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Stanford junior RHP A.J. Vanegas was named to the initial watch list for the ninth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, as announced by the association Friday. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.

Vanegas has appeared in 44 games over the last two seasons with a 5-0 career record and a 2.90 ERA over 105.2 innings.

Vanegas was named to the 2012 NCAA Stanford Regional All-Tournament team while logging five saves as a sophomore, four of which came in the final six weeks of the season.

The NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award watch list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 16, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released prior to start of NCAA Super Regional tournament competition.

From the list of finalists, the NCBWA's All-America Committee will select a winner. The ninth annual winner will be announced June 15 in Omaha, Neb.

In other news, Stanford is the preseason favorite to win the 2013 Pac-12 Conference title, according to the league's preseason coaches' poll released Friday. In a polling of the Pac-12 baseball coaches, the Cardinal received five of 10 possible first-place votes and 93 points.

Stanford finished the 2012 campaign with a 41-18 record and advanced to NCAA Super Regional. The Cardinal, led by preseason All-Americans Mark Appel, Brian Ragira and Austin Wilson, enters the season as a consensus top-10 team in the national rankings.

UCLA, a Pac-12 co-champion and College World Series participant in 2012, was second in the poll and received a pair of first-place votes. Oregon State was third and received three first-place votes, followed by Oregon and defending national champion Arizona to round out the top five.

Ten points are awarded for a first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote and so on. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams.

— Stanford Athletics

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