Tag: Golden Spikes Award

Watch Dylan Crews hit a crazy walk-off for Rochester Red Wings

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. In [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag]’ case, he is both. The former [autotag]Golden Spikes Award[/autotag] winner and star LSU outfielder secured a win for the [autotag]Rochester Red Wings[/autotag] on Tuesday night with a walk-off E6.

An E6, if you do not know, is an error on the shortstop. On this play, the shortstop attempts to flip the ball to second base for out No. 3 and to get Lehigh Valley out of the inning but his throw was off the mark and the errant throw led to a runner scoring to win the game for the Red Wings.

Crews has played in 24 games for the Red Wings and has five doubles, four homers, and 14 RBI and has a batting average of .257. He is one step away from playing in the major leagues. His next stop would be the [autotag]Washington Nationals[/autotag], who could use a good outfielder right now.

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Georgia baseball’s Charlie Condon wins another prestigious award

Georgia baseball star Charlie Condon earned another one college baseball’s highest individual honors

Georgia Bulldogs baseball star Charlie Condon has won the Golden Spikes Award. The Golder Spikes Award is given annually to the athlete who meets the following criteria.

The top amateur baseball player in the United States based on their athletic ability, sportsmanship, character, and overall contribution to the sport.

Condon won the 46th edition of the Golden Spikes Award. He is the first player to ever win the award from the University of Georgia. Condon also won the Howser Trophy.

“In a season that featured outstanding individual efforts from a wide range of players, Charlie Condon stood above the rest,” said Paul Seiler, who serves as USA Baseball’s Executive Director. “Charlie’s 2024 season was nothing short of incredible to watch and he is greatly deserving of this honor.”

Condon leads the nation in batting average at .433 and home runs (37). Condon finished the year with a team-high 78 RBIs and has drawn 57 walks this season.

Condon was already named as the SEC player of the year. Condon, who made the All-SEC team at third base, put together a historic season.

Condon’s elite season is a big reason why Georgia hosted the Athens Super Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Georgia lost in three games to NC State, so the Bulldogs missed the College World Series.

Georgia baseball exceeded expectations to start the Wes Johnson era. The Bulldogs got outstanding play from Charlie Condon, who is expected to enter the 2024 MLB draft, but has not made an official announcement yet.

Florida slugger Jac Caglianone snubbed in 2024 Golden Spikes Finalist announcement

The Golden Spikes Award selection committee shocked everyone by leaving Florida’s Jac Caglianone off their list of finalists on Wednesday.

The Golden Spikes Award selection committee opted to leave Florida two-way star [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] off the list of finalists for the 2024 award.

On Wednesday, USA Baseball announced Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana, Georgia slugger Charlie Condon and Arkansas right-hander Hagen Smtih as the three finalists.

Caglianone has been among the best hitters in the SEC once again in 2024. His .410 batting average is ranked seventh in the country and his 31 homers are third in the nation. Condon’s 36 is the pace to beat and broke Caglianone’s BBCOR-era record, set in 2023.

He’s also getting intentionally walked multiple times a game, which hurts his numbers a bit. Caglianone is a shoo-in to be drafted inside the top five this summer. It’s a shock he isn’t in contention for the Golden Spikes Award for a second year in a row.

Before the snub, Caglianone was named a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. It’s hard to call him the favorite there, but he’s the only back-to-back finalist in the group.

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Hagen Smith named one of three finalists for Golden Spikes Award

Smith is the only pitcher of the three finalists and would be Arkansas’ third winner.

Hagen Smith’s season may be over, but the hardware is still coming.

The Arkansas baseball left-handed pitcher was named one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday. He joined Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana and SEC Player of the Year Charlie Condon of Georgia.

Smith, for the record, was the SEC Pitcher of the Year. He finished the 2024 season with a 2.04 earned-run average with 161 strikeouts in 84 innings. Opponents hit just .144 off him and had just 10 extra-base hits. During the career season, Smith also set Arkansas’ all-time strikeouts record.

Bazzana is Oregon State’s all-time leader in hits and home runs and is the Beavers’ fourth nominee for the award. He’s second in the country in walks, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS and Bazzana led the Pac-12 in runs in total bases.

Condon is the player ahead of Bazzana in several of those categories. The sophoore leads the country in home runs with 36, batting average at .445, hits with 98, slugging at 1.036, total bases with 228 and OPS at 1.602. He is Georgia’s first Golden Spikes finalist since Gordon Beckham in 2008.

Smith is seeking to become Arkansas’ third winner of the award. Andrew Benintendi won in 2015 and Kevin Kopps won in 2022.

UNC baseball star Vance Honeycutt tabbed a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist

It’s difficult not to envision UNC star center fielder Vance Honeycutt winning college baseball’s top individual award.

Two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, home run king and stolen base machine – these are only a few highlights to describe how good UNC star center fielder Vance Honeycutt is.

Honeycutt is also the only player in ACC baseball history to hit 50 career home runs and steal 70 career bases.

After a back injury prematurely end his sophomore season, Honeycutt is dominating in junior year. He’s one of seven Diamond Heels with a .300 batting average (.319), he leads North Carolina with 22 home runs and 28 stolen bases apiece.

