Rice University Athletics
St.Clair Added To Clemens Award Watch List
5/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 4, 2006
Sophomore Cole St.Clair has been added to the official watch list for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award as the top pitcher in college baseball, the award's organizers announced Thursday, May 4. St.Clair joins his teammates Eddie Degerman and Joe Savery on the elite list of candidates across the nation vying for the top honor bestowed on a college pitcher.
St.Clair has followed up the success he had a year ago (when he was named a freshman all-America) with an equally impressive sophomore season. The left-hander from Santa Ana, Calif., has come out of the Owls' bullpen to earn eight saves, compile a 5-2 record and maintain a 1.70 ERA in 53 innings of work. He currently ranks second among the NCAA leaders in strikeouts per nine innings (13.8 pg) and is 17th in the country in ERA. St.Clair leads Conference USA in appearances (28) and he has the lowest opponents' batting average (.144) of any pitcher in the league. Five of his saves have been in C-USA games, helping the Owls stay in sole possession of first place in the league standings. His ERA in C-USA games is 0.46.
The trio of St.Clair, Savery and Degerman have helped the Owls to a 39-9 record and the number one ranking in the country. Degerman (9-0, 1.18 ERA) is an undefeated starter and among the NCAA leaders in ERA (third), wins (tied for fifth) and strikeouts per nine innings (eighth with 11.9). He has posted a string of dominating starts on the mound, recording victories over the likes of Nebraska, Tulane, Oklahoma, Southern Miss and Texas Tech. In 27.1 innings against other nationally-ranked teams, Degerman has maintained a 1.32 ERA and held those elite opponents to a composite .173 batting average.
Savery has had another outstanding season on both sides of the ball. As a pitcher the local standout from Lamar High School is 4-1 with a 1.68 ERA. He ranks 16th in the nation in ERA and has held 175 batters faced to a combined .229 average. Savery has averaged 6.0 innings in eight starts and 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Roger Clemens Award is named after major league great Roger Clemens. As a professional, Clemens has won 341 games (ninth-best in history), fanned 4,502 hitters and been honored with seven Cy Young Awards 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 watch list is comprised of all Division I pitchers who were named as pre-season all-America by either Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball or the NCBWA. Additional pitchers will be added each week when honored as National Pitchers of the Week by the NCBWA and after the NCAA releases its statistical rankings during the college baseball season.
The third Clemens Award will be presented to the nation's top college pitcher at the conclusion of a gala dinner in Houston in July. All Division I head baseball coaches will take part in the voting for the honor, in addition to a selected panel of national media. The award's web site is listed at the above link.
The Rice baseball team returns to competition on Wednesday, May 10, after the University's final exams period. The Owls host Lamar at Reckling Park at 7 pm.
