THE SHOTGUN THROWDOWN: Trey Braithwaite makes Stopper of the Year watch list

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor, and daily distractions.

WATCH LIST

Fifth-year senior Trey Braithwaite of the West Virginia baseball team has been named to the midseason watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year award. The right-handed pitcher has been WVU’s top reliever this season, with five saves and a 2-0 record through 25 innings of play in 16 games. He also has 26 strikeouts, a 1.08 ERA, and has allowed just three earned runs. Braithwaite has already picked up one Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor this season. The finalist list for the Stopper of the Year award will be released in June.

ROSTER REBUILD

West Virginia’s new women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit is continuing to rebuild the roster with players from the transfer portal. Plitzuweit and the Mountaineers have now signed Georgia Tech transfer Sarah Bates. The experienced guard shot 52 three-pointers in 31 games this past season to average 5.6 points per game. She will have one season of eligibility remaining when she joins WVU.

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE CENTER

West Virginia University has completed its new Athletic Performance Center. The facility will be used by the soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, rowing, track and field, tennis, golf, swimming and diving, rifle, and wrestling teams.

WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP

• Two Mountaineers finished in the top 25 individually at the Big 12 Golf Championship this week.
• The latest projections have the West Virginia baseball team as a three seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Morgantown native Nick Malone was named the winner of the 2022 Tommy Nickolich Memorial Award at West Virginia’s Gold-Blue Spring Football Game on Saturday.

AROUND THE BIG 12

• Blake Shapen will be Baylor’s starting quarterback this season and 2021 starter Gerry Bohanon will be entering the transfer portal.
• Texas Tech men’s basketball coach Mark Adams has received a contract extension and raise after just one season as the Red Raiders’ head coach.

AROUND THE NCAA

• NCAA president Mark Emmert will be stepping down before July.
• The Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary’s are leaving the Northeast Conference to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference next year.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Miami is moving on after narrowly defeating the Atlanta Hawks in Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs.

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