Hatch Returns To Mound And Rises To Top Of Big 12

May 24, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

Thomas Hatch missed the entire 2015 season with a sprained UCL, just hoping to return to the pitcher's mound for Oklahoma State sooner rather than later.

Not only did Hatch return to the mound, he blossomed into the top pitcher in the Big 12 Conference in 2016. Under the tutelage of OSU pitching coach Rob Walton, Hatch became the second-straight Cowboy to be named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, following the footsteps of 2015 winner Michael Freeman.

A right-hander from Tulsa, Hatch has made 14 starts this season and is 6-2 with a league-leading 2.10 ERA while also topping the Big 12 in innings pitched (98.2), complete games (3) and shutouts (3). In Big 12 play, he was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA and two shutouts in eight starts and racked up 52 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.

On Tuesday, Hatch accepted the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year award at a luncheon in downtown Oklahoma City and reflected on his memorable season.