NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State third-year sophomore Derek Salata was one of 45 relief pitchers named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper-of-the-Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.
Salata burst onto the scene in 2020, throwing 10.1 scoreless innings on just seven hits. His 10.1 run-free innings were the most of any Missouri Valley Conference pitcher with a 0.00 ERA.
He recorded six appearances in 2020, fanning at least one batter in each and registering wins against Little Rock and Florida A&M while earning a save against Jacksonville.