April 25, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky sophomore southpaw Corey Littrell has been named to the initial watch list for the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year, it was announced.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Littrell is one of 51 of the nation’s most dominating pitchers to be named to the initial watch list. The Pitcher of the Year Award will be announced on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Night of Champions.

The 2010 Louisville Slugger Kentucky High School Player of the Year out of Trinity High School, Littrell has been one of the most effective pitchers in college baseball through his first 10 starts of 2012. Littrell has hurled six quality starts on the year, owning a 6-0 record and a 2.51 ERA. In his staff-best 61 innings, Littrell has allowed 16 walks and struck out 52. Before a no-decision on Sunday vs. No. 1 LSU, Littrell had won four consecutive Sunday rubber-match games, helping UK open up with series victories in the first six weekends. In addition, the lefty leads the Southeastern Conference with five pickoffs.

“The pitchers featured on this top 50 list have been dominant all season,” said Justin Knowles, Pitcher of the Year Award co-chair. “They have impressive individual game statistics as well as season-long numbers that justify their inclusion on the list. I look forward to seeing how they finish the last month of the season.”

Top-ranked Kentucky (35-7, 13-5 SEC) returns to action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, traveling to the defending SEC Champion Vanderbilt Commodores for a three-game series at Hawkins Field.