OVERLAND PARK, KAN. – Patrick Steitz and Fenix DiGiacomo have been named to College Baseball Foundation's initial watch list for 2026 Pitcher of the Year Award, the organization announced on Wednesday.
 
The watch list features the nation's best hurlers, representing 26 different conferences and reflecting the top mound performers to this point of the 2026 season, per the College Baseball Foundation. The National Pitcher of the Year Award was first awarded in 2009.
 
The Rams' pair of weekend starters are two of four Atlantic 10 players to earn a nod on the initial watch list and make VCU one of 32 schools with multiple players mentioned on the list of 142 arms.
 
The duo arrived at VCU ahead of the season, Steitz, as a redshirt senior transfer from Kansas, and DiGiacomo, as a graduate transfer from Marshall, to have in immediate impact on the Rams' weekend rotation. Entering Atlantic 10 play, they have lifted VCU to a league-leading 5.35 ERA
 
Steitz has been stellar over his first four appearances as a Ram, compiling a 3-0 record with a 2.86 ERA and maintaining a whopping sub-1.00 WHIP, sitting at 0.95. The righty has tied his career-best five strikeouts in all four of his starts and has gone a career-long 6.0 innings in both of his most recent starts. He has struck out 20 in his 22.0 innings on the mound.
 
In VCU's victory over Illinois, Steitz tossed five innings of three-hit ball, not allowing a run to score.  In his previous outing, Steitz made his first quality start in the Rams' sweep of Army, allowing just two runs over six innings, fanning five and giving up just five hits.
 
DiGiacomo is tied for the team lead with his five starts, recording a 3.77 ERA and fanning 15 over his 14.1 innings of work. He has allowed just one hit in three of his five appearances and limited opponents to a .189 batting average on the season. In a headlining appearance, DiGiacomo made his VCU debut with 4.0 innings in the Rams' season-opening one-hitter and struck out a season-best six.
 
For the complete watch list, or more information on College Baseball Foundation, visit their website at https://www.cbhalloffame.org/
 
The Rams return to action at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 13, as they open Atlantic 10 play with a three-game set against La Salle to conclude a nine-game homestand at The Diamond.