Simms on Stopper of the Year Watch List
2/11/2014 12:51:00 PM | Baseball
Senior relief pitcher Jason Simms was named to the initial watch list for the 10th 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 Tuesday.
Simms recorded nine saves and a 2.74 ERA in 26 appearances last season. He struck out 44 batters with only 19 walks in 46 innings pitched. Opposing batters hit just .213 off of him.
Fifty players were named to the watch list, including UCLA junior David Berg and Mississippi State junior Jonathan Holder. Berg was the recipient of the Stopper of the Year Award in 2013 after leading the nation with 24 saves, while guiding the Bruins to their first College World Series title.
The Southland Conference had three pitchers named to the list; Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Jacob Dorris and Southeastern Louisiana's Mason Klotz joined Simms.
The Southeastern Conference led the way with six players named to this year's watch list, while the Big 12 Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Conference USA and Pac 12 Conference all had four pitchers on the list.
Other notable nominees are members of the NCBWA preseason All-American second and third teams, including Ohio State's Trace Dempsey, Vanderbilt's Brian Miller, Mississippi State's Ross Mitchell, Rice's Zech Lemond, Sacramento State's Sutter McLoughlin and Campbell's Ryan Thompson.
Nominations for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award were made by baseball sports information/media relations contacts. The initial list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 21, 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, June 4, prior to start of NCAA Super Regional tournament competition.
Season tickets for Sam Houston State baseball are also currently on sale. A reserved chairback season seat for all 30 games at Don Sanders Stadium is $150. Aside from the best seats in the house, a season ticket purchase also assures fans of priority for postseason playoff tickets.
Fans can purchase single-game baseball tickets for $8 for reserved seats and $6 for general admission. Every Friday game is a Friday Family Night special where for $8 fans receive a reserved seat, hot dog, drink, and popcorn.
Baseball opening night is Friday, February 14th vs. Northern Colorado. Sam Houston will host mid-week games with top teams such as Rice, Houston and Baylor.
Fans can call the Sam Houston ticket office at 936-294-1729 for information on purchasing tickets to any SHSU baseball game at Don Sanders Stadium.
