CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (NCBWA) – Five of college baseball's best
relief specialists have been selected as finalists for the 11th
annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
Stopper of the Year Award, as announced by the NCBWA on
Wednesday. Two of the honorees are semifinalists for the Dick Howser
Trophy, the award given by the NCBWA to the nation's top player,
and four have been named All-Americans.
This year's finalists are NCAA saves co-leader Ryan Meisinger
of Radford along with David Berg of UCLA,
Tyler Jay of Illinois, Brandon Koch
of Dallas Baptist and Bryan Young of Missouri State.
Meisinger, who shares the national in saves with 17, garnered
All-Big South first team and Big South All-Tournament honors this
year, helping the Highlanders to Big South regular-season and tournament
championships. The junior right-hander appeared in 31 games, recording
66 strikeouts with only 24 hits and eight walks allowed in 39.0
innings of work. Meisinger helped Radford to a historic season,
reaching the NCAA Nashville Regional final and posting a school-record
45 wins with the first NCAA Regional berth in school history.
A semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Berg earned Louisville
Slugger first team All-America honors and was named the Pac-12 Pitcher
of the Year after posting 13 saves and a 7-1 record in 43 appearances,
notching a 0.68 ERA and allowing just 49 hits and eight walks over
66 2/3 innings while striking out 65 batters. He leads the nation
in pitching appearances, ranks third in ERA, seventh in WHIP, eighth
in strikeout-to-walk ration and 11th in walks allowed per nine innings.
He is one of only three players ever to earn four first team All-Pac-12
honors and contributed to the first no-hitter in UCLA history on
May 15. Berg helped UCLA earn the No. 1 national seed in the 2015
NCAA Tournament and the Bruins reached the NCAA Los Angeles Regional
final.
Jay was named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and a
Louisville Slugger first-team All-American, and earned Big Ten Pitcher
of the Year honors after helping Illinois earn a Big Ten regular-season
championship and No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Jay
has 14 saves and a 5-1 record with a 0.60 ERA that ranks second
in the nation in 60 1/3 innings over 29 appearances. He has allowed
only 30 hits and seven walks while striking out 70, holding opponents
to a .151 batting average. The junior left-hander leads the nation
in WHIP (0.61) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.48), ranks fourth
in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.00) and ninth in walks allowed per
nine innings (1.04). He notched a four-inning save in the NCAA Champaign
Regional final on Monday, propelling the Fighting Illini into a
super regional matchup against defending National Champion Vanderbilt.
Koch, a second-team Louisville Slugger All-American and first-team
All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, helped Dallas Baptist
to a 46-15 campaign that saw the Patriots host an NCAA Regional
for the first time in school history. He ranks 10th nationally in
saves with 14 and posted a 3-2 record with a 1.26 ERA. Koch pitched
43 innings over 26 appearances, allowing only 23 hits and walking
24 while striking out 76 and holding opponents to a .160 batting
average. The junior right-hander helped DBU reach the NCAA Dallas
Regional Final.
Young was named a Louisville Slugger third-team All-American
and first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference and broke Missouri
State's school record for saves, currently holding 16. That total
also stands third nationally and the sophomore right-hander is 7-0
with a 1.31 ERA in 41 1/3 innings over 29 appearances, allowing
only 30 hits and 14 walks while striking out 51 and holding opponents
to a .199 batting average. Young has helped the Bears earn the No.
8 national seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament and sweep through the
Springfield Regional with a 3-0 mark, setting up an NCAA Super Regional
against Arkansas.
The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with
this year's recipient to be announced Saturday morning, June 13,
at a news conference at TD Ameritrade Park at 10 a.m. CT.
Texas hurler J. Brent Cox won the inaugural Stopper of the Year
Award in 2005, with Don Czyz of Kansas claiming the honor in 2006
and Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State winning it in 2007. Georgia's
Joshua Fields topped the field in 2008, San Diego State's Addison
Reed grabbed the honor in 2009 and Texas' Chance Ruffin took the
honor in 2010. Corey Knebel of Texas won in 2011, with Southeastern
Louisiana's Stefan Lopez picking up the honor in 2012. UCLA's David
Berg was the recipient of the award in 2013 and Louisville's Nick
Burdi earned the honor in 2014.
The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to
the nation's top player. It also selects All-America Teams for all
Divisions, a Division I Freshman All-American team, Division I,
II and III Players of the Week and Division I, II and III Players
of the Year.
2015 NCBWA Stopper of the Year key dates: •
Wed., April 21: Midseason Watch List
• Tues., June 3: Stopper of the Year finalists announced
• Sat., June 13: Stopper of the Year winner announced
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