OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Hawai'i right-handed pitcher Hekili Robello earned a spot on the National Collegiate Pitcher of the Year watch list, the College Baseball Hall Of Fame announced Wednesday.
 
Robello has established himself as one of the nation's premier arms throughout the first month of the season. The Hilo native currently leads the Big West with a 1.14 ERA, racking up 27 strikeouts against just three walks over 23.2 innings of work. In his four starts, he has pitched to a perfect 3-0 record with a 1.01 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a .228 average.
 
Beyond his conference-leading ERA, Robello's precision on the mound ranks among the best in the country. He ranks second in the Big West and 36th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.00) and sits second in the league in both walks allowed per nine innings (1.14) and total wins.
 
Robello has delivered three quality starts this year, pitching at least six innings with seven or more strikeouts to earn the victory in three of his four starts. He struck out seven batters while walking none over six innings in his UH debut vs. Gonzaga on Feb. 14. He followed that by fanning nine over six frames against Wichita State, before punctuating his hot start with seven shutout innings and eight strikeouts against Ball State on Feb. 27.
 
Robello is one of six Big West pitchers featured on the watch list, joining Ryder Brooks and Trevor Hansen (UC Irvine), Jackson Flora (UC Santa Barbara), Griffin Naess (Cal Poly), and Mikiah Negrete (Cal State Fullerton).