College baseball: NCBWA Announces Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Forty players have been named to the Midseason Watch List for the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, the association announced Thursday.

VCU junior Sam Donko, the national saves leader with 15, highlights the 2016 Midseason Watch List, while seven players have 11 saves with four weeks left in the regular season. Penn State senior Jack Anderson has 10 saves and a 0.65 ERA in 41.1 innings, Washington senior Troy Rallings has 11 saves and a 0.78 ERA in 21 appearances spanning 46 innings, while Clemson junior Pat Krall is 6-1 with a 0.79 ERA in 45.2 innings across 19 appearances, UCSB sophomore Kyle Nelson is a perfect 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA and Jacksonville State redshirt sophomore Justin Hoyt has 10 saves and has not yielded any earned runs in 17 appearances.

The Southeastern Conference led the way with five players on this year’s Midseason Watch List, Conference USA and the Pacific-12 each had four honorees and the Atlantic Coast Conference had three. A total of 20 different conferences were represented.

The NCBWA will announce five finalists for the 2016 Stopper of the Year – the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts – on Wednesday, June 8, prior to the start of NCAA Super Regional competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced during the 2016 College World Series.

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 earned the honor in 2010. The Longhorns’ Corey Knebel won in 2011, with Southeastern Louisiana's Stefan Lopez picking up the honor in 2012. UCLA’s Berg was crowned the winner in 2013, Louisville’s Nick Burdi took home the 2014 honor and Berg became the award's first two-time winner in 2015.

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 and III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.