Hatters Continue to Collect Season Honors

Durham, NC – While Wednesday was a travel day for the Stetson University baseball team as the Hatters prepare to take on North Carolina on Friday in the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Baseball Championship, the honors and recognition for members of the squad continued to roll in.
 
The day started just after noon when junior Logan Gilbert, who has already had an exciting week, was named the National Pitcher of the Month for May by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
 
A first round selection in the MLB Draft on Monday by the Seattle Mariners, Gilbert was recognized for his efforts in May, which included a 3-0 record in his three starts, with a 1.70 ERA and one complete game. He worked 21.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and four walks while striking out 34.
 
Gilbert has posted an 11-1 record with a 2.52 ERA in 15 starts in 2018, working 107 innings and allowing just 65 hits and 23 walks, striking out a NCAA leading 157. He is scheduled to make his next start on Friday in the Super Regional series opener against the Tar Heels.
 
Not long after that news broke, another Stetson pitcher, junior right-hander Jack Perkins, joined with Gilbert and Brooks Wilson when he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 11th round of the MLB Draft with the 317th overall selection.
 
After that came word that Wilson, who was selected on Tuesday in the seventh round of the draft by the Atlanta Braves with the 202nd pick, has been selected as a finalist for the 14th Annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
 
The five finalists, who all helped their respective teams reach the 2018 NCAA Tournament, stand among the nation’s best in saves with senior Wilson and Jacksonville freshman Chris Mauloni leading the way with 20 each. Wilson, who owns a 6-0 record with a 2.13 ERA, has notched five saves during the Hatters current 18-game winning streak. Mauloni, the lone rookie on the list, posted a 3-2 ledger with a 2.97 ERA, helping the Dolphins to an appearance in the Gainesville Regional.
 
Florida junior Michael Byrne and Stanford sophomore Jack Little have closed games for two of the eight national-seeded clubs on the year. Byrne, a two-time finalist, sports a 2-1 record with 15 saves and a 1.70 ERA. The right-hander has fanned 50 batters in 50.1 innings, leading the Gators to their 10th Super Regional appearance (seven in the last 10 years). Little owns a 3-0 record with 16 saves to go along with his miniscule 0.60 ERA in 25 games out of the bullpen.
 
Rounding out the list is Ohio State senior Seth Kinker, who helped the Buckeyes to a No. 3 seed in the Greenville Regional where he finished with a 6-2 record, 15 saves and a 2.27 ERA in 30 appearances. The right-hander closed out his career striking out 60 batters, while walking just five in 63.1 innings
 
The NCBWA’s All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year’s recipient to be announced on Saturday, June 16, at a news conference at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha at 10 a.m. (CT).
 
Later in the afternoon, after the Hatters completed practice, senior LHP Ben Onyshko was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 24th round of the MLB Draft (718). That opened a run on Stetson players in the draft as senior catcher Austin Hale was selected in the 28th round (844) by the Minnesota Twins and junior RHP Joey Gonzalez followed shortly after in the same round (852) to the Houston Astros.