Senior relief pitcher Hunter Royal is earning some extra attention as Little Rock heads into the 2025 season, as the left-hander out of Rogers, Arkansas was named to the 2025 Watch List for the 20th Annual Stopper of the Year Award, announced earlier today by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Royal is one of 76 players chosen by the organization, and the only player from the Ohio Valley Conference to make the list. As a junior, Royal posted a 1-1 record with a 6.75 earned run average over 22.2 innings of work.