Jean Tabbed National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist
5/22/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
Southpaw adds accolade to list with National Pitcher of Year Semifinalist honor
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Two days after being named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year Houston's left-handed pitcher Antoine Jean has been named a National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist by College Baseball Foundation on Thursday.
Jean was the first reliever in Big 12 Conference history to be named Pitcher of the Year after leading the league in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.86), hits allowed per nine (5.14), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.20), and WHIP (0.89) while posting the best ERA in Big 12 play (1.02) and finishing second in total strikeouts (104).
The southpaw and fellow Cougar reliever Ryan Wagner are the only Cougar relievers to strikeout 100+ in a single season with Jean striking out 5+ hitters in 12 games this season and striking out 7+ in six different games – all out of the bullpen.
The Montreal, Canada, native is Houston's first conference Pitcher of the Year since Aaron Fletcher earned the award in 2018 and the seventh Cougar pitcher to earn a Pitcher of the Year award. He is the first Houston reliever to win Pitcher of the Year.
In his career-best outing at UCF, Jean struck out 11 Knights hitters in 5.0 innings of relief work and didn't allow a hit until the ninth inning.
Jean dominated all season with his breaking ball getting a 56.5% whiff rate on his curveball, which ranked second among all D-1 pitchers who have thrown at least 150 curveballs. His 38.0% whiff rate on the year is 12th nationally among pitchers with at least 500 pitches thrown.
The lefty led the team with 2.33 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) this season and his 2.32 Pitcher WAR (pWAR) is 17th nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference.
The Canadian was not needed by the Cougars in their win in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Championship First Round on Wednesday night, setting up an opportunity for the National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist to pitch No. 11 seeded Houston into the quarterfinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 3 seed TCU.
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Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Cougar Baseball. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at @uhcougarbb.
Jean was the first reliever in Big 12 Conference history to be named Pitcher of the Year after leading the league in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.86), hits allowed per nine (5.14), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.20), and WHIP (0.89) while posting the best ERA in Big 12 play (1.02) and finishing second in total strikeouts (104).
The southpaw and fellow Cougar reliever Ryan Wagner are the only Cougar relievers to strikeout 100+ in a single season with Jean striking out 5+ hitters in 12 games this season and striking out 7+ in six different games – all out of the bullpen.
The Montreal, Canada, native is Houston's first conference Pitcher of the Year since Aaron Fletcher earned the award in 2018 and the seventh Cougar pitcher to earn a Pitcher of the Year award. He is the first Houston reliever to win Pitcher of the Year.
In his career-best outing at UCF, Jean struck out 11 Knights hitters in 5.0 innings of relief work and didn't allow a hit until the ninth inning.
Jean dominated all season with his breaking ball getting a 56.5% whiff rate on his curveball, which ranked second among all D-1 pitchers who have thrown at least 150 curveballs. His 38.0% whiff rate on the year is 12th nationally among pitchers with at least 500 pitches thrown.
The lefty led the team with 2.33 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) this season and his 2.32 Pitcher WAR (pWAR) is 17th nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference.
The Canadian was not needed by the Cougars in their win in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Championship First Round on Wednesday night, setting up an opportunity for the National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist to pitch No. 11 seeded Houston into the quarterfinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 3 seed TCU.
SUPPORT THE COUGARS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Cougar Baseball. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at @uhcougarbb.
– UHCougars.com –
Players Mentioned
LHP
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