The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) named 66 players to the initial Watch List for the 17th Annual Stopper of the Year Award, which is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.
Two HBCU Baseball players were named to the watch list. Seniors Payton Harris of Alabama State and Nolan Manzer of Norfolk State were named college baseball’s top relief pitchers to its pre-season watch list for the 17th annual (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award.
Payton Harris, RHP, sported a 1.29 earned run average in 20 games for Alabama State University while striking out 58 batters, all in relief the 2021 season. Harris finished 2-1 on the season, with three save, logged 42.0 innings and allowed 18 hits. He allowed just six earned runs.
Nolan Manzer, RHP, maintained a 0.73 earned run average in 14 appearances recording 29 strikeouts for Norfolk State in 2021. Opponents hit .115 against Manzer as he went 1-1 with one save on the season. Posted in 24.2 innings pitched allowed ten hits and struck out 29 batters.
Of the initial 66 members, 18 were featured on last year’s midseason watch list. In total, 19 conferences are represented on this list with at least two players coming from 13 different leagues.
About the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association introduced the Stopper of the Year award in the 2005 season to honor the nation’s top relief pitcher. Each year, the NCBWA announces a preseason watch list and then updates the list in midseason. Before the NCAA regionals, the association picks up to five finalists for the award. The regular-season national saves leader is automatically chosen as a finalist.
| 2022 NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON WATCH LIST (66) | ||
| Eric Adler, Wake Forest | Stephen Halstead, North Florida | Jake Pecilunas, Towson |
| Matt Bollenbacher, East Tennessee State | Sean Harney, Kentucky | Alex Perkins, Radford |
| Trey Braithwaite, West Virginia | Payton Harris, Alabama State | Jake Rappaport, NJIT |
| Will Brian, Eastern Kentucky | Devereaux Harrison, Long Beach State | Dalton Rhadans, Wofford |
| TJ Brock, Ohio State | Brandon Johnson, Ole Miss | Jared Rine, Kennesaw State |
| Drayton Brown, Northwestern State | Marcus Johnson, Duke | Aaron Roberts, California |
| Blake Burkhalter, Auburn | Orion Kerkering, USF | Will Semb, Minnesota |
| Derrick Cherry, Houston | Jacob King, UC Irvine | Caleb Seroski, New Orleans |
| Holden Christian, Arizona | Jimmy Loper, Duke | Noah Short, West Virignia |
| Stone Churby, Oregon | Nick Maldonado, Vanderbilt | Carson Skipper, Auburn |
| Ty Cummings, Campbell | Nolan Manzer, Norfolk State | Kolby Somers, Oregon |
| Kevin Davis, USC Upstate | C.J. Mayhue, East Carolina | Dale Stanavich, Rutgers |
| Noah Dean, Old Dominion | Trey McDaniel, Southern Illinois | Brandon Talley, Louisiana |
| Drew Dominik, Evansville | Chris McElvain, Vanderbilt | Jonah Ulane, Kansas |
| Connor Fenlong, Indiana State | Mason Mellott, Penn State | Redmond Walsh, Tennessee |
| Graham Firoved, Virginia Tech | Jakob Meyer, Evansville | Andrew Walters, Miami |
| Zach Franklin, Western Carolina | Cam Minacci, Wake Forest | Jacob Watters, West Virginia |
| Geoffrey Gilbert, Clemson | Dylan Nedved, Iowa | Willie Weiss, Michigan |
| Gage Gillian, North Carolina | Wyatt Nelson, North Dakota State | Jaden Woods, Georgia |
| Ben Grable, Northwestern | Aaron Nixon, Texas | Mitchell Verburg, Oregon State |
| Landon Green, Alabama | Caden O’Brien, North Carolina | Chris Villaman, NC State |
| Lliam Grubbs, James Madison | Carson Palmquist, Miami | Trey Ziegenbein, Missouri State |