Donica named Pitcher of the Year semifinalist
5/11/2017 1:52:00 PM | Baseball
Full Release
HUNTSVILLE – It is no secret that Heath Donica has been a dominant force for Sam Houston State on Friday nights. That ascendance has been recognized on a national level, as well.
Donica has been named among 21 semifinalists for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame's Pitcher of the Year Award presented by the College Baseball Foundation, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.
"We believe this is an outstanding group of pitchers who are delivering quality outings each week in very competitive leagues," said award co-chairman Chris Snead.
The senior is one of four representatives from the state of Texas and is the lone Southland Conference pitcher on the list. Through 11 starts, Donica has posted a 7-1 record and ranks 23rd nationally with a 1.91 ERA. The right-hander has held opponents to a .211 batting average and is 24th in the country for WHIP.
”There's nobody more deserving,” Sam Houston head coach Matt Deggs said. “He prepares better than anyone I've ever had on the mound. He is a professional both on and off the hill. He is an intense competitor that this team rallies behind. He'll go down as one of the best arms I've ever had.”
In his second season with Sam Houston, Donica has accumulated 177 strikeouts, just 11 shy of moving into the top-10 career leaders for the category in team lore. No current player on the program's top-10 list has pitched fewer than three seasons.
The right-hander set a new Sam Houston Division I record on Opening Day, striking out 14 hitters in a 1-0 victory against Nevada. In most recently start, last Friday at Southeastern Louisiana, Donica became the first Sam Houston pitcher to toss 10 innings since 2006, using a season-high 116 pitches to fan nine and limit the Lions to one run.
“He's a legit Friday night guy,” Deggs said. “He definitely sets the tone. What you want out of an ace or stopper is the ability to stop the other teams' momentum and jump start our momentum at the same time. You know what you're going to get each time he steps on the mound.”
Donica will make his next start on Friday afternoon when Sam Houston visits Houston Baptist for a 2 p.m. tilt. For more information on the Pitcher of the Year Award of the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
|
NAME |
TEAM |
CONFERENCE |
| Cory Abbott | Loyola Marymount |
West Coast |
| JB Bukauskas | North Carolina |
ACC |
| Wyatt Burns | Samford |
Southern |
| JC Cloney | Arizona |
Pac-12 |
| Morgan Cooper | Texas |
Big 12 |
| Alex Cunningham | Coastal Carolina |
Sun Belt |
| Heath Donica | Sam Houston State |
Southland |
| Alex Faedo | Florida |
SEC |
| Lucas Gilbreath | Minnesota |
Big Ten |
| Steven Gingery | Texas Tech |
Big 12 |
| Brian Glowicki | Minnesota |
Big Ten |
| Luke Heimlich | Oregon State |
Pac-12 |
| Jake Irvin | Oklahoma |
Big 12 |
| Jared Janczak | TCU |
Big 12 |
| Brendan McKay | Louisville |
ACC |
| Casey Mize | Auburn |
SEC |
| Sean Mooney | St. John's |
Big East |
| Eli Morgan | Gonzaga |
West Coast |
| Ryan Netemeyer | Southern Illinois |
Missouri Valley |
| David Peterson | Oregon |
Pac-12 |
| Jake Thompson | Oregon State |
Pac-12 |
