<p>The Navy junior has been selected to the watch list for the nation's top-pitcher award in back-to-back seasons</p>
<p>Nov. 29, 2006</p>
<p>HOUSTON - Navy junior right-hander Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) has been selected as one of 62 members on the 2007 Roger Clemens Award Watch List, which is presented to the best pitcher in collegiate baseball.</p>
<p>The product of Mt. Holly, N.C., is one of 12 pitchers that earned All-America status in 2006 on this year's preseason list. Harris has also been recognized as a 2007 NCBWA Preseason All-American and named to this year's Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which is given to the top player in collegiate baseball.</p>
<p>Harris, who was added to the 2006 Roger Clemens Award Watch List in April, produced a sophomore campaign in which he became the first pitcher in Patriot League history to win the Triple Crown (wins, ERA and strikeouts). He tied the Patriot League single-season record with 10 wins, established a new Patriot League single-season strikeout record with 113 strikeouts and ranked second in league history with a 1.74 earned run average. The right-hander also was the only pitcher in the Patriot League in 2006 to sport an opposing batting average under .200 (.189) and a WHIP less than 1.00 (0.93).</p>
<p>In his final start of the 2006 season against Coppin State, Harris hurled the fifth complete-game no-hitter in the program history. The right-hander faced only one batter over the minimum and used 90 pitches, 64 of which were strikes, to record Navy's first complete-game no-hitter in more than seven years. Harris struck out 12 batters in that contest, marking a career high and the seventh time he had fanned 10-plus batters in a game during his sophomore campaign.</p>
<p>Harris opened his sophomore year with wins in each of his first-seven starts, marking the first time a Navy pitcher had recorded the feat in 45 years. Over his final-five starts of the year, the right-hander hurler posted a miniscule 0.82 earned run average in 33.0 innings with 42 strikeouts, while holding the opposition to a .123 (14-for-114) batting average. </p>
<p>The right-hander finished the season ranked among the top-35 pitchers in the country in three categories. Harris' 12.30 strikeouts per nine innings placed him fourth in the nation, while his 1.74 earned run average ranked ninth and his 10 victories tied him for 34th.</p>
<p>The junior will look to anchor a team that returns 13 letterwinners from a squad that finished last season with a 32-21-1 mark. The 32 wins are the second most in school history, while the 20-win improvement over the previous year is the largest in program history.</p>
<p>The Midshipmen will open the 2007 slate with a three-game series against Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 9-11.</p>