FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2018 Contact: Brad Young – [email protected], (919) 474-8721 x212 OR Emily Fedewa, (919) 474-8721 x255

USA ANNOUNCES 2018 PRESEASON WATCH LIST The 2018 Golden Spikes Award will be presented on Thursday, June 28 in

DURHAM, N.C. – USA Baseball announced its 55-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list on Friday, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2018 season. The 41st Golden Spikes Award will be presented in partnership with the Foundation on June 28 in Los Angeles.

The preseason watch list features 55 of the nation’s top amateur players, from high school and . The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of players, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.

Headlining the 2018 watch list is 2016 Golden Spikes Award finalist (Clemson), who has been named to the preseason watch list for the second year in a row, as well as (Texas Tech) and (Oregon State), who were semifinalists for the award in 2017.

In addition to those three athletes, the watch list features seven athletes whom the Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board has recognized in the past. Joining Beer on the preseason watch list for the second consecutive year is Luken Baker (TCU), Colton Eastman (Cal State Fullerton), Madrigal and Jake Mangum (Mississippi State). ( Tech), Gingery, Tyler Holton (Florida State), Nolan Kingham (Texas), Madrigal and (Auburn) were all named to the midseason watch list in 2017.

“We are excited to kick off the forty-first year of the Golden Spikes Award with the announcement of 55 preseason watch list nominees,” said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. “We are anxiously awaiting the start of baseball season and we are excited to follow these players closely during the course of the season before ultimately recognizing one exemplary athlete to join the remarkable group of winners we have had in our history.”

Chris Acosta-Tapia (Oklahoma Wesleyan) and Tyler Pittmon (Antelope Valley) represent the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) on the list while (Forsythe Central), (Mountain Ridge) and (Santiago) are high school athletes recognized by the advisory board on the watch list. These five athletes will look to join Alex Fernandez (1990) and (2010) who claimed their respective Golden Spikes Awards as non-NCAA Division I athletes.

Fifteen different collegiate athletic conferences are represented on the 2018 preseason watch list. The leads the way with 15 representatives, while the Atlantic Coast Conference boasts nine selections, and the Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences have six each.

The University of Florida leads all schools represented on the preseason watch list with four selections. Florida State follows with three athletes on the watch list and , Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Stanford, TCU, Vanderbilt and Wichita State all have a pair of athletes identified on the watch list.

Starting on March 26 and ending April 1, fans will be able to nominate their favorite players for the Golden Spikes Award prior to the reveal of the midseason watch list on April 10. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting baseball media members, select personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 40 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.

Amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite players at GoldenSpikesAward.com again in 2018, starting on May 21 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. On June 6, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and voting will begin that day and last until June 22.

The winner of the 41st Golden Spikes Award will be named on Thursday, June 28, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Award Dinner that evening at Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.

USA Baseball has partnered with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation to host the Golden Spikes Award since 2013. The Foundation was formed to honor legendary USC and USA Baseball Olympic team , Rod Dedeaux, and supports youth baseball and programs in underserved communities throughout Southern California.

Last year, Louisville’s Brendan McKay took home the prestigious award, joining a group of recent winners that include (2016), (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), (2013), (2012), (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), (2009), (2008), and (2007).

The 2018 Golden Spikes Award timeline: • Monday, March 26: Golden Spikes Award fan nominations begin • Sunday, April 1: Golden Spikes Award fan nominations end • Tuesday, April 10: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced • Monday, May 21: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, voting begins • Sunday, June 3: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends • Wednesday, June 6: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins • Friday, June 22: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends • Thursday, June 28: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation

A complete list of the 55-player USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list is as follows:

