VCU right-handed pitcher Patrick Steitz was named a semifinalist for the 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award by the College Baseball Foundation, according to an announcement on April 22.
The recognition places Steitz among the nation’s top pitchers this season. The award’s watch list includes players from 17 different conferences and one independent program, reflecting standout performances across college baseball. The National Pitcher of the Year Award has been given annually since 2009.
Steitz has started every Saturday game for VCU this season and leads qualified pitchers in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 2.31 earned run average (ERA), which ranks among the top-35 nationally. He is also noted as the only Atlantic 10 pitcher to be named a semifinalist for this award. In his first season with VCU, Steitz has secured five wins in ten appearances while maintaining a walk plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of just 0.95, placing him among the top-19 in that category nationwide.
In more than half his starts, Steitz allowed one or fewer runs, including a scoreless outing against La Salle where he pitched seven innings and gave up only one hit—an effort that earned him Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week honors on March 17. His most recent start saw him achieve Division I career bests with eight strikeouts over eight innings during VCU’s series-clinching win at Fordham.
Steitz’s performance has kept his ERA below 2.86 throughout the season, and he remains among national leaders in walks allowed per nine innings, WHIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and games started. With 56 strikeouts over 62.1 innings pitched so far this year, he is close to setting records within Coach Thompson’s tenure at VCU.
For more information or to view all semifinalists for this year’s award, readers can visit the College Baseball Foundation website.
Steitz and his teammates will return to action on Friday as they continue their Atlantic 10 schedule with a three-game series at Richmond’s Pitt Field.
