Baseball's Veach Named to Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List

DALLAS – University of South Carolina redshirt sophomore righthanded pitcher Chris Veach has been named to the Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, the NCBWA announced this afternoon (Wednesday, April 26). Veach is one of 56 relief pitchers on the list with the award handed out to the top relief pitcher in Division I baseball.

Veach, a Chapin, S.C., native, has made 14 appearances on the mound for the Gamecocks and is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA and four saves in 17.2 innings pitched. He has 25 strikeouts and a .136 opponent’s batting average with just three extra-base hits allowed in 2023. Veach collected a pair of saves in the three-game sweep of No. 3 Florida on April 20-22 and also had two saves in the Penn series (Feb. 24-26).

Veach is part of a pitching staff that leads the SEC and is second in the nation with a 3.23 earned-run average.

There are 24 conferences on the list with the Southeastern Conference leading the way with eight relief pitchers. The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Pac-12 Conference follow with seven selections. The Big 12 and Conference USA each have four apiece. In all, 10 of the 24 conferences have multiple selections.

The NCBWA will announce the finalists on Wednesday, June 7 with the winner being named on Friday, June 16 at the 2023 College World Series.

Carolina hosts Auburn for a three-game SEC series starting Friday night (April 28) at 7 p.m. at Founders Park.