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DALLAS – NC State baseball closer Chris Villaman has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, as announced by the publication on Wednesday afternoon.

He is one of 18 players who were featured on the Preseason Watch List earlier this year, as the award is given annually to the top relief pitcher in college baseball.

Villaman has had a strong season so far in the closer role for the Wolfpack, as he has made a team-high 17 appearances out of the bullpen and has earned a team-best seven saves and three wins. His saves are also the second-most among the Atlantic Coast Conference and rank 31st among the NCAA.

In his eight appearances between March 25 and April 15 he was dominant as he picked six saves and two wins, allowing just 11 hits, two walks and three earned runs in 14.2 innings pitched. He additionally fanned 27 batters in that span.

One of his best outings of the season was on March 20 at Florida State when he fanned 12 batters in five innings of relief. He matched his career high for a single game but reached the mark in three less innings than the last time he accomplished the feat (May 11, 2021 vs. UNCW – 8.0 IP).

On the year, Villaman has tallied a team-high 54 strikeouts and walked just nine batters in 31.2 innings pitched. Additionally, he owns a 4.55 earned-run average.