INDIANAPOLIS --- The Tusculum College baseball team is listed 10 times in the final 2015 NCAA Division II national statistics. Three Pioneers are also mentioned individually in this year's final statistical rankings.
Tusculum finished 16th in the nation with its 51 sacrifice bunts. The Pioneers were also 17th in triples (20), 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.74), 28th in walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.92), 39th in base on balls (199), 41st in sacrifice flies (24), 41st strikeouts per nine innings pitched (8.0), 46th in hit by pitch (61), 47th in shutouts (4) and 48th in double plays (42).
Junior starting pitcher Placido Torres is listed in three categories. The 2015 All-Southeast Region and All-South Atlantic Conference performer finished sixth in the nation with a school single-season record 110 strikeouts. He was also 18th in pitching wins (9) and 18th in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (11.6).
Torres, a 5-11, 160-pound junior from North Brunswick, New Jersey, emerged as the ace of TC's weekend rotation. The North Brunswick Township High School graduate finished with a 9-3 record with a 2.43 earned which is the second-lowest in the South Atlantic Conference. He posted a perfect 4-0 record in his last four appearances, including a win in TC's SAC Tournament opener against Lincoln Memorial University. His ERA is the seventh lowest in school history, while his nine victories tied for seventh in the TC record book.
Of his nine victories, two came against No. 11 Catawba and No. 13 Armstrong. He has made 17 appearances on the hill, including 13 starts where he has recorded 85 1/3 innings of work with 25 walks against his 110 strikeouts (4.40 strikeout/walk ratio). He pitched a two-hit shutout against Anderson and combined on a 4-0 shutout in the conference opener against Mars Hill.
Devan Watts, a 6-0, 185-pound sophomore pitcher from Mooresville, North Carolina, led the league with his eight saves, which finished tied for 31st in the country. The 2015 All-Region and All-SAC honoree finished his inaugural TC campaign with a 1.79 ERA and led the Pioneers with his 23 relief appearances where he posted a 4-3 record in his 50 1/3 innings on the mound.
The Mooresville High School graduate did not allow an earned run in his first 25 innings, covering a span of almost 10 games. Earlier this year, he pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings of relief in Tusculum's 13-inning win over Carson-Newman. For his efforts, he has been named the SAC Pitcher of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association College Pitcher of the Week.
Watts has also shined in the classroom where he is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Senior outfielder Jalen Shuffler finished 17th in the nation with his 37 walks and 27th with five triples. The Greeneville, Tennessee product finished his final collegiate campaign with a .249 batting average with 42 hits, including nine doubles and a team-best seven home runs. His five triples were tied for eighth-most in program history while his 37 base on balls are 10th-most in a TC season.
The South Greene High School graduate recorded 79 career walks, which are the ninth most in Tusculum history, while his seven career triples are tied for 10th most in the TC record book. Shuffler, who earned his bachelor's degree from Tusculum in May, is a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
The Pioneers (33-19) recorded their 15th consecutive winning season and the 13th in a row with 30 more wins. Tusculum's 33 wins are tied for the eighth most in program history. TC also wrapped up a successful home campaign, going 25-4 in the friendly confines of Pioneer Park. The 25 home wins are the third-most in TC history, while the .862 home winning percentage is the second highest in a season.
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