Mason Patel Named Stopper of the Year Finalist

THE FLATS – Senior RHP Mason Patel (Knoxville, Tenn.) was named one of 13 finalists for the 2025 Stopper of the Year award, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced today. Patel, who was named All-ACC for the first time in his career this season, served as the Yellow Jackets primary high-leverage option out of the bullpen, becoming the first player in GT history to be named a finalist for the nation’s best relief pitcher.

Patel was nothing short of dominant, becoming the first Yellow Jacket in program history to record at least 11 wins in a single season without ever starting a game. The Knoxville, Tenn. native was the go-to during high-leverage moments all season, often entering games with runners on or while the team was trailing, leading to a record setting 11 victories in 23 relief appearances with five saves. He was the only pitcher this season to collect double-digit wins and at least five saves, the first relief pitcher to do so from a Power 4 conference since Kevin Kopps’ Golden Spikes Award winning season in 2021 (Arkansas).

He posted a 3.34 ERA over 23 appearances and became the first Yellow Jacket pitcher this century to win each of his first six starts, finishing with an 11-2 record. His 11 wins is tied for the 13^th-most in a single season in GT history and the most since Kyle Bakker posted 13 wins in 2002.

Patel pitched the first 22.2 innings of the season without allowing a run and has posted career-bests in wins (11), saves (5), innings pitched (70.0), strikeouts (64) and opponent’s batting average (.223).

He is one of 13 pitchers from around the nation to be named a finalist and one of two in the ACC. Of the finalists, Patel leads the field in innings pitched (70.0) and wins (11).

The Stopper of the Year recipient will be announced via a news conference on Friday, June 13, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.

The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation’s top player and the Mike Martin National Coach of the Year to the nation’s top coach. In 2025, the organization also will name the inaugural winner of the Tony Gwynn Trophy, which honors an NCAA baseball student-athlete who exemplifies the Gwynn legacy of community service and integrity. It also selects All-America Teams for all divisions, a Division I Freshman All-American team, Division I, II and III Players of the Week and Division I, II and III Players and Pitchers 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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