar. 3-21 where he batted an impressive .538 (28-for-52) with a home run, 11 RBI, eight runs and nine multi-hit games ... He also reached base safely in 17 straight games (Feb. 28-Mar. 24) ... Collected a season-high five hits at Elon (Mar. 15) going 5-for-5 with an RBI, run scored and four stolen bases ... Also added hit streaks of six and five games ... Picked off one runner on the season (vs. Connecticut/May 1) ... Was behind the plate for 12 of ECU’s pickoffs ... Scored at least one 21 games (multiple seven times) ... Had a three-game streak (April 12-17) where he scored a run ... Collected at least one hit in 39 of 60 games, while driving in one at least one run on 26 occasions ... Legged out doubles against UNC Greensboro, Elon, Princeton, Connecticut and Cincinnati ... Recorded double-digit putouts in 10 contests with a career-best 14 against Memphis (Mar. 29) Monmouth ... Threw out 18 of 47 base runners (38.3 percent) from behind the plate ... Committed just three errors in 429 chances for a .993 fielding percentage ... Recorded 388 putouts, 38 assists while turning one double play ... Ranked among the team leaders (top 5) in sac flies (first), at-bats (second), RBI (second), games started (second), stolen bases (third), average (fourth), hits (fourth), home runs (t4th) and total bases (76/fifth) ... Batted anywhere from second to eighth in the lineup, primarily in the fourth through sixth spots ... ECU posted a 38-20 record in games which he started behind the plate ... In league play batted .267 (23-for-86) with a pair of doubles, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored ... Started all six postseason games (4/AAC Tournament, 2/Coral Gables Regional).

2014: Played in nine games making eight starts (7/C, 1/DH) before suffering season-ending injury ... Preseason Johnny Bench Award Watch List candidate for second-straight year ... Batted .360 (9-for-25) with five RBI ... Collected a pair of hits in season debut against James Madison (Feb. 14) going 2-for 3 with an RBI ... In all, recorded four multi-hit games (Campbell, Virginia Commonwealth, Marshall) ... Drove in a season-high three runs against Campbell in an 8-3 victory ... Drew four walks (JMU twice, Virginia, Marshall) ... Stole lone base against JMU (Feb. 16) ... Recorded two sacrifices ... Committed one error in 55 chances for a .982 fielding percentage ... Registered 48 putouts and six assists ... Recorded four two-out RBI to rank fourth among returning players in 2015.

2013: Earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors after batting .267 (28-for-105) with four doubles and 16 RBI ... Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List (April 9), which is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher ... Started 34 of 44 games behind the plate ... Posted eight multi hit and two multi RBI contests ... Made collegiate debut against No. 25 Virginia (Feb. 15) in the season opener behind the plate ... Drove in first career run in the season opener against the Cavaliers when he reached on a throwing error and Bryan Bass scored from third base ... Collected first career hit the next day against UVA (Feb. 16) going 2-for-4 with another RBI ... Recorded at least one hit in 20 of 38 games with at least one official at-bat ... Collected first career game-winning RBI at UAB (April 19) on a sac fly in the sixth inning scoring Chase McDonald ... Legged out doubles against UNC Wilmington, N.C. Central, Tulane and UAB ... Authored a pair of three-game and one four-game hit streak ... During career-long hit streak (Mar. 24-30) batted .545 (6-for-11) with an RBI ... Reached base safely in six-straight games from Mar. 24-April 6 ... Scored nine runs and drew 12 walks ... Threw out 13 base runners from behind the plate ... Gunned down 4 of 6 base stealers in games against nationally ranked opponents ... Tied for second on the club with seven total sacrifices (4/SF, 3/SH) ... Stole lone base against Southern Miss (May 3) ... Posted a .993 fielding percentage committing two errors, recorded 246 putouts and 34 assists in 282 chances ... Turned a pair of double plays (St. Johns/Mar. 1, Houston/Mar. 24) ... Pirates posted a .500 record (17- 17) in his 34 starts behind the dish ... Batted primarily in the ninth spot of the order (33 times) ... Batted .263 (26-for-99) with three doubles and 15 RBI as a starter ... Was behind the plate for eight of ECU’s 12 pickoffs ... Successfully executed 3 of 4 sac bunt attempts ... Appeared in a pair of Conference USA Tournament games getting the start against Houston (May 23) ... Batted .238 (10-for-42) with a pair of doubles and four RBI in 18 league games, where he made 13 starts ... Against nationally ranked opponents batted a team third-best .320 (8-for-25) with three RBI and a pair of runs scored ... Started 8 of 9 contests against ranked foes ... Recorded double-digit putouts in six contests with a season-high 12 against Monmouth (Mar. 10).

