DURHAM, N.C. – LSU junior shortstop Alex Bregman is one of four finalists for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award.
USA Baseball unveiled on Tuesday the finalists for the award. This year, the award, which is sponsored by Major League Baseball and honored on June 23 in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, will be presented to the nation’s top amateur baseball player for the 38th consecutive season.
Of the 21 semifinalists that were voted on by a committee of more than 200 voters, Bregman, Andrew Benintendi, an outfielder from Arkansas, Carson Fulmer, a right-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt, and Dansby Swanson, a shortstop from Vanderbilt, received the most votes and were named finalists for the award.
Over the weekend, all three teams won their respective NCAA regional, and will advance to the super regional round of the tournament. Arkansas and LSU will each host their own super regional, while Vanderbilt will travel to compete in the super regional at Illinois.
As a result of their standout collegiate careers, all four finalists are expected to be selected in the first round of Major League Baseball’s Draft on June 8.
Fans can continue to stay up to date on the GSA by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com — powered by MLB Advanced Media — which serves as the online home for the award. The website features content devoted exclusively to the GSA, including news, voting history, past winner photo galleries and photographs and video highlights of the 2015 finalists.
Bregman was voted a 2015 Golden Spikes Award finalist after an impressive season at the plate and in the field. His bat led the way for LSU’s offense throughout the 2015 season, posting a batting average of .323 and slugging percentage of .557. He led the Tigers in runs scored (55), and walks (36), and finished the season with a .420 on-base percentage. The junior also leads the SEC conference in stolen bases (34) and doubles (22). In the field, his solid defensive work at shortstop ranks him first in the conference with 206 assists. In his debut season with LSU, Bregman earned 2013 Freshman of the Year honors and the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year award, which he is also a candidate for this year. He is a four-time USA Baseball National Team alum, as well as a First-Team All-SEC and First-Team All-American selection.
Benintendi was voted a 2015 Golden Spikes Award finalists after an SEC Conference-leading season. The sophomore leads the conference in batting average (.397), slugging percentage (.737), on-base percentage (.498), home runs (18), and walks (42). Beyond conference play, he also ranks third in the nation in home runs and slugging percentage. His speed compliments his power, as he is one of only two players in the country with over 15 home runs and 20-plus stolen bases. He ranks second in the SEC for total bases (154) and fifth for stolen bases (22). As a result of his stellar season, Benintendi is the first player in Razorback baseball history to earn National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year honors.
Fulmer was voted a 2015 Golden Spikes Award finalist after dominating the SEC on the mound. The junior leads the conference in many categories including ERA (1.92), strikeouts (147), wins (12), and opponent’s batting average (.186). In addition to leading the conference, he ranks second in the nation for strikeouts and wins. Fulmer finished the regular season as the only SEC pitcher with an ERA below 2.00 and 100-plus strike outs. Among many stand out performances, he pitched two shutouts in the regular season, helping the Commodores to a 44-19 overall record. He was named the 2015 SEC Pitcher of the Year in addition to earning Collegiate Baseball’s First-Team All-American honors. Fulmer was also a two-time USA Baseball National Team selection and a member of Vanderbilt’s 2014 National Championship team.
Swanson was voted a 2015 Golden Spikes Award finalist after leading Vanderbilt to another standout season. The Marietta, Ga., native leads the SEC in runs scored (69), hits (85), and total bases (160). He ranks second among the conference’s hitters in slugging percentage (.658) and RBIs (60). Swanson has also recorded 21 doubles, six triples, and 14 home runs, and leads the Commodore’s offense with a .350 batting average. He has logged 41 walks, helping him to a .442 on-base percentage and is 15-17 in stolen base attempts. He is a force at shortstop, with a fielding percentage of .974 and is a candidate for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year award. Swanson also competed on USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team last summer and was a member of Vanderbilt’s 2014 National Championship team. This season, his performances earned him Second-Team All SEC and Second-Team All-American honors.
The award presentation will air on ESPN’s flagship program, SportsCenter for the second consecutive year, in a time to be determined. Following the announcement of the award on June 23, all four finalists will be celebrated at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles as part of the 2015 Rod Dedeaux Award Dinner. Hosted by the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the dinner will honor the Golden Spikes Award finalists, the Rod Dedeaux Award winner and the Rod Dedeaux USA Baseball Coach of the Year award winner.
In 2007, USA Baseball instituted a new selection and balloting procedure for the most prestigious award in amateur baseball, and it follows the same model again in 2015. After working closely with sports information directors and amateur baseball media across the country to determine watch lists and the top-performing athletes, a list of 21 semifinalists was sent to the GSA voting committee last week. The four players that received the most votes advanced to the finalist round, and beginning today, the committee will have the opportunity to vote for the winner.
Fans will once again be able to vote for the 2015 award by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com and selecting their favorite.
Via- LSUsports.net, LSU Sports Interactive
WICHITA, Kan. – LSU senior Kade Scivicque is one of three finalists for the 2015 Johnny Bench Award, given annually by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission to the nation’s top Division I catcher.
A final vote among the national selection committee will occur during the College World Series to determine the award winner. The other finalists are Garrett Stubbs of Southern California and Matt Winn of VMI.
All three finalists will be provided transportation to Wichita, and the winner will be announced at the 18th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 25.
Scivicque, a product of Maurepas, La., is batting .347 (75-for-216) with 20 doubles, five homers, 44 RBI and 29 runs scored. He has the Tigers’ third-highest slugging percentage (.509), and he has struck out just 21 times all season. Behind the plate, Scivicque has thrown out 18 base runners attempting to steal.
Scivicque, who posted a team-best 23-game hitting streak earlier this season, is a 2015 second-team all-America selection by Collegiate Baseball magazine, and he was named first-team all-SEC last month by the league coaches.
Former LSU catcher Brad Cresse won the Johnny Bench Award in 2000 after helping lead the Tigers to the College World Series title.
e finalist. Voting for fans and the voting body ends at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, June 12.
Via- Bill Franques, Sr. Associate SID