NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List
DALLAS – For the third straight season, veteran reliever Redmond Walsh has been named to the Stopper of the Year preseason watch list by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
The award, which is in its 17th year, is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The full preseason watch list can be seen HERE.
Walsh, who decided to return for one more season with the Vols this year, is coming off yet another impressive season for the Big Orange. The Louisville, Tennessee, native finished second on the team with a 2.52 ERA and five saves in 28 relief appearances. Walsh also set a new career high in wins by going 5-1 for the year and racked up 40 strikeouts in 39.1 innings of work.
The crafty lefty enters this season with a career ERA of 1.73, which is the second lowest among active Division I players. Walsh also ranks third in program history with 16 career saves, needing just three more to move past Sean Watson for second on UT’s all-time list. With eight saves this season, Walsh would overtake Todd Helton to become the program’s career saves leader.
Tennessee opens its 2022 campaign on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Georgia Southern. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Fans can also listen to John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action on UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app.
Single-game tickets for this weekend’s series against the Eagles and the first 15 home games of the year are available at AllVols.com.
Tennessee Baseball 2022 Preseason Honors
OF Jordan Beck
Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
NCBWA Preseason All-American – Second Team
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-American – Second Team
Baseball America Preseason All-American – Third Team
Preseason All-SEC – Second Team
OF Drew Gilbert
Preseason All-SEC – Second Team
C Evan Russell
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-American – Third Team
RHP Blade Tidwell
Baseball America Preseason All-American – First Team
NCBWA Preseason All-American – First Team
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-American – First Team
Perfect Game Preseason All-American – Second Team
LHP Redmond Walsh
NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List
-UT Athletics
