LUBBOCK, Texas — For a pitcher, there’s not much better than zeros, and several of the 47 pitchers on the first watch list for the 2014 Pitcher of the Year Award feature that magic number in their statistical lines.
The Pitcher of the Year Award, sponsored by Diamond, will be presented during the National College Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual Night of Champions on June 28 in Lubbock, Texas.
Two pitchers, Louisville’s Nick Burdi and Samford’s Andres Gracia, have 0.00 ERAs. Burdi, a junior right-hander, is 2-1 in 16 appearances, with eight saves and 34 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings pitched. Garcia, also a junior right-hander, is 2-0 in 22 appearances, with 11 saves and 25 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings.
“Two month into the season and still having a 0.00 ERA is pretty impressive,” said Raymond Richardson, Pitcher of the Year Award co-chair. “All of these pitchers have impressive statistics, and we’re pleased to be able to recognize that.”
Caly Poly’s Matt Imhof, a junior left-handed pitcher, has 97 strikeouts and only 26 walks in 67 1/3 innings. He’s 8-2 with a 1.87 ERA.
In addition to standout individual statistics, several schools have multiple representatives on the watch list, including Pepperdine with three.
“Three players on the watch list from the same school is pretty remarkable,” said Chris Snead, award co-chair. “It definitely says something about the caliber of that staff. It will be interesting to see how the numbers shape up as we progress through the regular season and the postseason.”
For more information on the Pitcher of the Year Award or the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
Pitcher of the Year Watch List:
NAME | TEAM | CONFERENCE |
Gage Smith | Florida State | ACC |
Bryan Garcia | Miami | ACC |
Nick Howard | Virginia | ACC |
Nathan Kirby | Virginia | ACC |
Nick Burdi | Louisville | American Athletic |
Michael Murray | Florida Gulf Coast | Atlantic Sun |
Brendan McCurry | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
Vince Wheeland | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
Brandon Finnegan | TCU | Big 12 |
Nathan Thornhill | Texas | Big 12 |
Josh Prevost | Seton Hall | Big East |
Trey Lambert | Liberty | Big South |
Ryan Thompson | Campbell | Big South |
Casey Bloomquist | Cal Poly | Big West |
Matt Imhof | Cal Poly | Big West |
Thomas Eshelman | Cal State Fullerton | Big West |
Sam Moore | UC Irvine | Big West |
Andrew Morales | UC Irvine | Big West |
Chase Mallard | Alabama-Birmingham | Conference USA |
Brett Mabry | East Carolina | Conference USA |
Ryan Williams | East Carolina | Conference USA |
Mike Franco | Florida International | Conference USA |
Christopher Mourelle | Florida International | Conference USA |
Blake Fox | Rice | Conference USA |
Kyle Freeland | Evansville | Missouri Valley |
Michael Cederoth | San Diego State | Mountain West |
Jeff Gold | Oregon | Pac-12 |
Jace Fry | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
Ben Wetzler | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
David Berg | UCLA | Pac-12 |
Tyler Davis | Washington | Pac-12 |
Thomas Burrows | Alabama | SEC |
Danny Young | Florida | SEC |
Aaron Nola | LSU | SEC |
Chris Ellis | Ole Miss | SEC |
Christian Trent | Ole Miss | SEC |
Joel Seddon | South Carolina | SEC |
Jack Wynkoop | South Carolina | SEC |
Andy Cox | Tennessee | SEC |
Walker Buehler | Vanderbilt | SEC |
Andres Garcia | Samford | Southern |
Carson Baranik | Louisiana Lafayette | Sun Belt |
Ryan Wilson | Louisiana Lafayette | Sun Belt |
Sam Street | UT-Pan American | WAC |
Aaron Brown | Pepperdine | West Coast |
Eric Karch | Pepperdine | West Coast |
Corey Miller | Pepperdine | West Coast |