May 18, 2012
Official release from the College Baseball Hall of Fame
LUBBOCK, Texas - Arizona State baseball players Brady Rodgers and Trevor Williams have been named to the newest edition of the Pitcher of the Year Award watch list, which highlights the top-25 pitchers in the country, the College Baseball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
ASU is one of four schools with two student-athletes on the list and the pair accounts for two of the four Pac-12 pitchers on the list, which is tied with the SEC for second-most among conferences. The Big 12 leads all with five selections. Baylor, North Carolina and Texas A&M also feature two players on the Top 25 list.
The duo has won a combined 19 games this season and headlines a pitching staff that ranks second in the Pac-12 in ERA and third in Division I in walks allowed per nine innings with 2.16. Their strikeout-to-walk ratio is tops in the Pac-12 and eighth best in Div. I at 3.06, and their WHIP is second in the nation at 1.13.
Williams and Rodgers have conceded a combined 24 walks and 155 hits in 193.1 innings this season, putting them at 14th (0.9) and 24th (0.95), respectively, in Div. I in WHIP. They are the only pair of teammates ranked in the top-30 in Div. 1 in WHIP.
Rodgers, who hails from Richmond, Texas, is fourth in the Pac-12 with a 2.17 ERA and second in innings pitched with 99.2. He began the season with 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which is sixth best in school history, and has allowed 24 earned runs on 81 hits to go with 74 strikeouts and 14 walks. He has three complete games this season and went the distance in back-to-back games after allowing one earned run in a win over Cal on March 23 and giving up one earned run in a loss to Oregon on March 31.
His career ERA of 2.36 in 270.2 total innings is currently second on the school's career "Best Earned Run Average" list behind Floyd Bannister (1974-76), who had a 1.88 ERA in 396.2 innings pitched.
Williams, a native of San Diego, Calif., has pitched 93.2 innings this season and is the only 10-game winner in the Pac-12. His 1.83 ERA is second-best in the conference as he has given up 19 earned runs on 74 hits while striking out 49 and walking 10 in 14 appearances this season, including 13 starts.
He has two complete games this season and has not issued a walk in five straight starts, a streak of 40 consecutive innings dating back to April 6 against Oregon State. Williams accepted an invitation to play for the Team USA Collegiate National Team this summer after garnering Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American honors as a reliever last year.
The winner of the Pitcher of the Year Award, sponsored by Diamond Sports, will be announced on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the annual College Baseball Night of Champions. The event features the presentation of numerous awards and the induction ceremony for this year's Hall of Fame class.
The 16th-ranked Sun Devils host Washington for their final three home games of the season Friday-Sunday at Packard Stadium. They face the Huskies at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night, and at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Senior Day will be held prior to the final home game of the season on Sunday, May 20. Seniors Abe Ruiz and Joseph Lopez, as well as graduate student Adrian Gomez will be honored on the field. Watch Saturday's game live on Fox Sports Arizona with Mark McClune and Joe Borowski on the call, while Friday and Sunday's games will be streaming live online at FoxSportsArizona.com.