HICKORY, N.C. — Catawba Valley Community College sophomore pitcher Blake Dockery was named the Pitcher of the Year by the JUCO Baseball Blog (JBB) on Thursday.

This is the second honor received by the Red Hawks baseball program from JBB this past week after the team finished ranked 10th in the website's final poll.

Dockery adds this award to several honors he has received during his CVCC career, including being named All-Region 10 last spring and also being selected as NJCAA Player of the Week for games played Feb. 17-23, 2020.

"Its a really cool feeling to win this award and none of it could have happened without all the hard work our staff put in this past fall and leading up to the spring," Dockery said. "Pushing each other day in and day out in the weight room, having each other's backs while on the mound and everything leading up to the season made this all possible."

The right-hander from Harrisburg, N.C. dazzled in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing this spring with three complete games, a 0.39 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched.

A UNC Charlotte signee, Dockery also tossed no hitters in back-to-back starts, becoming just the fourth player in program history to throw a no hitter and the only pitcher to throw two no hitters in a Catawba Valley career.

Red Hawks Associate Head Coach Kris Harvey believes Dockery's strong performance on the mound was a product of what he did to prepare for the spring season.

"What Blake has done in his two years at Catawba Valley is remarkable," Harvey said. "He's been absolutely dominant on the mound. Coming off a great year last season, he continued to work his tail off trying to master his craft. From his side work, throwing program and weight room intensity, he pushed himself to become better this year. Back-to-back no hitters to start the season is something we will be hard pressed to ever see again. Being named Pitcher of the Year is a great honor and well deserved for the work he's put in on and off the field."