Texas Tech left-hander Steven Gingery claims Pitcher of the Year Award

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Entering the 2017 season, Texas Tech sophomore left-handed pitcher Steven Gingery was not even considered the No. 1 pitcher on his own team, much less the Big 12 Conference.

By the end of the season, however, there were no questions the Huntington Beach, California, native was not only the top pitcher in his conference but among the elite in the country.

Gingery is this year's choice as the 2017 winner of the Pitcher of the Year Award, presented to the top hurler by the College Baseball Foundation.

"Steven Gingery was a dominant force throughout the entire season," said Brian Melakian, co-chairman of the Pitcher of the Year Award. "His consistently excellent performances against some of the top competition in the country made him an easy choice for the committee. It is rare that an underclassman wins this award, so it will be fun to watch how he follows up on this outstanding campaign."

The award, sponsored by Diamond, will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation in July in Miami in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game festivities.

From start to finish, Gingery was the most consistent pitcher in the Big 12 and in the country. He finished the season with a 10-1 record and 1.58 ERA. In 15 starts, he tossed 91.1 innings, surrendering 60 hits and 21 runs (16 earned) with 29 walks and 107 strikeouts. Opponents hit just .186 off Gingery.

In 12 of his 15 starts, Gingery allowed one earned run or fewer, and in seven of his starts, he struck out eight or more batters, including 10-strikeout games against Oklahoma and Kansas State.

Gingery has also been named a first-team All-American by both Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Baseball America as well as earning Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.

For more information on the Pitcher of the Year Award of the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.