CINCINNATI — Frankfort senior Tayler Likens has been selected as a 2025 Johnny Bench Award winner as the top high school softball catcher in West Virginia.
The Cincinnati Reds and Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, along with the Reds Hall of Fame, honor the best baseball and softball high school catchers from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia, as well as the top baseball and softball NCAA Division I catchers, annually.
A committee determines the finalists with support from local media, coaches associations and scouting organizations in each state, and Bench hand-picks the winners, according to a press release.
The ten winners will be honored at the Johnny Bench Awards Luncheon on July 29 at Great American Ball Park, where they will meet Bench, and be recognized that evening during on-field ceremonies before the Reds vs. Dodgers game at 7:10 p.m.
The awards are permanently located at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum at Great American Ball Park.
“Now in its seventh year, the Johnny Bench Awards honor more than just impressive stats, they celebrate the leadership, toughness and heart required to be a great catcher,” said Bench. “I’m proud to recognize this year’s winners for upholding that standard.”
Likens, signed to Division 1 Kent State, finished third in the area with a .558 average, adding seven home runs, seven triples, 12 doubles, 29 RBIs, 45 runs and 20 stolen bases.
Likens was selected first-team All-State and All-Area and made the All-Potomac Valley Conference squad, leading Frankfort to an unbeaten regular season, 29-2 record and a Class AAA state runner-up finish.
The other 2025 Johnny Bench Award winners include recent Baltimore Orioles first-round MLB Draft selection Caden Bodine of Coastal Carolina as top NCAA baseball catcher, and Texas’ Reese Atwood is the top NCAA softball backstop.
The high school winners are Caleigh Shaulis (softball) and Jace Schrock (baseball) from Ohio; Emersyn Ramage (softball) and Owen Jenkins (baseball) from Kentucky; Olivia Young and Johnnie Ankenbruck (baseball) from Indiana; and Likens and Preston’s Bryson McNew (baseball) from West Virginia.
Bench is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. He played his entire 17-season career with the Cincinnati Reds (1967-1983), earning 14 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves and two National League MVP awards.
Bench led the Reds to two World Series titles (1975, 1976) and was named World Series MVP in 1976. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.