OMAHA, Neb. --- Tusculum College pitcher
Placido Torres has been named one of the 40 national semifinalists
for the second annual Brett Tomko Award, presented by D2 Baseball
News.
The Tomko Award recognizes the NCAA Division II National Pitcher of
the Year. This marks the second year Torres has been named a
semifinalist for this award.
The national finalists for the second annual Brett Tomko Award will be revealed prior to the NCAA II College World Series, which will be held in Cary, North Carolina. The winner will be announced Monday, June 6th.
Torres, a senior lefthander from North Brunswick, New Jersey, was named the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year and is currently leading all three NCAA divisions with his 150 strikeouts, which are a school single-season record and third most in league history.
Torres has a 10-0 record in his 13 starts where he has pitched six complete games, including a TC record four shutouts. His 0.67 earned run average is currently second in the nation and is on pace to be a new school and conference record. He has thrown a school record 107 innings this season where he has allowed 22 walks and limited the opposition to a .149 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 seven occasions this year, including 15 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout over Wingate, earning him national pitcher of the week honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Torres has been named SAC Pitcher of the Week six times and NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week on four occasions.
During his two-year Tusculum career, he has amassed a 19-3 record in his 30 mound appearances with a 1.45 ERA which is currently the lowest ever by a Pioneer pitcher. In his 26 career starts, he has pitched seven complete games, including a program-record five shutouts.
The Pioneers (36-16) are currently ranked sixth in the latest NCAA II Southeast Region Poll. The NCAA Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, May 15 at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.
- TC -
