DURHAM, N.C. – Missouri State sophomore Jake Burger has been chosen as one of the 25 semifinalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA), announced Wednesday. Burger becomes the first Bear since 2013 to be named a semifinalist for the honor, which will be presented to the nation's top amateur baseball player for the 39th consecutive year.
The lone Missouri Valley Conference player selected for the prestigious list of Division I standouts, Burger turned in one of the top all-around seasons in the country. MSU’s third baseman, who was also named a semifinalist for the 2016 Dick Howser Trophy in May, clubbed 21 homers this season and currently shares the No. 2 spot on the Division I home run chart. The sophomore also leads the MVC and ranks among the national leaders in hits (82), runs scored (59), RBIs (72) and total bases (162). Additionally, he batted .349 overall and logged a team-high 24 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI performances, including 16 in which he drove in at least three runs.
The Chesterfield, Mo., product was tabbed MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference pick of the league’s coaches for the second consecutive season. Burger became the second Bear in as many years to be named the league’s top defensive player after committing just two errors in 138 total chances this spring, good for a .986 fielding percentage, including a string of 34 consecutive error-free games to wrap up the season. He was cited for Valley Player of the Week honors three times this spring and was selected to compete for the nation's premier summer collegiate squad in USA Baseball's 2016 Collegiate National Team.
GoldenSpikesAward.com – powered by MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) – is once again the online home of the award. The website features content devoted exclusively to the Golden Spikes Award, including news, voting history, past winner photo galleries, and photographs and biographical information for the 2016 semifinalists. Fans can follow online at GoldenSpikesAward.com as the list of 25 players is narrowed to a group of finalists on Wednesday, June 13.
The list of semifinalists will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow amateur baseball closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 38 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 semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com through Wednesday, June 8. On Monday, June 13, USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award, and fan voting will once again commence that same day. Fan voting for the finalists will end on Saturday, June 25. The 2016 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on Thursday, June 30, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Dinner that evening at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, University of Arkansas standout Andrew Benintendi took home the prestigious award, joining a group of recent winners that includes A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Buster Posey (2008).
The anticipated timeline for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award announcements is as follows:
• Wednesday, June 1: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, voting begins
• Wednesday, June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
• Monday, June 13: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists, voting begins
• Saturday, June 25: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
• Thursday, June 30: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
A complete list of the 25 semifinalists for the 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award is as follows:
Name, Position, Class, School
Seth Beer, OF, Fr., Clemson
Jake Burger, 3B, So., Missouri State
C.J. Chatham, SS, Jr., Florida Atlantic
Zack Collins, C, Jr., Miami (Fla.)
Will Craig, 1B, Jr., Wake Forest
Brett Cumberland, C, So., California
Nick Feight, C, So., UNC-Wilmington
Jameson Fisher, C/IF, R-Jr., Southeastern Louisiana
Anfernee Grier, OF, Jr., Auburn
Thomas Hackimer, P, Sr., St. Johns
Dakota Hudson, P, Jr., Mississippi State
Connor Jones, P, Jr., Virginia
Eric Lauer, P, Jr., Kent State
Kyle Lewis, OF, Jr., Mercer
Brendan McKay, IF/P, So., Louisville
Sheldon Neuse, 3B, Jr., Oklahoma
AJ Puckett, P, Jr., Pepperdine
Heath Quinn, OF, Jr., Samford
Troy Rallings, P, Sr., Washington
Corey Ray, OF, Jr., Louisville
Nick Senzel, 3B, Jr., Tennessee
Jordan Sheffield, P, R-So., Vanderbilt
Logan Shore, P, Jr., Florida
Boomer White, IF, Jr., Texas A&M
Kyle Wright, P, So., Vanderbilt
