Sophomore transfer Steve Maher was named ABCA Midwest Region Division III Pitcher of the Year and finished fourth in the voting for the D-III National Pitcher of the Year award selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Marietta senior SS Tim Saunders was voted National Player of the Year.
Maher received one second-place vote and two third-place votes.
Maher broke Tommie season records for victories (13) and strikeouts (105). The latter broke a 49-year-old mark held by Dick Washburn. Maher’s 16 strikeouts against St. Mary’s in the playoffs were the second most in school history behind Steve Samuelson’s 19 Ks in 1970. He made three appearances in a six-day stretch at the College World Series to help the Tommies place third in the nation.
A 2009 graduate of Holy Angels, Maher came into 2012 under the radar. He redshirted as a freshman in 2010 at Division I Illinois State, but transferred to Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge for 2011. He was slowed by injuries at Iowa Central and worked just 9 2-3 innings, went 0-1 with one save and had an ERA over 12.00.
Maher beat nationally-ranked St. Scholastica in his first game for UST and never looked back. He went 10-0 in February, March and April, and finished his sophomore year with a 13-2 record and two saves with a 2.77 ERA, while posting 105 strikeouts and just 22 walks. He was named first-team All-America and Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year by both the ABCA and D3Baseball.com.
Marietta senior Austin Blaski (13-1, 1.23 ERA) was voted national Pitcher of the Year and received six of the eight first-place votes. Trinity (Tex.) senior Ben Klimesh, Kean senior Ryan Zamorsky, Maher and St. Joseph's (Maine) junior Chad Rafferty took the top five spots in the pitcher voting.