3 Mountaineers Placed on the NCBWA’s Stopper of the Year Watch List

On Thursday, three Mountaineer hurlers, Jacob Watters, Trey Braithwaite and Noah Short, were named to the 2022 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List, presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Watters was also selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team and a member of the NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team. The junior right-handed reliever collected four saves last season while also picking up a 4-1 record with a 3.33 ERA. He held opponents to a .165 batting average, logging 53 strikeouts in 27.0 innings.

Short led the Mountaineers in appearances last season, with 25. The righty recorded an ERA of 2.51 in 28.2 innings of action, striking out 38 with just 11 walks. Opponents tallied just eight earned runs for the year and hit .228 against him.

Braithwaite came to WVU following a successful, four-year career at Navy from 2018-21. The fifth-year senior right-hander finished 4-2 with a 4.44 ERA in 2021, tallying 38 strikeouts and three saves in 24.1 innings of work.

The Mountaineers are one of seven programs to have multiple players named to the list and the only team in the country to have three earn the preseason honor. In all, 66 players were named to the initial watch list for the 17th annual Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.

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