Royal chosen for 2025 NCBWA Preseason Watch List

Senior relief pitcher Hunter Royal is earning some extra attention as Little Rock heads into the 2025 season, as the left-hander out of Rogers, Arkansas was named to the 2025 Watch List for the 20^th Annual Stopper of the Year Award, announced earlier today by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
 
Royal is one of 76 players chosen by the organization, and the only player from the Ohio Valley Conference to make the list. As a junior, Royal posted a 1-1 record with a 6.75 earned run average over 22.2 innings of work. In 18 appearances, he recorded three saves, struck out 36 batters while allowing just 17 earned runs.
 

"We're proud of Hunter being noticed for his work last season. We're excited to see him step up and play an even bigger role for the Trojans this year." – Little Rock Baseball head coach Chris Curry

 
The list of players on the Watch List includes 2024 finalist Ben Albedt from TCU, and a total of 13 preseason NCBWA All-Americans. The SEC leads the way with nine players on the list, the ACC, Big 12, and MAC each have six players, while the AAC and Sun Belt each have five.
 
CLICK HERE to view the complete list of players chosen.