Cincinnati junior Jack Natili has earned a semifinalist nod for the Buster Posey Award, given annually to the nation's best catcher.

Natili has the distinction of being one of three players with multiple three-homer games this year, doing so against Utah and at No. 21 UCF. This year, he is second on the team in homers (16), RBI (59), slugging percentage (.648) and total bases (142). He is hitting .338 on the year, starting 41 games behind the plate and serving as DH for the other 15.

Defensively, he has thrown out 11 attempted base-stealers as well. Cincinnati is third in the Big 12 for ERA, in addition to breaking its program strikeout record for the second-straight season, while ace Nate Taylor broke the single-season Ks mark as well.

The junior also earned All-Big 12 honors last season after spending his freshman year at Rutgers. He was ranked as the No. 71 prospect in the MLB Draft on Monday morning as well, and he boasts a 3.6 GPA in industrial management.

No. 6-seed Cincinnati begins Big 12 Tournament play Thursday night against No. 3 Arizona State. First pitch is at 11 p.m. ET on ESPNU.