CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois reliever Garrett Acton was named to the Stopper of the Year Watch List, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced Monday. 

Acton is one of three 2019 Stopper of the Year finalists returning for the 2020 season, including highly-touted relievers Tyler Brown of Vanderbilt and Holden Powell of UCLA. Illinois' closer enters 2020 as a preseason All-American by the NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball, and Perfect Game. 

Acton set the Illinois and Big Ten record with 19 saves a year ago, while owning a 2.18 ERA, .127 batting average against and 34 strikeouts in 33 innings, on his way to All-Big Ten first team honors. His 19 saves were two more than the next closest in the nation (Vanderbilt's Brown, UT Arlington's Andrew Gross, UCLA's Powell).

Last season, Acton was Illinois' sixth All-American in the last five years, joining Tyler Jay (2015), Kevin Duchene (2015), David Kerian (2015), Cody Sedlock (2016) and Bren Spillane (2018). He was the fourth to receive at least one first-team honor, along with Spillane, Sedlock and Jay. 

Acton has also been impressive in the classroom, earning the Junior GPA Award for the highest GPA of all junior student-athletes at Illinois. 

The Fighting Illini start the 2020 season on Friday against Milwaukee in Winston-Salem, N.C.