SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Senior right-hander Ethan Lay and junior right-hander Kurt Marton were two of more than 140 Division I pitchers from across the country named to the College Baseball Foundation's initial National Pitcher of the Year watch list for 2026 the organization announced on Wednesday.
The duo are two of four total hurlers honored from the Western Athletic Conference, joined by California Baptist right-handers Michael Malki and Bryan Peck on this year's list.
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.
The complete list of pitchers is available online at collegebaseballhall.org (https://www.cbhalloffame.org/blog-2-1/more-than-140-of-the-countrys-best-collegiate-hurlers-headline-the-2026-pitcher-of-the-year-award-watch-list).
Lay enters the week with an 0-1 record and a 3.92 ERA over 20.2 innings this year, making four starts and striking out 25 hitters against only two walks and holding opponents to a .244 average this season. He leads the WAC in fewest walks allowed while ranking among the league's top 10 in strikeouts (2nd), innings (6th), opponent batting average (9th), and ERA (10th).
Nationally, he ranks 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (12.5) and 24th in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (0.87).
His teammate Marton has been stellar in his first season as a Hornet, posting a 1-1 record with a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings, allowing just four runs and 15 hits while striking out 21 and walking only three. He entered last weekend's series at No. 2 LSU having not walked a hitter all year before the Tigers worked him for three in a game two Sacramento State victory.
With opponents hitting just .203 against him — which ranks fifth in the WAC — the junior leads the league in fewest runs allowed, while standing among the top 10 in ERA (3rd), innings (7th), strikeouts (6th), fewest hits allowed (6th), and fewest walks allowed (2nd).
Nationally, he ranks No. 92 in ERA, No. 56 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00), No. 85 in WHIP (0.90), and No. 53 in fewest walks per nine innings (1.35).
Sacramento State opens a run of four consecutive games against local rival Pacific with home contests on Wednesday night (March 11) and Friday night (March 13) at 6 p.m. The Hornets and Tigers then meet in Stockton, Cailf., over the weekend with a 3 p.m. start on Saturday (March 14) and a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday (March 15).
