Ardoin Named To Roger Clemens College Pitcher Of The Year Award Watch List

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns senior right-handed pitcher Kevin Ardoin was added to the revised 2005 Roger Clemens Award Watch List Thursday. The initial 42-pitcher watch list was released on February 11.

Ardoin (8-1), a native of Eunice, La., has the second-most wins by a pitcher this season in NCAA Division I, while posting a 1.35 earned run average and a Sun Belt-leading 86 strikeouts. Ardoin, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week recipient, is currently six strikeouts away from becoming the third pitcher in school history to reach 300 career strikeouts.

Ardoin was one of three Sun Belt Conference pitchers on the revised 71-pitcher watch list. Four-time Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week selection Taylor Fowler of Arkansas State and last season's Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year P.J. Walters of South Alabama were also named to the Clemens Award Watch List.

Other notable nominees from Louisiana include Centenary's J.C. Biagi, Tulane's Brian Bogusevic and Micah Owings, Monroe's Matt Green and Northwestern State's Daniel Lonsberry.

Long Beach State's Jered Weaver won the first Roger Clemens Award last season. Weaver went 15-1 with a 1.62 earned run average while striking out 213 batters in 2004. Weaver was selected with the 12th overall selection in the major league draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Roger Clemens Award was named after future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens, who began his march to stardom while leading the University of Texas to the College World Series title in 1983. As a professional, Clemens has won over 328 games, fanned over 4,000 hitters and won and seven Cy Young Awards, emblematic as the top pitcher in his league. The Roger Clemens Award is the only award of its kind, honoring the finest pitchers in college baseball.

The intial watch list was comprised of all Division I pitchers who were named as preseason All-Americans by either Baseball America or Collegiate Baseball, in addition to those pitchers who have been honored so far this season as National Pitchers of the Week by the National College Baseball Writers Association. The revised watch list includes weekly winners of the writer's award and additional nominees based on notable performances and rankings in the NCAA statistical rankings.

The first round of voting for the Roger Clemens Award is slated to begin the second week of May.

The second Clemens Award will be presented to the nation's top college pitcher at the conclusion of a gala dinner in Houston on July 14. All Division I head baseball coaches will take part in the voting for the honor, in addition to a selected panel of national media and all past winners of the Rotary Smith Award, which was retired after the 2003 dinner by the committee that is sponsoring the Clemens Award.

A complete list of Roger Clemens Award nominees can be viewed at clemensaward.com

LOUISIANA SI

[RaisingCajun08]

Is there anyone on the list that is a "front runner"?

There was a small article in Sports Illustrated on this guy last week. Ryan Doherty Take a look at his height!

[GoneGolfin]

Is there anyone on the list that is a "front runner"?

There was a small article in Sports Illustrated on this guy last week. Ryan Doherty Take a look at his height!

I would imagine there are several frontrunners right now. Some that come to mind ...

Cesar Carillo
Luke Hochevar
Dallas Buck


Andrew Miller has probably fallen from the front after last weekend.

Brian

[JMV JustMyView]

To be considered in this class of pitchers it is a honor, congralutations Mr. Ardoin

[RaisingCajun08]

I would imagine there are several frontrunners right now. Some that come to mind ...

Cesar Carillo
Luke Hochevar
Dallas Buck


Andrew Miller has probably fallen from the front after last weekend.

Brian

Thanks for the info .. I will check out some of there stats. Hopefully I will get to see some pitch via Directv.