Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina junior reliever
Mason Snyder appeared on the midseason watch list for the 21st annual Stopper of the Year, announced and presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball each season.
The inclusion on the midseason watch list is the first for Snyder, who is in his first season on staff in Cullowhee. He is also the lone pitcher from the Southern Conference to grace the updated list released this week. It's the third straight season the Catamounts have been represented on the watch list, as
Brandon Langley appeared on the list last April and Jonathan Todd was on the 2024 list.
Snyder boasts a 5-0 record and two saves over 16 relief appearances this season, posting a SoCon-leading 1.30 earned run average over 41.2 innings of work. Entering the week, his ERA ranks second in the nation, according to the latest NCAA statistical rankings. The Ocilla, Ga., product and Berry College transfer has 38 strikeouts against 15 walks on the season, fanning three or more seven times this season, including seven against Radford in a neutral field meeting in Charlotte.
Snyder has been efficient in denying opponent traffic on the base paths, carrying a 1.01 WHIP, and has limited opposing hitters to a .185 batting average against, with just nine of the 27 hits allowed going for extra bases.
This season, Snyder has twice earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors, collecting his first honor after pitching 1.2 scoreless, one-hit innings at nationally-ranked Georgia, and earning the run-ruled victory over Radford in Charlotte with seven strikeouts. His second honor came after not allowing a run over three relief appearances, helping the Catamounts win a series at perennial Big South power, Winthrop. He collected a pair of saves over 4.1 relief innings in earning the weekly plaudit.
Though listed on the Stopper of the Year award list, Snyder has been a versatile part of the WCU bullpen this season. He has tossed four or more innings in five of his 16 relief appearances, including 6.0 innings of three-hit, scoreless relief in a win over George Washington and 5.1 innings last weekend at VMI.
A combined 21 different NCAA conferences are represented on the midseason watch list, with the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference (SEC) leading the way with eight apiece. Eighteen of the 61 players listed this week were on the preseason watch list initially published back in February, a list that included three Preseason NCBWA All-America team selections. A combined 11 of the 61 pitchers listed have five or more wins on the year, paced by Virginia's Lucas Hartman (8-0), who has eight.
Relief pitchers not included on the midseason list remain eligible to be considered as finalists for the national award.
The NCBWA will announce the finalists on Wednesday, June 3, with the winner being named on Friday, June 12, at the 2026 Men's College World Series.
As part of a Southern Conference "shakedown" weekend schedule, Western Carolina (27-15, 8-4 SoCon) hosts mountain rival East Tennessee State (25-13, 8-4 SoCon) in a key league series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. WCU and ETSU are tied with Samford (20-19, 8-4 SoCon) for second place in the conference standings, with the Bulldogs stepping out of league play to host USC Upstate this weekend. That trio is chasing league-leading Wofford (30-11, 8-1 SoCon), which visits Mercer (29-12, 4-5 SoCon) this weekend in Macon, Ga.
The three-game series begins on Friday, April 24, at 5 p.m., with online audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com. Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
Keep track of everything related to WCU Athletics and Catamount baseball – including any potential weather-related schedule changes – through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
