Tag: Golden Spikes Award

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.

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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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LSU sets a new SEC record after Jayden Daniels won the Heisman

The Tigers set another record last night that you may not have even realized.

On Saturday night, the best player in college football earned the award that we all knew he would win. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] became the third Heisman Trophy winner in LSU history. [autotag]Billy Cannon[/autotag] (1959) and [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] (2019) were the other two Heisman winners from Baton Rouge.

The Tigers set another record last night that not many people even thought about. LSU became the first SEC school to have a player win the Golden Spikes Award (best player in college baseball) and the Heisman Trophy from the same school in the same year.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] won the Golden Spikes Award after leading LSU baseball to a national championship with a win over Florida in the College World Series. Crews had a season batting average of .426 with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, and 70 RBI.

Those stats led to him being selected as the No. 2 overall draft pick of the 2023 MLB draft by the Washington Nationals. Crews was picked one spot behind teammate [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Pirates.

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LSU’s Dylan Crews wins Golden Spikes Award

Dylan Crews joins Ben McDonald as the second Tiger to be named National Player of the Year.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] added another accolade to his legendary career at LSU on Sunday before Game 2 of the College World Series final against Florida.

Crews received the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the National Player of the Year in college baseball. He’s the second LSU player to receive the award, joining [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag], who won it in 1989.

A consensus top-two prospect in the 2023 MLB draft, Crews is batting .418 on the year, the sixth-best mark in the country. His .562 on-base percentage ranks second in the nation, and he has reached base in every game this season.

As of publication, his total on-base streak is 73 games.

Crews will look to add one more piece of hardware to his collection as he looks to lead LSU to its seventh national title and its first since 2009. The Tigers have a chance to do just that on Sunday afternoon against the Gators.

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LSU boasts 2 of 3 finalists for the Golden Spikes Award

Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes are finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

Every year, the Golden Spikes Award is given out to the top amateur baseball player in the nation.

This year’s award is down to three finalists, and two of them are from the same team. The projected No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the upcoming MLB draft, [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], both play for the LSU Tigers. The other finalist is Jac Caglianone from Florida.

Crews has had a phenomenal year for the Tigers this spring. He carries a batting average of .432 with 17 homers and 16 RBI.

Skenes has an 11-2 record with an insane 1.90 ERA in 99 innings pitched. He has 179 strikeouts and only 17 walks. He pounds the strike zone with fastballs, but he’s not afraid to pull the string on a curveball and make you look silly.

These two finalists will be back in action this weekend as LSU hosts Kentucky in the Baton Rouge Super Regional starting on Saturday.

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USA Baseball announced the 45th Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists

USA Baseball announced the 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award. Which player will win the 45th Gold Spikes Award on June 25?

On Tuesday, USA Baseball announced the 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award. The 45th Gold Spikes Award will identify the top amateur baseball player in the nation. The award will be presented on June 25 at 2:30 P.M. during the College World Series finals.

Eighteen schools have representatives in the 2023 semifinalist group, including multiple players from Florida, LSU, Stanford, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Also, eight players have worked their way onto the list since the Midseason Watch List got announced in April.

The 2023 list included five players who got named on the 2022 list, as Dylan Crews (LSU), Jake Gelof (Virginia), Tanner Hall (Southern Miss), Tommy White (LSU), and Jacob Wilson (Grand Canyon) all return to the semifinalist list for the second consecutive year.

Crews, a junior outfielder from Longwood, Florida, is making his sixth appearance on this Golden Spikes Award list. In the past two seasons, the 6-foot 205 pounds outfielder has appeared on the preseason, midseason, and semifinalist lists.

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Eight different conferences appeared on the 2023 semifinalist list. The SEC leads all conferences with eight players, while the ACC has the second most with seven. The PAC-12 and the Big Ten combined for six athletes, and the Big 12 and Sun Belt combined for two. Also, the WAC and C-USA conferences combine for two athletes on the 2023 list.

Below are the 25 players on the 2023 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists:

Name Position School Conference
Max Anderson INF Nebraska Big Ten
Jac Caglianone LHP / 1B Florida SEC
Charlie Condon 1B / OF Georgia SEC
Dylan Crews OF LSU SEC
Chase Davis OF Arizona PAC-12
Jake Gelof INF Virginia ACC
Caden Grice LHP / 1B Clemson ACC
Tanner Hall RHP Southern Miss Sun Belt
Josh Hartle LHP Wake Forest ACC
Nick Kurtz LHP Wake Forest ACC
Wyatt Langford OF Florida SEC
Rhett Lowder RHP Wake Forest ACC
Quinn Mathews LHP Stanford PAC-12
Yohandy Morales INF Miami ACC
Ethan Petry OF South Carolina SEC
Alberto Rios OF Stanford PAC-12
Nolan Schanuel INF / OF FAU C-USA
Matt Shaw INF Maryland Big Ten
Paul Skenes RHP LSU SEC
Hagen Smith LHP Arkansas SEC
Kyle Teel C / INF Virginia ACC
Brock Vradenburg INF Michigan State Big Ten
JJ Wetherholt INF West Virginia Big 12
Tommy White 3B LSU SEC
Jacob Wilson INF Grand Canyon WAC

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Hagen Smith named as semifinalist for Golden Spikes Award

Hagen Smith was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

Hagen Smith had a great sophomore season, and the postseason recognition he is receiving reflects that.

Already honored on the All-SEC first team, Smith has also been named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The Golden Spikes Award is collegiate baseball’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best amateur baseball player.

The lefty is the eighth Arkansas player since 2007 to be named a semifinalist for the award. Two Diamond Hogs have won the award in the last decade, outfielder Andrew Benintendi in 2015 and pitcher Kevin Kopps in 2021.

Smith has played every role within the Arkansas bullpen. He was the ace to begin the season and transitioned to a reliever role after an injury. By the end of the season, he found his way back into the rotation. When you look at the numbers, you’ll see he was easily the best pitcher in the Hog bullpen.

Smith improved his totals from his freshman season, going 8-1 in nine starts. He appeared in 15 games, finishing the regular season with a 2.56 ERA, 93 strikeouts, a .191 opponent batting average, and two saves spending 63.1 innings on the mound.

The award will be presented on ESPN on June 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET, leading into game two of the College World Series finals.

Trio of LSU baseball stars named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists

Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews and Tommy White all made the list of semifinalists for the award, which is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

LSU hasn’t played its best baseball down the stretch and has battled some pitching injuries, but this team still has the chance to make a lot of noise, and there’s three players primarily to thank for that.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] all have been dominant this season. The former two were some of the most coveted transfer portal players in the country and have made a major impact in Baton Rouge.

Crews, meanwhile, was named SEC Player of the Year for the second-straight season, and he and Skenes — who was named SEC Pitcher of the Year — could be the top two picks in this summer’s MLB draft.

All three were named finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top amateur baseball player in the country. Here’s a rundown of each player.