The award is presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
Columbia, Mo. – University of Florida baseball standouts Jac Caglianone and Colby Shelton have been named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, as announced by USA Baseball on Thursday afternoon.
As the lone returning finalist from last season, Caglianone is no stranger to the Golden Spikes Watch List. Meanwhile, Shelton is one of twenty-seven players to have played their way onto the list since the announcement of the Preseason Watch List on February 9. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue maintaining a rolling list of athletes throughout the season, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before the announcement of the semifinalists on May 20.
“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. We look forward to watching the rest of the season unfold as we move closer to naming the 46th winner of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award.”
Holding status as one of the award’s frontrunners, Caglianone leads Florida in every slash category (.397/.481/.776), as well as hits (46), home runs (14), RBI (30) and OPS (1.257). He is third in the SEC in hits, t-third in homers, sixth in batting and sixth in total bases. On the mound, he paces the team in ERA (2.18, fourth in SEC), WHIP (1.12) and batting average against (.138, second in SEC) across 33 innings. He trails Arkansas’ Hagen Smith (.136 BAA) by .02 for the SEC lead in batting average against.
As for Shelton, the first-year Gator is hitting .271/.412/.673 across 107 at bats. He has totaled 13 home runs, four doubles, 34 runs, 27 RBI and two steals while starting every game at shortstop for the Gators. Shelton boasts a 1.085 OPS on the campaign.
The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
• 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 announced, and fan voting begins
• June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists’ fan voting ends
• June 22: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 20 with the naming of the semifinalists. 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.
A complete list of the 45-player 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List is as follows:
Billy Amick; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Jamie Arnold; LHP; Florida State; ACC
RJ Austin; UTIL; Vanderbilt; SEC
Blake Barthol; INF; Coastal Carolina; Sun Belt
Ethan Bates; INF/RHP; Louisiana Tech; C-USA
Travis Bazzana; INF; Oregon State; Pac-12
Brody Brecht; RHP; Iowa; Big Ten
Chase Burns; RHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Drew Burress; OF; Georgia Tech; ACC
Jac Caglianone; INF/RHP; Florida; SEC
Charlie Condon; 1B/OF; Georgia; SEC
Casey Cook; OF; UNC; ACC
Jacob Cozart; C; NC State; ACC
Brady Day; INF/OF; Kansas State; Big 12
Carson DeMartini; INF; Virginia Tech; ACC
Konnor Griffin; OF/RHP; Jackson Prep
Brian Holiday; RHP; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Luke Holman; RHP; LSU; SEC
Riley Huge; LHP; Winthrop; Big South
Ike Irish; C; Auburn; SEC
Walker Janek; C; Sam Houston; C-USA
Ryan Johnson; RHP; Dallas Baptist; C-USA
Dakota Jordan; OF; Mississippi State; SEC
Caden Kendle; OF; UC Irvine; Big West
Grant Knipp; C/RHP; Campbell; CAA
Josh Kuroda-Grauer; INF; Rutgers; Big Ten
Jace LaViolette; OF; Texas A&M; SEC
Caleb Lomavita; C; California; Pac-12
Ben Miller; 1B; Duke; ACC
Gage Miller; INF; Alabama; SEC
Lyle Miller-Green; OF; Austin Peay; ASUN
Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Christian Moore; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Ryan Prager; LHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Zach Root; LHP; East Carolina; AAC
Jonathan Santucci; LHP; Duke; ACC
Brett Sears; RHP; Nebraska; Big Ten
Colby Shelton; INF; Florida; SEC
Cam Smith; INF; Florida State; ACC
Hagen Smith; LHP; Arkansas; SEC
James Tibbs III; OF/1B; Florida State; ACC
Jason Torres; INF; Miami (Fla.); ACC
Tommy White; 3B; LSU; SEC
Blake Wright; INF; Clemson; ACC
Trey Yesavage; RHP; East Carolina; AAC
###