Cox Mill High School: Two-sport athlete that has earned five varsity letters (baseball 4, basketball 1) ... Three-time team captain for the Chargers under head coach J.D. Vidal ... During sophomore season batted .410 on his way to South Piedmont All-Conference and team MVP honors ... As a junior batted .408 (31-for-84) with two home runs, 21 RBI, eight doubles and 21 runs scored ... Swiped 9 of 10 base attempts ... Posted a .964 fielding percentage with 76 assists ... Threw out 75 percent of would be base stealers (9 of 12) ... Recorded 11 multi-hit and eight multi RBI games ... Collected a season-high three hits against A.L. Brown (3/22/11) and Central Cabarrus (5/5/11) ... Against Mount Pleasant (3/11/11) drove in a season-high three runs in the Chargers 6-5 win ... On the mound started 5 of 13 games posting a 3-3 ledger with a 6.30 ERA ... Fanned 32 batters and walked just 13 in 36.2 innings ... Earned second-straight South Piedmont All-Conference designation as well as Cox Mill’s Offensive Player Award ... Named All-Cabarrus Team by The Charlotte Observer ... Named preseason Atlantic Region Honorable Mention by Perfect Game ... Boasted an impressive .494 (38-for-90) average belting three home runs ... Legged out nine doubles and one triple ... Drove in 25 runs while scoring 14 times ... Recorded 12 multi-hit and six multi-RBI games ... Struck out just six times, while drawing 10 walks for a .556 on-base percentage ... Swiped just one base ... Posted a .979 fielding percentage with 33 assists and 106 putouts ... Boasted a 1.81 ERA in 15 appearances (five starts) and a 6-2 record for the Chargers ... Logged 62 strikeouts to just 20 walks in 50.1 frames ... Garnered third-straight South Piedmont All-Conference accolades and took home his second team MVP award ... Named All Cabarrus Team by The Charlotte Observer for the second straight season ... Four year North Carolina scholar athlete, Beta Club and National Honors Society member ... Played travel ball for Andy Partin and Lee Land of the Dirtbags ... Listed as the top senior prep catcher in North Carolina by Impact Baseball ... Participated in the 2011 PG WWBA World Baseball Championships (Jupiter, Fla.), 2011 PG WWBA 2012 Grads/17U National Championships (Marietta, Ga.), 2009-10 PG WWBA Underclassmen World Championships (Fort Myers, Fla.) and the 2008 14U OG BCS Finals (Fort Myers, Fla.).

Personal: Full name is Travis Alan Watkins ... Son of Alan and Kim Watkins ... Earned bachelor’s degree in business management in the Spring of 2016 … Currently enrolled in MBA program … Ten-time ECU Director of Athletics Honor Roll recipient (Fall of 2012-present) ... Two-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member (2013-14) ... Two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team (2015-16) ... 2017 CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American - first in program history ... 2016-17 Potash Corp Aurora All-Academic Team ... Named ECU Student Athlete-of-the-Month (May 2017).

Career Notes: Five-time Johnny Bench Award Watch List candidate (three-time semifinalist/2015-17) … Three-time all-conference selection (2014/C-USA, 2016-17/AAC) … Two-time team captain (2016-17) … Named Most Outstanding Player of the Charlottesville Regional (2016) after batting .462 (6-for-13) with five RBI and a pair of home runs, one of which was a walk-off against regional host Virginia – a three-run shot … Hit a pair of home runs in Lubbock Regional (Game 1) which came in consecutive at-bats (grand slam, two-run homer) … Five of 20 career home runs were grand slams – the most by any Pirate since 2001 … 2016 Senior CLASS Award candidate … Registered 19 game-winning RBI … Tallied 71 career multi-hit and 33 career multi-RBI games … Ranks among ECU’s all-time leaders in putouts (1,571/third), games played (234/sixth), total sacrifices (28/t6th), hits (259/seventh), starts (222/seventh) and strikeouts (141/10th) … Thrown out 63 of 179 base runners (35.2 percent) … Tallied 28 career sacrifices (21 sac flies, 7 sac hits) … Posted a career .991 fielding percentage committing 16 errors in 1,771 chances … Earned bachelor’s degree in business management in Spring of 2016 … Two-time member of The American All-Academic Team (2015-16) … Two-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member (2013-14) … Ten-time ECU Director of Athletics Honor Roll member … In 2016 was named ECU Male Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year, Mr. Pirate at the Annual Goldspy’s and was selected to the 2016-17 Potash Corp Aurora All-Academic Team … Named ECU Student Athlete-of-the-Month (May 2017).

Career Numbers at ECU: .315 (259-for-822), 20 home runs, 127 runs, 150 RBI (19 GW), 37 doubles, one triple, 77 walks, 14 hit by pitches, 16 stolen bases, 58 extra base hits.

CAREER HIGHS - at-bats: 5 (28x - last vs. vs. UCF 5/26/17); runs: 4 (2x - last vs. Campbell 5/16/17); hits: 5 at Elon (3/15/15); RBI: 6 (2x - last at Elon 3/21/17); home runs: 2 (2x - last vs. Campbell 5/16/17); stolen bases: 4 at Elon (3/15/15).