Slight and short seems to be the ideal size for a Husky pitcher. In the mid-2000s, it was Tim Lincecum rewriting the conference record books. This year, Tyler Davis led the Huskies to their best season since Lincecum left. Davis, who even UW’s cheerleading website admits is nowhere near his listed measurements of 6´0˝, 185 lbs., came into the year having gone 18 starts without a win. That streak didn’t last long. He finished the year 11-2 with a 1.60 ERA. Davis doesn’t have Lincecum’s velocity; with a fastball in the 80s, he’s never going to be a first-round pick. But he did manage something Lincecum never did—a win in an NCAA tournament game. Facing Georgia Tech in the Huskies’ first tourney appearance since 2004, Davis pitched a complete game shutout—the first of his career, and one of the best clutch performances in UW history.

Read all of our picks for Sports & Adventure, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.