Florida’s closer is one of 73 relief pitchers on the preseason watch list.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gators right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely was named to the Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List on Wednesday, as announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
A grand total of 73 players were added to the watch list. That includes three 2023 Stopper of the Year Finalists and 11 preseason All-Americans – both of which include Neely.
Earning mention on the watch list for the second-straight year, Neely made a team-high 34 appearances while posting a 3.58 ERA. The Seville, Fla. product led the SEC with 13 saves in 14 opportunities – a total that ranked sixth nationally. He also fanned 72 batters in 55 1/3 innings and held hitters to a .223 batting average.
The Southeastern Conference led the way with the most representatives with 12 players finding their names on the watch list. The Atlantic Coast Conference followed with 10, while the Big 12 and Big Ten each had six and the Pac-12 had five.
Of the initial 73 members, 12 were featured on last year’s midseason watch list. In total, 21 conferences are represented on this list, with at least two players coming from 16 different leagues.
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. 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 of the Year.