All of this helped UNC to its first ACC Regular Season Title since 2018. The Diamond Heels dominated opponents during the regular season, avoiding a single sweep while sweeping preseason number one Wake Forest on the road, then closing out regular season play by taking two of three from archrival Duke.

As Honeycutt prepares to help North Carolina captures its second ACC Tournament Crown in three years, he was named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7NIEnLxpJS/

That award sounds pretty important, doesn’t it?

That’s because it is.

The Golden Spikes Award is annually given to the nation’s top amateur baseball player. If Honeycutt were to win the award, he’d become the first player in Diamond Heels history to do so.

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Florida’s two-way standout earns All-SEC, Golden Spikes Semifinalist honors

Jac Caglianone added some hardware to his mantle on Monday.

Florida baseball’s two-way first baseman-pitcher superstar [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] received some much-earned recognition on Monday.

The Southeastern Conference announced its All-SEC lineup for the 2024 season, with Caglianone earning first-team recognition for the second straight season. The junior slugger also headlined the list of semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award making him one of nine included from the SEC.

Cags put up videogame numbers at the plate this spring, slashing .413/.525/.851 with 29 home runs, 66 runs scored and 58 RBI over 54 games played. That ranks him third overall in home runs (second in the SEC), fifth in slugging (second SEC), eighth in batting average (second SEC) and 11th in on-base percentage (third SEC).

He also drew more walks (41) than strikeouts (21) and posted a sparkling 8.2% strikeout rate.

The 6-foot-5-inch future first-round draft pick was no slouch on the mound either, posting a 4.35 ERA (vs. his 4.34 ERA last season) over 13 starts that stretched across 62 frames. Caglianone posted a .217 batting average against and struck out 68 batters against 44 walks over the course of those innings.

USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21. The 46th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 22 on ESPN.

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Two Gators named to USA Baseball 2024 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List

Florida’s two power bats, Jac Caglianone and Colby Shelton, have made the 45-man midseason watch list for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award.

Two Florida Gators — first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone and shortstop Colby Shelton — made the 2024 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List on Thursday, according to USA Baseball.

“We are honored to acknowledge the top forty-five amateur players in the nation for their stellar performances so far this season,” said USA Baseball CEO/Executive Director Paul Seiler. “There is unbelievable talent up and down the entire amateur baseball landscape, and the players on this list represent the best of the best.”

Caglianone is near the top of the SEC in every major offensive statistic. He’s slashing .391/.480/.781 with 16 home runs and 34 runs batted in. He’s walked (18) more than he’s struck out (14), and then there’s the pitching side of his game.

Cags had one of the best earned run averages of any starter in the country coming into the Missouri game, but a short outing inflated his numbers. Still, a .183 opposing batting average reveals that Caglianone has been dominant over seven starts.

Shelton doesn’t have quite the resume that Caglianone does, but his power numbers have kept him in the Golden Spikes conversation all year. With 15 home runs so far, Shelton should easily cross the 20 threshold and push for 30.

Caglianone is one of four 2023 semifinalists to make the midseason cut. He remains one of the frontrunners to win the award.

The complete list can be found here.

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UNC outfielder Casey Cook named to Midseason Watch List

If it weren’t for starting left fielder Casey Cook, how well would the UNC baseball team be playing?

Even in a 14-11 loss at UVA Thursday night, the UNC baseball team has been amongst the country’s best programs to kick off 2024.

North Carolina (25-5, 10-3 ACC) is tied atop the conference with Clemson in overall win total. The Tar Heels have largely performed better on the mound, even with a younger pitching staff, but it’s their bats turning heads.

UNC carries a .315 team batting average, which ranks 24th in the nation. Seven starters, led by a scorching .400 mark from infielder Gavin Gallagher, are hitting at least .300.

The most productive hitter, however, has been starting left fielder Casey Cook. He sports a .375 average, leads the Diamond Heels in hits (45, T-ninth in the nation) and RBIs (43, T-sixth in nation).

As the catalyst of North Carolina’s high-flying offense, Cook was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5WcwXvATZ1/

The Golden Spikes Award is given annually to the top player in college baseball. Cook has been on the list since Feb. 9, when the preseason list was announced.

Cook’s latest big game came on Friday, March 29, when he mashed two home runs and drove in four runners, during the first of UNC’s three straight wins against Wake Forest. Cook also produced during the Diamond Heels’ 14-11 loss to UVA on Thursday night, driving in two runs on two hits, while also scoring two runs.

Just how much further can Cook elevate his game? Will he be able to bring North Carolina back to the College World Series?

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Jac Caglianone named to 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

The preseason watch list for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award came out on Friday, and Florida’s Jac Caglianone is the first player mentioned.

Florida first baseman and left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone leads the 55-man 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List released on Friday by USA Baseball.

Caglianone finished as a finalist for the award in 2023, but LSU‘s Dylan Crews was named the best amateur baseball player in the nation. Naturally, Caglianone returns as a favorite to win the award in 2024, with Crews and the other finalist, Paul Skenes, now turned pro.

