BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (NCBWA) – Forty players have been named to the initial watch list for the fifth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, as announced by the association Tuesday.
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With two of the finalists for the 2008 honor back for another season (Scott Bittle of Ole Miss and Eric Pettis of UC Irvine), as well as an impressive list of All-Americans, another exciting race for this year's Stopper of the Year Award is anticipated. Georgia relief ace Joshua Fields, a first-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners and the Southeastern Conference’s all-time saves leader, claimed last year's award. Nine of this year’s nominees were included in the 2009 NCBWA Preseason All-America Team announced by the organization in December.
The Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with nine players named to the preseason watch list. The Big 12 and the West Coast Conference added four pitchers each on this year's watch list, while the SEC and Pacific-10 Conference are represented by three players each.
| 2009 NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST | |||
| Pitcher | School | Cl. | Hometown |
| Colin Bates | North Carolina | So. | Naperville, Ill. |
| Michael Belfiore (L) | Boston College | Jr. | Commack, N.Y. |
| Kyle Bellamy | Miami | Jr. | Davie, Fla. |
| Scott Bittle | Ole Miss | Sr. | Texarkana, Texas |
| Louis Coleman | LSU | Sr. | Schlater, Miss. |
| Zach Calhoon | UT-San Antonio | Jr. | Spring, Texas |
| Jordan Conley | Xavier | Sr. | Hamilton, Ohio |
| Joey Cutler | N.C. State | Sr. | Matthews, N.C. |
| Chase Dempsay | Houston | So. | Baytown, Texas |
| Matt Evers (L) | Rice | So. | Houston, Texas |
| Nick Gaudi | Pepperdine | Sr. | Lancaster, Calif. |
| Jake Geglein | Cincinnati | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Jimmy Gillheeney (L) | N.C. State | Jr. | Johnston, R.I. |
| AJ Griffin | San Diego | Jr. | El Cajon, Calif. |
| Jake Hale | Ohio State | Sr. | Albany, Ohio |
| Stephen Harrold | UNC Wilmington | So. | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Alex Hassan | Duke | Jr. | Boston, Mass. |
| James Hayes | Rider | Sr. | Sunrise, Fla. |
| Brendan Lafferty (L) | UCLA | Sr. | Riverside, Calif. |
| Greg Lane | Binghamton | Sr. | Binghamton, N.Y. |
| Cody Martin | Gonzaga | So. | Dos Palos, Calif. |
| Alex McRee (L) | Georgia | Jr. | Gainesville, Ga. |
| JD Melton | Navy | Jr. | Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
| Brian Moran (L) | North Carolina | Jr. | Rye, N.Y. |
| Matt Packer (L) | Virginia | Jr. | Germantown, Tenn. |
| Eric Pettis | UC Irvine | Jr. | West Hills, Calif. |
| Kevin Rhoderick | Oregon State | So. | Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| Thomas Rooke (L) | Kansas State | So. | Spring, Texas |
| Thain Simon | Santa Clara | So. | El Dorado Hills, Calif. |
| Paul Smyth | Kansas | Sr. | Atascadero, Calif. |
| Travis Smink (L) | VMI | Jr. | Dalmatia, Pa. |
| Jimmy Stanley | Belmont | Sr. | Lexington, Ky. |
| Travis Starling | Texas A&M | Jr. | Yoakum, Texas |
| Jason Stoffel | Arizona | Jr. | Agoura, Calif. |
| Drew Storen | Stanford | So. | Brownsburg, Ind. |
| Josh Storm | Troy | Sr. | Cottondale, Fla. |
| Daniel Tenholder | Austin Peay | Jr. | Clarksville, Tenn. |
| Kyle Thebeau | Texas A&M | Sr. | Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Matt Vaughn | Clemson | Sr. | Summerville, S.C. |
| Derek Ward | Louisiana-Monroe | Sr. | Lewisville, Ark. |
| (L) indicates left-handed pitcher | |||
Nominations for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award were made by baseball sports information/media relation contacts. The initial list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 16, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, May 27, prior to start of NCAA regional tournament competition.
The NCBWA's All-America Committee will then select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced in early June.
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, Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State winning it in 2007 and Fields topping the field in 2008.
The NCBWA, founded in 1962, also presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation's top player in addition to naming a Division I All-America Team, Division I and Division III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.
For additional information on the 2009 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, contact Chuck Dunlap at the Southeastern Conference (205-458-3000).