THE FLATS – Senior RHP Mason Patel was recognized as one of the top relief pitchers in college baseball when he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year watch list, the NCBWA announced today. Patel is the only Power 4 pitcher with eight wins and multiple saves this year, boasting an 8-1 record and three saves over 13 appearances.
Mason Patel enjoyed one of the best first halves of a season by any Yellow Jacket in program history, becoming the first GT pitcher to win each of his first seven appearances despite not starting a single game. He pitched the first 22.2 innings of the season before allowing his first run, the longest scoreless streak to begin a year by any Tech pitcher this century.
He leads the Power 4 with eight wins and leads the ACC (7th in DI) in WHIP (0.86). Patel has posted the longest outing of any Tech reliever this season, pitching the final 6.2 innings of GT’s 9-5 victory at Notre Dame (March 22) and became the first Tech pitcher to record multiple saves in a single series, this year, when he slammed the door on both Friday (April 11) and Sunday (April 13) in Tech’s sweep over California.
Of the 56 pitchers on the Watch List, Patel has pitched the second-most innings (44.1) while tied for the third fewest appearances, showcasing his status as Georgia Tech’s “ace in the pen”. Patel has provided at least three innings in nine of his 13 games this season, including five games in which he was the only arm used after the starting pitcher departed – pitching 21.2 innings in those instances, resulting in a 2-1 record and two saves.
Patel is one of eight ACC pitchers to qualify for the watch list and one of only nine pitchers in the nation to be named to both the Stopper of the Year and National Pitcher of the Year watch lists
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.
For more information on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, visit www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/awards/stopper-of-the-year
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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