PRESS RELEASE
UofL Baseball SID Garett Wall
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville junior Zack Burdi was named Wednesday as one of five finalists for the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
A native of Downers Grove, Illinois, Burdi has 11 saves this season, ranks second in career saves at Louisville with 20 and has accumulated 46 strikeouts and just seven walks in 28.2 innings pitched and 26 relief appearances this season. Named as a Louisville Slugger Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and an All-ACC First Team honoree, the hard-throwing righthander has a 2.20 ERA and a 1-2 record on the mound in his second season as Louisville’s closer.
Joining Burdi as finalists for the award are Shaun Anderson from Florida, Sam Donko of VCU, Miami’s Bryan Garcia and Washington’s Troy Rallings. The NCBWA’s All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year’s recipient to be announced Saturday, June 18, at a news conference at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha at 10 a.m. CT. Previous winners of the prestigious award include former Louisville standout and 2014 recipient Nick Burdi, older brother of Zack.
The No.2 national seeded Cardinals (50-12) open the 2016 NCAA Louisville Super Regional against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at noon ET at Jim Patterson Stadium and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
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