Name, Position, Class, School, Conference Chris Acosta-Tapia, OF, Sr., Oklahoma Wesleyan, Kansas Collegiate Johnny Aiello, 3B, Jr., Wake Forest, ACC D.J. Artis, OF, Jr., Liberty, Big South Luken Baker, 1B/DH, Jr., TCU, Big 12 Joey Bart, C, Jr., , ACC Seth Beer, 1B/OF, Jr., Clemson, ACC , 3B, Jr., Wichita State, American Athletic , LHP, Jr., Stanford, Pac-12 Michael Byrne, RHP, Jr., Florida, SEC Tim Cate, LHP, Jr., UCONN, American Athletic Griffin Conine, OF, Jr., Duke, ACC Trey Cumbie, LHP, Jr., , American Athletic Gianluca Dalatri, RHP, So., North Carolina, ACC Tanner Dodson, UT, Jr., California, Pac-12 Colton Eastman, RHP, Jr., Cal State Fullerton, Big West Jeremy Eierman, SS, Jr., Missouri State, Missouri Valley Tyler Frank, SS, Jr., Florida Atlantic, Conference USA , RHP, Jr., Stetson, Atlantic Sun

Steven Gingery, LHP, Jr., Texas Tech, Big 12 Ethan Hankins, RHP, Sr., Forsythe Central High School Zack Hess, RHP, So., LSU, SEC Sean Hjelle, RHP, Jr., Kentucky, SEC , SS, Jr., Stanford, Pac-12 Tyler Holton, LHP/DH, Jr., Florida State, ACC Niko Hulsizer, OF, Jr., Morehead State, Ohio Valley , 3B, Jr., Florida, SEC Julian Infante, 1B/DH, Jr., Vanderbilt, SEC Jared Janczak, RHP, Jr., TCU, Big 12 Greyson Jenista, 1B/OF, Jr., Wichita State, American Athletic Nolan Kingham, RHP, Jr., Texas, Big 12 , RHP, Jr., Florida, SEC , C, So., Baylor, Big 12 Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Sr., Mountain Ridge High School Nick Madrigal, 2B, Jr., Oregon State, Pac-12 Jake Mangum, OF, Jr., Mississippi State, SEC Jake McCarthy, OF, Jr., Virginia, ACC Shane McClanahan, LHP, Jr, South Florida, American Athletic Drew Mendoza, 3B, So., Florida State, ACC Casey Mize, RHP, Jr., Auburn, SEC Konnor Pilkington, LHP, Jr., Mississippi State, SEC Tyler Pittmon, IF, Sr., Antelope Valley, California Pacific Tristan Pompey, OF, Jr., Kentucky, SEC Patrick Raby, RHP, Jr., Vanderbilt, SEC Cal Raleigh, C, Jr., Florida State, ACC Alfonso Rivas, 1B, Jr., Arizona, Pac-12 , LHP, So., Ole Miss, SEC , 2B, So., Texas A&M, SEC , RHP, Jr., Florida, SEC Nick Sprengel, LHP, Jr., , West Coast , OF, Jr., South Alabama, Sun Belt Brice Turang, SS, Sr., Santiago High School , 1B, So., California, Pac-12 Steele Walker, OF, JR, Oklahoma, Big 12 Matt Wallner, UT, So., Southern Miss, Conference USA Zach Watson, OF, So., LSU, SEC

About Golden Spikes Award Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2017 Golden Spikes Award winner was Brendan McKay from the University of Louisville. Past winners of this prestigious award include current players such as Andrew Benintendi (’15), Kris Bryant (’13), Mike Zunino (’12), Trevor Bauer (’11), Bryce Harper (’10), Stephen Strasburg ('09), Buster Posey ('08), David Price (’07) and (’05). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include (’06), (’98), (’95), (’88), (’87), (’85), (’83), (’80), (’79), and Horner (’78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on @USAGoldenSpikes.

About Rod Dedeaux Foundation The Rod Dedeaux Foundation was formed to continue Rod’s spirit by supporting youth baseball and softball programs in underserved areas. Currently, inner city organizations are fighting for survival as public funding is drying up, coupled with the game’s waning popularity with children in Urban areas. Through the efforts of the Foundation, youth receive more than just uniforms and renovated facilities, they receive a sanctuary

from challenging environments and a support system specifically designed to build character and academic support to enable underprivileged youth to achieve their dreams. For more information, please visit DedeauxFoundation.org.

About USA Baseball USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the , Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization’s official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.

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