MANHATTAN, Kan. (KStateSports.com) – K-State’s Jackson Wentworth has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, announced by the association Wednesday.
The Stopper of the Year Award, established in 2005, is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I. The NCBWA will announce the finalists on Wednesday, June 5 with the winner being named on Friday, June 14 at the 2024 College World Series.
Wentworth, a native of Urbandale, Iowa, was one of just three relief pitchers from the Big 12 Conference presented on the 59-man watch list, alongside UCF’s Chase Centala and BYU’s Stone Cushing.
In the Big 12 individual leaderboards, he is the only reliever among the Top 10 in total strikeouts, ranking fourth overall with a team-leading 70 strikeouts while his 13.13 strikeouts per game is second in the league. Wentworth is 3-1 on the mound this season with a 3.00 ERA and a league-high 0.85 WHIP, which is third in the nation.
Wentworth, who is second in the conference with six saves, was tabbed the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Monday after throwing nine innings of three-hit, one-run ball over three appearances last week. He finished with 13 strikeouts and picked up wins against Northeastern and Oklahoma State.
The righty made his first start in over a calendar year in Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State and struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced. He carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and gave up his only run of the week on a solo home run in the sixth to lead K-State to its first series win over OSU since 2010.
Earlier this season, Wentworth tossed a perfect eighth and ninth inning to help the Wildcats to their ninth no-hitter in school history. The Cats went on to win the series, marking the first opening Big 12 series victory since 2013.
The Wildcats head to the Lone Star State to face Conference foe TCU (24-15, 8-13 Big 12) in a three-game set, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth.
