Pitt relief pitcher Chase Smith named to `Stopper' watch list
Before leaving with his team for Kissimmee, Fla., to open the 2019 season, Pitt sophomore relief pitcher Chase Smith got some good news Tuesday. He was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.
He is one of five ACC pitchers on the list.
Smith made 22 appearances out of the bullpen last season, holding opponents to a .191 batting average — lowest among Pitt pitchers — while recording a 1-1 record, 3.16 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and one save in 31 1/3 innings.
“I’m only as good as the guys around me and we’re all excited to get back on the field and compete this week,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead, but we’re ready and can’t wait to get started.”
Pitt will compete in the Diamond 9 Sunshine State Classic Series, starting at 3 p.m. Friday with a game against Villanova. The Panthers will play Iowa and Marshall on Saturday and Milwaukee on Sunday.
Stopper of the Year finalists will be announced June 5, and the winner will be named June 15.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.