OMAHA, Neb. --- Tusculum College pitcher Placido Torres has been named one of the 10 national finalists for the Brett Tomko Award, presented by D2 Baseball News. The Tomko Award recognizes the NCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Year. The winner will be announced Monday, June 6th.

Joining Torres on the list of national finalists are: Guillaume Blanchette (Lubbock Christian), Matt Festa (East Stroudsburg St.), JR McDermott (Colorado Mesa), Sheldon Miks (St. Cloud State), Brandon Miller (Millersville), Dylan Stowell (California Baptist), Colin McKee (Mercyhurst), Brandyn Sittinger (Ashland) and Bryce Zak (Angelo State).

Torres, a senior lefthander from North Brunswick, New Jersey, has been named this season's South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year and the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year by the National College Baseball Writers Association.

Torres has accounted for the best season ever by a Tusculum hurler as he owns a perfect 11-0 record in his 14 starts where he pitched seven complete games, including a TC-single-season record four shutouts. His 11 wins are tied for the second-most in a TC season and are the most by a Pioneer hurler during the NCAA Division II era (1999-present).

His 0.70 earned run average is second in the nation and is a new program and conference record. He leads all three NCAA divisions with a school single-season record 162 strikeouts. His seasonal strikeout total is the second most in SAC history and the 10th most in NCAA II history. He threw a school record 116 innings this year where he allowed 24 walks and limited the opposition to a .154 batting average.

Earlier this season, the two-time All-SAC first team selection recorded a school single-game record 17 strikeouts against Stillman. He has posted 12 or more strikeouts on eight occasions this year, including 15 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout over Wingate, earning him national pitcher of the week honors by the NCBWA. Torres has been named SAC Pitcher of the Week six times and NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week on four occasions.

Torres has pitched a pair of complete game victories in his two postseason starts this year. He tossed a four-hit shutout in Tusculum's SAC Tournament opening win against Lincoln Memorial, earning him a spot on the SAC All-Tournament Team. He followed that with Saturday's nine-inning complete game victory over 15th-ranked Belmont Abbey in an elimination game of the NCAA II Southeast Regional in Columbus, Georgia. In that game, he allowed a run on seven hits, with two walks and a dozen strikeouts.

During his two-year Tusculum career, he has amassed a sterling 20-3 record in his 31 mound appearances with a 1.43 ERA which is a new Tusculum and South Atlantic Conference record. In his 27 career starts, he has pitched eight complete games, including a program and SAC-record five shutouts. His 272 career strikeouts are a new TC record and are the sixth-most in the SAC record book. His 201.1 career innings pitched are sixth in program history, while his 20 wins are fifth-most by a Pioneer.

Tusculum finished the year with a 38-18 overall record, including wins in five of its last seven games. The Pioneers captured a share of the SAC Tournament title for the program's fourth league postseason crown. TC earned the program its seventh NCAA II Tournament appearance, which are the second most of any SAC member. The Pioneers have accounted for 16 consecutive winning seasons, including 14 straight 30-win campaigns.

TC posted a 2-2 record in last weekend's NCAA II Southeast Regional to claim third place honors. The Pioneers lost its opening game 2-1 to 19th-ranked USC Aiken before bouncing back with wins over Belmont Abbey (7-1) and Mount Olive (3-2) before falling to USC Aiken again in the elimination bracket final Sunday night.

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