DALLAS (NCBWA) – Lindenwood baseball's Easton Rakers has been named to the 2026 Watch List for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, which is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.

Rakers appeared in 23 games out of the bullpen in 2025, compiling a 2.03 ERA through 44.1 innings of work. He recorded 43 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a batting average of .242. He was second on the team with four saves.

A total of 104 players were named to the list, including fourteen preseason NCBWA All-America selections. The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with 17 players named to the watch list. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten Conference followed with 13 selections each, while the Big 12 placed nine players on the list and the Sun Belt added seven.

Of the initial 76 members, nine were featured on last year's midseason watch list. In total, 17 conferences are represented on this list, with at least two players coming from 16 different leagues. Rakers is one of six OVC pitchers named to this year's list.

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.

Lindenwood opens the 2026 season this weekend at Arkansas Pine Bluff. Game one is scheduled for Friday, February 13th at 2:00 p.m.