A year ago, Caglianone set the BBCOR-era record for home runs in a season with 33. He won’t have to top his own number to win the Golden Spikes, but doing so might lock things up for him without much debate. The other path to winning the award involves Caglianone taking a step forward on the mound and becoming a realistic two-way prospect in the pros.

High velocity from the left side is coveted at any level of baseball, but pitching in the majors (or minors) requires accuracy. If Caglianone can prove to scouts that he has control of his 98-99 mph fastball, a slight dip offensively won’t matter at all.

It won’t be easy to beat out some of nation’s best, though. Several SEC stars made the list, including Georgia‘s Charlie Condon, South Carolina’s Ethan Petry, Arkansas‘ Hagen Smith and LSU’s Tommy White — all of whom were semifinalists a year ago.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Caglianone’s Golden Spikes pursuit is Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz. He plays the  same position and is expected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming draft. North Carolina‘s Vance Honeycutt is another name to watch from the ACC.

The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:

  • April 4: Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List announced.
  • May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins.
  • June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends.
  • June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists are announced, and fan voting begins.
  • June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists’ fan voting ends.
  • June 23: Golden Spikes Award winner announced.

The last Gator to win the award was catcher Mike Zunino in 2012.

A complete list of the 55-player 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List is as follows:

Name; Position; School; Conference

Matt Ager; RHP; UC Santa Barbara; Big West
Wehiwa Aloy; INF; Arkansas; SEC
Billy Amick; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Ethan Anderson; C/UTIL; Virginia; ACC
Travis Bazzana; INF; Oregon State; Pac-12
Kevin Bazzell; C/INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Drew Beam; RHP; Tennessee; SEC
Derek Bender; C/INF; Coastal Carolina; Sun Belt
Carson Benge; OF/RHP; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Brody Brecht; RHP; Iowa; Big Ten
Chase Burns; RHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Jac Caglianone; 1B/LHP; Florida; SEC
Cam Caminiti; LHP/OF; Saguaro HS (AZ)
Cam Cannarella; OF; Clemson; ACC
Charlie Condon; 1B/OF; Georgia; SEC
Jacob Cozart; C; NC State; ACC
Kaelen Culpepper; INF; Kansas State; Big 12
Randy Flores; INF; Alabama State; SWAC
Rodney Green Jr.; OF; California; Pac-12
Konnor Griffin; OF/RHP; Jackson Prep (MS)
Lawson Harrill; OF; Campbell; CAA
Josh Hartle; LHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Jake Hjelle; OF; Minnesota-Crookston (DII); NSIC
Luke Holman; RHP; LSU; SEC
Carter Holton; LHP; Vanderbilt; SEC
Vance Honeycutt; OF; UNC; ACC
Jeremiah Jenkins; INF; Maine; America East
Ryan Johnson; RHP; Dallas Baptist; C-USA
Lebarron Johnson Jr.; RHP; Texas; Big 12
Dakota Jordan; OF; Mississippi State; SEC
Gavin Kash; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Seaver King; INF; Wake Forest; ACC
Sam Kulasingam; INF; Air Force; Mountain West
Nick Kurtz; OF/INF; Wake Forest; ACC
Jace LaViolette; OF; Texas A&M; SEC
Shane Lewis; OF; Troy; Sun Belt
Caleb Lomavita; C; California; Pac-12
Cole Messina; C; South Carolina; SEC
Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Christian Moore; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Malcolm Moore; C; Stanford; Pac-12
Tyson Neighbors; RHP; Kansas State; Big 12
Griff O’Ferrall; INF; Virginia; ACC
Ethan Petry; OF/INF; South Carolina; SEC
Tanner Reaves; INF; Blinn CC (JUCO); NJCAA
Brett Sanchez; RHP; Belhaven (DIII); CCS
Nolan Schubart; OF; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Mike Sirota; OF; Northeastern; CAA
Hagen Smith; LHP; Arkansas; SEC
Devin Taylor; OF; Indiana; Big Ten
Payton Tolle; LHP/INF; TCU; Big 12
JJ Wetherholt; INF; West Virginia; Big 12
Tommy White; 3B; LSU; SEC
Trey Yesavage; RHP; East Carolina; AAC
Gage Ziehl; RHP; Miami; ACC

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Two Tigers named to Golden Spikes Award watch list

LSU begins its 2024 season on Feb. 16 against VMI.

Today, USA Baseball announced the preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list, and two LSU Tigers made the list. Third baseman, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], and right-handed pitcher [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] are the two Tigers who made the watch list.

White transferred to LSU last season and set the SEC on fire. He finished the season with a .374 batting average, 24 doubles, 24 homers and 105 RBI. He was the cleanup hitter who hit behind the No. 2 pick in the MLB draft, Dylan Crews. His biggest moment of the year was a walk-off homer against Wake Forest in Omaha.

Holman transferred to LSU after spending his past two seasons at Alabama. He finished 2023 with a 7-4 record and a 3.67 ERA as the Ace of the Crimson Tide staff. Holman joins [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] and [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] to make a pitching trio that has a chance to be the best pitching rotation in the NCAA.

LSU begins its 2024 season on Feb. 16 against VMI.

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