GREENVILLE, N.C. – Tennessee redshirt senior pitcher Redmond Walsh has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year preseason watch list for the second season in a row, the NCBWA announced on Friday.

The award, which is in its 16th year, is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The SEC led all conferences with 10 players on the initial 45-person watch list.

Walsh was nearly unhittable during the shortened 2020 season, allowing just five hits and one unearned run in 11.2 innings of work while holding opposing batters to a .125 batting average and picking up two saves. The Louisville, Tennessee, native enters the year tied for fourth in program history with 11 saves, nine of which came during the 2019 season when he took over the role as UT’s primary closer.

Walsh’s career ERA of 1.32 is the best of any pitcher on the Vols’ roster. His nine saves in 2019 were tied for the fifth most in a single season in program history. His four saves in league play were tied for sixth in the SEC in 2019.

The Alcoa High School product set career bests wins (two), appearances (27), innings pitched (45.2), saves (nine) and strikeouts (48) en route to earning ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region second team honors in 2019.

To see the full NCBWA Stopper of the Year preseason watch list, click HERE.

Tennessee opens its 2021 campaign this afternoon at 7 p.m. on the road against Georgia Southern. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can also listen to John Wilkerson call the action on UTSports.com.

-UT Athletics