Gavin Van Kempen Selected to the 2025 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List

West Virginia University junior Gavin Van Kempen comes into the season acknowledged as one of the top relievers in the country

Christopher Hall | Feb 12, 2025

West Virginia sophomore Gavin Van Kempen. / Christopher Hall

West Virginia University right-handed pitcher Gavin Van Kempen was nominated to the 2025 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List on Wednesday.

The Award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.

Van Kempen was 7-1 last season with a 3.14 ERA and 35 strikeouts before suffering a season-ending injury prior to the final month of the regular season. In his final four outing last season, he threw 10.2 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts.

In his career with the Mountaineers, the Castleton, N.Y. native is 10-1 with a 4.09 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55.0 innings on the mound.

Van Kempen was also selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team.

2025 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List

Ben Abeldt - TCU

Simon Gregersen – Kentucky

Will Parkinson - Columbia

Davis Aiken - College of Charleston

Miller Green – Vanderbilt

Erik Paulsen - Stony Brook

Matt Alduino - Quinnipiac

Gavin Guidry - LSU

Kyle Percival - North Carolina

Cam Allen - Wright State

Brock Hill – UAB

Garrett Peters - Wright State

John Armstrong – Auburn

Cal Higgins – WKU

Owen Pierce - William & Mary

Max Bayles - Santa Clara

Casey Hintz – Arizona

Tony Pluta - Arizona

Andrew Behnke – Tennessee

Robert Hogan – Kentucky

Devin Pressley - Gardner-Webb

Tucker Biven – Louisville

Sean Hollister – Presbyterian

Owen Proksch - Duke

David Boisvert – Duke

Chase Hungate - Mississippi State

Walter Quinn - Grand Canyon

Luke Broderick – Nebraska

Joe Husak - Illinois State

Hunter Royal - Little Rock

Kade Brown - Sacramento State

Chase Ingram – UAB

Ruger Riojas - Texas

Drew Buhr – Indiana

Landon Kruer – Navy

Andrew Rubayo - Quinnipiac

Carson Byers - Miami (Ohio)

Max Kuhle - James Madison

Brayden Sanders - Memphis

Peyton Cariaco - Kent State

Tommy Lamar – Lehigh

Dalton Smith - Kansas

Dominick Carbone - Coastal Carolina

Reece Lawler – UIC

Derrick Smith - NC State

Dominic Castellano – UCF

Caden Leonard - Kent State

Nate Snead - Tennessee

Brian Curley – Georgia

Lucas Litteral – Western Kentucky

Kris Sosnowski - UCF

Stone Cushing – BYU

Carter Lovasz - William & Mary

Anthony Steele - Penn State

Spencer Dessart- California

Matthew Matthijs - North Carolina

Jacob Tabor - Toledo

Turner Doran - Western Michigan

Jacob Moore – Tulane

Dylan Theut - Louisiana

Jacob Dudan - NC State

Trevor Moore – Stanford

Drew Titsworth - Clemson

Tate Evans – Yale

Hayden Murphy – Auburn

Cole Tryba - UC Santa Barbara

Jacob Faulkner – Princeton

Austin Newton – USF

Gavin Van Kempen - West Virginia

Christian Foutch – Arkansas

Ethan Norby - East Carolina

Jaden Varner - Kent State

Luke Gainer – Omaha

Toran O’Harran – Stanford

Harrison Wilson - Winthrop

John Gillis - South Alabama

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