COLUMBUS, Ohio – Superb Ohio State senior closer Jake Hale is one of five finalists for the fifth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, the NCBWA announced Wednesday. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced Saturday, June 13, the opening day of the 2009 College World Series.
This year's finalists include Hale, from Albany, Ohio and Alexander High School, Addison Reed of San Diego State, Kyle Bellamy of Miami (Fla.), Matty Ott of LSU and Eric Pettis of UC Irvine. All five relief aces helped their respective teams advance to the 64-team field of the 2009 NCAA Baseball Tournament, which continues this weekend at eight super regional sites across the nation.
“Jake has been, in my opinion, the best closer in college baseball this year,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “He has done everything we have asked of him out of the bullpen. He has been dominant in his role.”
Hale appeared in a school-record 40 games this season, finished the last 39 games – consecutively – he entered and posted the third-most saves total in college baseball – a school-record 18. He also posted a miniscule 1.31 ERA and an opposing batting average of .191.
His 18 saves enabled him to set the Ohio State career saves mark with 29. Here’s more on Hale’s year:
- He extended his single season saves record by pitching 2.0 shutdown innings for his 17th save of the season in the 6-4 NCAA tournament win over Marist, a game in which he set the new Ohio State career mark with his 28th career save.
- He capped that effort with his final save as a Buckeye and it just may have been his greatest save as a Buckeye: he pitched 2.2 innings of dominant baseball in the win that sent 2008 College World Series runner-up Georgia home, striking out six of the nine batters he faced for his 18th save of the season.
- Against Georgia, Hale pitched his longest outing of the year as he was called from the bullpen with one out in the seventh inning, runners on the corners and big bat Rich Poythress – 25 home runs and 86 RBI – at the plate. Hale struck him out swinging on a 3-2 pitch. He then got 19-homer hitter Bryce Massanari on a ground out.
- Hale came right back to strike out the side in the eighth inning, getting two called third strikes to send the game into the ninth inning. In the ninth, Hale struck out two and got a ground out around a single to secure the 42nd win of the season for Ohio State and his personal 29th career save.
- In a three game sweep of Purdue earlier in the season, Hale picked up three saves over a 24-hour period.
The Stopper of the Year will also be recognized on the College Baseball Awards show, July 2 in Lubbock, Texas. This event will feature the presentation of the Dick Howser Trophy to the National Player of the Year. Other awards scheduled to be presented during the show include the Brooks Wallace Award, honoring the nation’s best shortstop, and the Pitcher of the Year Award. All of the NCBWA season awards will be recognized during the show.
Click on the attached link to read the official Stopper of the Year release.
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