Senior (2014):

Welch became just the second player in the program’s history to win an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove in 2014.  He started all 51 games and played nearly every inning during the season at catcher for Emory, with opponents attempting just 58 stolen bases against him and were successful just 38 times.  He added five pickoffs during the season, and committed just three errors and allowed only five passed balls for a .991 fielding percentage.  At the plate, Welch hit .314, leading all Eagles with five triples and recording career-bests with 39 runs, 15 doubles, 46 RBIs, 30 walks and 12 stolen bases.  He was named to the NCAA and D3Baseball.com All-Tournament Teams after batting .458 (11-for-24) with six runs, two doubles, a triple, nine RBIs and holding opponents to just four stolen bases during the World Series.  Earlier, he was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA South Regional, after batting .286 (six-for-21) with two doubles, two triples, and a team-best seven RBIs, and throwing out five base runners on nine stolen base attempts.  The right-handed hitter was 48-for-143 (.336) against righties and hit .353 (six-for-17) with the bases loaded.  He was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Week on May 19^th.  Welch ended his career as the program’s all-time leader in runners picked off (21) and caught stealing (72), tied for seventh in games started (167), triples (eight) and walks (97), ninth in games played (169), 11^th in RBIs (125) and 15^th in runs scored (118).

Junior (2013):

Welch, a team co-captain was one of just three players to start all 39 games for the Eagles during the 2013 season, the majority at catcher, batting .239 (33-for-238) with 19 runs scored and 25 runs batted in.  He picked up four doubles and a pair of triples during the year, and walked an additional 25 times to raise his on base percentage to .357.  Welch stole 11 bases on 16 attempts, and struck out just 15 times during the year, the fewest among Emory hitters with at least 75 at bats.  He tied for the team lead with six multiple-RBI games during the year, and added 10 multiple-hit games for the campaign.  Welch earned University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week honors after the opening weekend of the season, going a combined four-for-nine with two runs, three RBIs and three stolen bases during a pair of wins at Rhodes College.  He was two-for-two with two runs, three RBIs a double and a triple against Case Western Reserve on March 16^th.  Welch was also strong defensively throughout the season for Emory, committing just five errors for a .982 fielding percentage without a passed ball, and throwing out 16 of 47 would-be base stealers to limit opponents to a 65% stolen base percentage.  He picked off three runners during the season, and through his junior campaign, is Emory’s career leader with 16 pickoffs and 52 runners caught stealing.

Sophomore (2012):

Welch emerged as the top catcher in the University Athletic Association (UAA) during his sophomore season, earning a spot on the All-University Athletic Association (UAA) First Team for his performance in 2012.  He started all 40 games for the Eagles during the season, the majority at catcher, batting .320 with 29 runs batted in, and leading all Eagles with 42 runs scored, 11 doubles and two home runs.  He also turned in a successful year on the basepaths, stealing a career-high 11 bases on 13 attempts, the fourth-most stolen bases on the squad.  Welch was 43-for-116 (.371) against right-handed pitching, 33-for-98 (.337) with runners on base, and 22-for-66 (.333) with runners in scoring position during the year.  Welch hit his first career home run on March 11th against Brandeis University, going two-for-three with a double and four RBIs during the 6-0 Emory win.  He recorded a season-long 16-game hitting streak from March 25th through May 2nd, batting .385 (25-for-65) with 22 runs scored over the stretch.  During a 2-1 win over Birmingham-Southern College on March 27th, he capped off a two-out rally in the bottom of the tenth inning with a walk off single, clinching the victory for Emory.  Welch also excelled defensively during the season, committing just five errors for a .985 fielding percentage.  He matched his own Emory single-season record with 18 runners caught stealing, and the 36 runners he has caught stealing during his career are tied for the school record.  Runners were successful on just 63.3% of stolen base attempts against him in 2012, the sixth-lowest mark in school history.  Welch was named the UAA Athlete of the Week on February 13th, and to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week on May 1st. 

Freshman (2011):

Welch immediately stepped into the catcher's role during his first year at Emory, starting 37 of the 39 games that he played in.  He hit .222 during his freshman campaign, scoring 18 runs and driving in 25, while stealing four bases on seven attempts.  He added on seven doubles during the season, and his five sacrifice flies ranked him 54th among NCAA Division III players.  Welch drove in a season-high three runs on two occasions, once with a two-for-four perfomance and a double against Washington and Lee University on February 22nd, and again on March 2nd with a one-for-five game with a double at Huntingdon College.  Defensively, Welch set school record by picking off 10 batters, and catching an addition 18 runners stealing.  He hit .370 (10-for-27) when leading off an inning.

Career Statistics:

Click here for complete career statistics.

Honors:

Prior to Emory:

Played on the Alpharetta High School baseball team for four seasons, serving as the team captain during his senior year... Named his team's defensive player of the year in 2008 and 2010... Was named to the all-region second team... Second in career batting average in his high school's history... Named to the Georgia 5-A All-Star Team in 2010... Helped his team to the 2010 Triple Crown and the 2010 Sandlot World Series... Coached by Steve Bohn in high school.

Personal:

Born February 20, 1992... Worked as a baseball camp instructor over the summer.

Quote:

"I chose Emory because of the great academics and the competitive baseball program."