LUBBOCK, Texas – Sophomore pitcher Tanner Burns has been named to the 2019 Pitcher of the Year Award watch list, the College Baseball Foundation announced this week.
Burns was also named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list and a Midseason All-American by D1 Baseball and Perfect Game earlier this month.
The Decatur, Alabama, native is 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA through nine starts this season. Burns not only leads the team in strikeouts (76) and innings pitched (57.0), but also entered the weekend ranked fourth and tied for fourth, respectively, in the SEC in the categories. Entering the weekend, Burns' strikeout total was good for 15th in the NCAA, and he also ranked in the top 35 in WHIP (0.86; 21st), strikeouts per nine innings (12.00; 33rd) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.85; 34th).
Burns was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career after matching the program's single-game strikeout record with 15 vs. Cincinnati on Mar. 1. He turned in a complete-game shutout and only faced two batters over the minimum in the contest.
For more information on the Pitcher of the Year Award or the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.