LEXINGTON, Va.- Sophomore Kevin Crum has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, as announced by the association on Thursday afternoon. The closer, who continues to lead the nation in saves with 14 on the season, becomes the first Keydet to ever be named to the list.

The list is comprised of 40 pitchers, including nine that have already reached double figures in saves, led by Crum. The list features players from 20 conferences, including five each from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12. The Pacific-10 and Conference USA also have four closers on the list, while the Atlantic Sun, Big South, Mid-American, Missouri Valley and Sun Belt Conference all had multiple members of the watch list.

The 40 pitchers on the mid-season watch list have combined to save over 300 games during the first half of the 2007 season (thru games of April 15) and have converted 89 percent of their save chances as a group. Prihoda, Richmond's Brian Alas and UC Irvine's Blair Erickson are all perfect on the 2007 season in save chances while recording at least 10 saves. Erickson already earned a spot in the NCAA record books earlier this month, breaking the previous mark of 49 career saves set by USC's Jack Krawczyk's in the late 1990s.

Nominations were made by each school's baseball sports information contact and over 80 pitchers were nominated from around the country. A preliminary preseason watch list was released in February. At the end the regular season, the Division I leader in saves and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award's finalists. These finalists will be released on Wednesday, May 30, just prior to the beginning of NCAA regional play.

From the list of finalists, the NCBWA's All-America Committee will select a winner. The third annual winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 6, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA super regional action. Last year's winner was Don Czyz from Kansas. J. Brent Cox of Texas won the inaugural award in 2005.

The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation's top player. It also selects a Division I All-America Team, Division I and III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.

The Keydets are next in action this weekend, as they travel to Conway, S.C. to take on #20 Coastal Carolina in a Big South Conference series, beginning on Friday.

NCBWA Stopper of the Year Mid-Season Watch List
Daniel Schlereth Arizona
Kyle Heyne Ball State
Nick Cassavechia Baylor
Matt Gorgen California
David Anderson Coastal Carolina
Andy Masten Creighton
Michael Seander Duke
Shane Mathews East Carolina
Matt Brinkmann Evansville
Daniel Edwards Kansas State
David Mixon Louisiana-Monroe
Cory Gearrin Mercer
JD Melton Navy
Eryk McConnell NC State
Andrew Carignan North Carolina
Matt German Northern Illinois
Garrett Richards Oklahoma
Chance Chapman Oral Roberts
Jason Dominguez Pepperdine
Brian Alas Richmond
James Hayes Rider
Luke Prihoda Sam Houston State
Shawn Sanford South Florida
Patrick Ezell Southern Miss
Robbie Elsemiller Stetson
Sam Demel TCU
Randy Boone Texas
Kyle Nicholson Texas A&M
Link Saunders The Citadel
Josh Dew Troy
Daniel Latham Tulane
Blair Erickson UC Irvine
Paul Koss USC
Casey Weathers Vanderbilt
Casey Lambert Virginia
Luke Pisker Virginia Commonwealth
Kevin Crum VMI
Josh Ellis Wake Forest
Nick Hagadone Washington
Noah Krol Wichita State

Portions courtesy of the NCBWA Official Release