College of Charleston relief pitchers Davis Aiken and Alex Lyon have been named to the initial 2026 Watch List for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award. The award recognizes the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
Alex Lyon, who was selected as an NCBWA Preseason All-American and Preseason All-CAA pick, recorded a 10-1 win-loss record with a 3.47 earned run average over 59.2 innings last season. He made 31 appearances, with his 10 wins ranking as the second-highest nationally among pitchers working exclusively from the bullpen. Eighteen of his outings lasted at least two innings, including a career-best five-inning shutout performance on April 27 against UNCW. Lyon enters this season ranked third in school history with 78 career relief appearances.
Davis Aiken received CAA Preseason Honorable Mention recognition after finishing last year with a conference-leading 14 saves in 29 relief appearances, which also placed him fourth nationally in that category. He struck out 32 batters over 32 innings and is now third all-time at College of Charleston with 25 career saves. Aiken is currently the only Division I pitcher to have achieved double-digit save totals in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. This marks his second consecutive selection to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
The NCBWA, established in 1962, also presents awards such as the Dick Howser Trophy for national player of the year and Mike Martin National Coach of the Year award, along with selecting All-America teams across all divisions.
The College of Charleston Cougars will begin their 2026 baseball season with a four-game series against Rutgers starting February 13 at Patriots Point, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
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