LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball reliever Izaak Martinez has been named a finalist for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award, as announced Wednesday by the organization.
 
The award recognizes the nation's top NCAA Division I relief pitcher each year. Martinez is one of 10 finalists chosen for the award, with the winner being named on Friday, June 14 at the 2024 College World Series in Omaha.
 
The left-hander had a standout final season with the Tritons, ranking second in the nation in earned run average (1.85). He is a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy (given to the top player in college baseball) and College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year and earned his second consecutive All-Big West First Team nod last week.
 
Martinez led the conference in six different statistical categories, including ERA, hits allowed (40), runs allowed (16), earned runs allowed (13), doubles allowed (5) and home runs allowed (1). He ranked third in opponent batting average (.183), fifth in saves (9) and eighth in batters struck out looking (22).
 
The Glendora, Calif. native led the Tritons with 24 appearances out of the bullpen, collecting 61 strikeouts in 63.1 innings with a 0.95 WHIP. He also ranks top-15 nationally in hits allowed per nine innings and WHIP.
 
The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation's top player and the Mike Martin National Coach of the Year to the nation's top coach. It also selects All-America Teams for all Divisions, a Division I Freshman All-American team, Division I, II and III Players of the Week and Division I, II and III Players of the Year.
 
NCBWA Stopper of the Year Finalists
(stats as of June 5, 2024)
 

Player	Yr	Team (Conference)	APP	IP	ERA	W/L	SVs
Ben Abeldt	So.	TCU (Big 12)	26	44.1	1.83	3-0	8
Evan Aschenbeck	Sr.	Texas A&M (SEC)	26	60.1	1.64	6-1	7
Ethan Bates	Sr.	Louisiana Tech (CUSA)	36	44.2	3.43	2-1	17
Charlie Beilenson	Gr.	Duke (ACC)	34	62.2	2.01	7-3	12
Mason Burns	Sr.	Western Kentucky (CUSA)	28	36.0	4.00	3-3	15
Griffin Herring	So.	LSU (SEC)	21	50.1	1.79	6-1	6
Bridger Holmes	Jr.	Oregon State (Pac-12)	25	32.0	1.97	3-4	13
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman	Jr.	East Carolina (AAC)	24	46.1	1.55	3-2	5
Izaak Martinez	r-Sr.	UC San Diego (Big West)	25	63.1	1.85	4-3	9
Conner Thurman	r-Sr.	San Diego (WCC)	29	38.2	1.40	4-0	5

 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.