Junior right-hander Cade Denton has been named to the Preseason Watch List for the 18th 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 on Thursday. Nominees were submitted by the institution or conference Sports Information Directors.
Denton is the lone representative from the Summit League on the Watch List and one of two players from an Oklahoma school, joining Nolan McLean of Oklahoma State.
This year’s impressive group is led by 12 preseason NCBWA All-America selections including first-teamers Peter Allegro (Portland), Denton (Oral Roberts), William Privette (Charleston) and Andrew Walters (Miami, (Fla.)). Walters, a finalist for the 2022 award, collected 14 saves in 32.2 innings pitched, giving up just seven runs, six earned, on 13 hits with a 1.65 ERA. Privette, another 2022 finalist, notched a 0.91 ERA last season with a 3-1 record with 12 saves, six earned runs allowed and 80 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched. Denton finished with a 0.41 ERA for Oral Roberts, boasting six saves, 55 strikeouts, four runs and two earned in 0.41 innings pitched. Portland’s Allegro went 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA, 13 saves and 49 strikeouts in 49.0 innings tossed.
Additional preseason NCBWA All-Americans on this year’s list include Carter Benbrook (UC Santa Barbara, third team), Ryan Bruno (Stanford, second team), Kirby Connell (Tennessee, second team), Kiernan Higgans (Virginia Tech, third team), Sam Klein (Ball State, second team), Reid McLaughlin (BYU, second team), Thomas Schultz (Vanderbilt, third team) and Camden Sewell (Tennessee, third team).
The Southeastern Conference led the way with the most representatives with 17 players finding their names on the watch list. The Pac-12 Conference followed with nine, while the Atlantic Coast Conference had eight and the Big 12 Conference six.
Of the initial 81 members, 17 were featured on last year’s midseason watch list. In total, 21 conferences are represented on this list with at least two players coming from 15 different leagues.
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