FROM NCBWA RELEASE
STARKVILLE, Miss. (NCBWA) — University of Georgia relief pitcher Joshua Fields is the 2008 recipient of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year Award, the NCBWA announced Wednesday.

Fields helped the Georgia Bulldogs (39-22-1) capture the 2008 Southeastern Conference baseball championship and made a pair of game-closing relief appearances last weekend as Georgia claimed the NCAA Athens Regional title. UGA continues its quest for a College World Series berth this weekend, hosting North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA Athens Super Regional at Foley Field. Read the rest of this entry »

(Tempe, AZ) - Brett Wallace was huge for Arizona State, but Stony Brook would not give up in a thrilling game that bounced back and forth all night Friday.

3,425 baseball fans enjoyed a great game on a marvelous night that featured five lead changes before a thrilling end to a Stony Brook rally wrapped up the game for Arizona State in the ninth.

Freshman Matt Newman started the game and looked good for ASU, but after putting down the first five Stony Brook batters in order, the Seawolves put together a two out rally in the second to tie the game.   In the third Stony Brook kept at it took the lead and made ASU go to the bullpen first. 

However 12 walks by Stony Brook pitchers gave ASU too many opportunities.  Combine that with 11 hits including a blast off the bat of Brett Wallace that cleared not only the fence in right field but also likely the median on Rural Road on its trajectory out of the park.  ASU looked good offensively but Stony Brook hung all night and never looked out of the game.

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
STARKVILLE, Miss. (NCBWA) - Five of college baseball’s top relief specialists have been selected as finalists for the fourth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, the NCBWA announced Thursday.

This year’s finalists include NCAA saves leader Tyler Conn of Southern Miss, Scott Bittle of Mississippi, Joshua Fields of Georgia, A.J. Griffin of the University of San Diego and Eric Pettis of UC Irvine. All five relief aces helped their respective teams advance to the 64-team field of the 2008 NCAA Baseball Tournament, which begins this weekend at 16 regional sites across the nation.
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STARKVILLE, Miss. (NCBWA) — Forty players have been named to the initial watch list for the fourth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, the association announced Thursday. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.

With all five of the finalists for the 2007 honor having concluded their collegiate careers, a wide-open race for this year’s Stopper of the Year Award in anticipated. Sam Houston State relief ace Luke Prihoda, a 24th-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, claimed last year’s award. Eight of the nominees were included in the 2008 NCBWA Preseason All-America Team announced by the organization in December. Read the rest of this entry »

The NCBWA has released the 2007 Stopper of the Year Watch List. You have all the normal candidates for this post season award including Milan Dinga (Army) and Brett Cecil (UMD). The full press release is available here.