OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – UCF junior right-handed pitcher Braden Smith has been named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List as announced by the College Baseball Foundation on Wednesday.
Smith is one of 141 of the nation’s best hurlers that are listed on the watch list. The pitchers on the list represent 26 different conferences and reflect the top mound performers to this point of the 2026 season. He is also one of 13 pitchers from the Big 12 Conference to make the list.
Smith, who hails from Byron, Illinois, was named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List after holding a 2-1 record over four starts on the season. As UCF’s Friday night starter, Smith holds a 4.15 ERA and has struck out 16 batters while walking just one over a team-best 21.2 innings. He also holds a 1.15 WHIP.
The UCF right-hander has recorded his wins on the year over Siena and 2025 College World Series participant Murray State. He has gone six or more innings in two of his four starts and currently ranks 11th in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings with 0.42 and 15th in strikeout-to-walk ratio with 16.0.
The National Pitcher of the Year Award was first awarded in 2009. Previous winners of the award are Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State, 2009; Alex Wimmers, RHP, Ohio State, 2010; Trevor Bauer, UCLA, RHP, 2011; Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford, 2012; Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma, 2013; Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU, 2014; Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt, 2015; Eric Lauer, LHP, Kent State, 2016; Steven Gingery, LHP, Texas Tech, 2017; Luke Heimlich, LHP, Oregon State, 2018; Ethan Small, LHP, Mississippi State, 2019; Kevin Kopps, RHP, Arkansas, 2021; Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State, 2022; Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU, 2023; Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas, 2024 and Jake Knapp, RHP, North Carolina, 2025.
"There is an old adage in baseball that pitchers are usually ahead of the hitters early in the season,” National Pitcher of the Year Award co-chair Brian Melakian said. “The number of early season dominant pitching performances this year proves that adage to be true."
For more information on the National Pitcher of the Year Award, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.
Smith and the Knights will host Miami at John Euliano Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and open Big 12 Conference play with a home series against Oklahoma State Friday to Sunday.
About the College Baseball Foundation
The purpose of the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) is to preserve, elevate, and advance the game; to inspire the next generation; to teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions; to celebrate those who make college baseball special; and to honor those who have come before us, and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today.
The College Baseball Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Support for the College Baseball Hall of Fame will help preserve the rich history of the sport for future generations. All donations to the College Baseball Hall of Fame are tax deductible and can be made via this link on the organization’s website.
The CBF presents the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Shortstop), the National Pitcher of the Year Award, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award, the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence.
About the College Baseball Hall of Fame
Each year, more than 200 representatives nationwide vote on the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction class. The voting body is comprised of national and regional college baseball media, active and retired coaches, former players, former inductees, college baseball historians and members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) collegiate baseball committee. The College Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2006. Since that time, 175 players, coaches, umpires, administrators and contributors have been selected for induction. Click here for a full list of College Baseball Hall of Fame classes.
The College Baseball Hall of Fame will establish a physical location in Overland Park, Kansas in 2026. Located within the iconic Museum at Prairiefire, the College Baseball Hall of Fame will serve as a shared community asset, deepening connections to the nation's favorite pastime through a dynamic and ever-evolving space for college baseball enthusiasts to celebrate the sport's rich past, present, and future.