DALLAS (NCBWA) – As the 2026 collegiate baseball regular season enters its second half, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced Wednesday that 61 of the nation’s top relief pitchers have been named to the midseason watch list for the 21st annual Stopper of the Year Award. Relief pitchers not included on the midseason list remain eligible to be considered as finalists for the award.
Eighteen of the 61 players were on the preseason watch list, released in February, including Hunter Alexander (Central Arkansas), Gavin Alveti (Austin Peay), Reese Bassinger (West Virginia) Cody Brasch (Louisiana), Ben Davis (Mississippi State), Gavin DeVooght (Michigan), Turner Doran (Western Michigan), Clayton Freshcorn (Texas A&M), Lucas Hartman (Virginia), Easton Hawk (UCLA), Darin Horn (Coastal Carolina) Brandon Jaenke (Minnesota), Jake Karmer (Purdue), Ryan Kroepel (Utah Tech), Walker McDuffie (North Carolina), Boede Rahe (Kansas), Albert Roblez (Oregon State) and Adam Troy (USC). Mason Patel (Georgia Tech) (first team), McDuffie (third team) and Hartman (fourth team) were named to the Preseason NCBWA All-America Team.
Roblez leads the country with 11 saves in 15.2 innings pitched and holds a 0.57 Earned Run Average. Ryan Kroepel follows 10 saves with a 2.95 ERA in 14 appearances, while Troy also boasts 10 saves in 21.2 innings pitched.
There are 21 conferences represented on the list, with the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference leading the way with eight each. The Big 12 Conference follows with six, while the Atlantic Coast Conference has five and the American and Sun Belt each have four. Other multiple-selection leagues included: the Atlantic Sun Conference (3), Big West (2), Conference USA (3), Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference (2), Mid-American Conference (2), Ohio Valley Conference (2) and the West Coast Conference (3).
The NCBWA will announce the finalists on Wednesday, June 3, with the winner being named on Friday, June 12, at the 2026 Men’s College World Series.
| 2026 STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST (61) | ||||
| John Abraham, Florida State, Jr. | Walker Hooks, Ole Miss, So. | |||
| Caden Aoki, Georgia, Gr. | Darin Horn, Coastal Carolina, r-Sr. | |||
| Hunter Alexander, Central Arkansas, Sr. | Skyler Hutto, Jax State, Jr. | |||
| Gavin Alveti, Austin Peay, Sr. | Brandon Jaenke, Minnesota, Sr. | |||
| Nick Bacura, San Francisco, Gr. | Sean Jenkins, East Carolina, So. | |||
| Reese Bassinger, West Virginia, Gr. | Tyler Kapa, Virginia, Gr. | |||
| Rowen Barnes, UC Davis, Gr. | Kaleb Kantola, Lipscomb, Gr. | |||
| Devin Bell, Oregon, Sr. | Jake Kramer, Purdue, Sr. | |||
| Jack Bennett, Kentucky, Sr. | Jackson Kranawetter, Southeast Missouri, Sr. | |||
| Nick Bonn, Cal Poly, Sr. | Athan Kroll, Dallas Baptist, So. | |||
| Cody Brasch, Louisiana, Jr. | Ryan Kroepel, Utah Tech, Jr. | |||
| Caleb Bunch, Baylor, Gr. | Ryan Maiorano, Fairfield, Jr. | |||
| Reece Clapp, Illinois State, Gr. | Hadley Maxwell, Bucknell, Sr. | |||
| Camden Clark, Southern Miss, So. | Walker McDuffie, North Carolina, So. | |||
| Jackson Cleveland, Oklahoma, Sr. | Wylan Moss, UCLA, So. | |||
| Sam Cozart, Texas, Fr. | Mason Patel, Georgia Tech, Gr. | |||
| Andrew Damiani, Niagara, Sr. | David Perez, West Virginia, Fr. | |||
| Ben Davis, Mississippi State, Sr. | Boede Rahe, Kansas, r-Jr. | |||
| Gavin DeVooght, Michigan, Jr. | Carson Revay, Pacific, r-Jr. | |||
| Turner Doran, Western Michigan, Sr. | Albert Roblez, Oregon State, Sr. | |||
| Tate Evans, Yale, Sr. | Derek Schaefer, Arizona State, Jr. | |||
| Carson Fair, Memphis, Jr. | Sam Simmons, UTSA, Sr. | |||
| Clayton Freshcorn, Texas A&M, Jr. | Mason Snyder, Western Carolina, Jr. | |||
| Andrew Gaines, Saint Joseph’s, Sr. | Ethan Sutton, South Florida, r-So. | |||
| Cooper Garrison, Arkansas State, Sr. | Adam Troy, USC, Jr. | |||
| Cooper Harrington, Liberty, So. | J’Shawn Unger, Nebraska, So. | |||
| Easton Harris, SIUE, r-So. | Alex Via, Portland, Fr. | |||
| Lucas Hartman, Virginia, Gr. | Joshua Whritenour, Florida, r-Fr. | |||
| Easton Hawk, UCLA, So. | Peyton Williams, Kent State, Fr. | |||
| Garrett Hicks, Arizona, Sr. | Dylan Zentko, Murray State, Sr. | |||
| John Higgins, Seton Hall, Gr. | ||||
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.
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.pdf version with complete statistics