Gophers senior righthander Autumn Pease put a stamp on her turnaround season by being named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday.
Pease, who is the third Gophers pitcher since 2014 to win the award, returned for a fifth year after struggling through injuries last season. She leads the Big Ten with a 25-6 record, a 1.31 ERA and 243 strikeouts.
"Autumn's journey has been a little bit unique," Gophers coach Piper Ritter said. "She's had some tough time battling some injuries. No one deserves it more. She worked through it. She kind of became a different pitcher a little. For her to get it at the end is just awesome. It's really special."
In last weekend's regular-season finale against Michigan, Pease won her 11th straight game to secure the series sweep. She has given up just one earned run in her last 58 innings pitched.
Last season, Pease went 11-14 while dealing with arm pain and pitch count limitations. After offseason treatment and training, she put together the best season for a Gophers pitcher since Amber Fiser was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2019. She ranks fifth in the nation in strikeouts and sixth in wins.
Other Gophers honored on the all-conference first team Wednesday were Jess Oakland, Taylor Krapf and Kayla Chavez. Oakland was also named to the all-freshman team. Natalie DenHartog earned all-league second team honors while Nani Valencia was the team's Sportsmanship Award winner.
