June 3, 2008
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR AARON CROW
DURHAM, N.C. - -
USA Baseball announced today the names of the five finalists for the 2008 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA). Included on that list is Mizzou junior pitcher Aaron Crow. This year will mark the 31st consecutive year that the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award has been presented to the nation's premier amateur baseball player.
Joining Crow as finalist are Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia (Atlanta, Ga); Brian Matusz, LHP, San Diego (Phoenix, Ariz.); Buster Posey, C/RHP, Florida State (Leesburg, Ga.); and Brett Wallace, 3B, Arizona State (Sonoma, Calif.).
The Big-12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, Crow set Missouri's single-season record for wins (13) and posted a string of 43 scoreless innings pitched, which is unofficially tied for the fourth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history.
Crow's 13 wins also led the NCAA and he finished sixth in strikeouts (127) as well. His strikeouts are tied for the second most in Mizzou school history and his 277 career strikeouts are the third most ever by a Tiger pitcher. The junior righty is the first-ever Golden Spikes Award finalist from Missouri.
Fans can continue to stay up to date on the award by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com, powered by MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball. The new Web site features content devoted exclusively to the GSA, including news, voting history, past-winner photo galleries, and photographs and video highlights for 2008 finalists.
The 2008 GSA will be awarded on July 16 as part of a production by Major League Baseball and MLBAM that will be streamed live on the Internet exclusively at GoldenSpikesAward.com and MLB.com. The annual event will be held this year in New York City following MLB All-Star Week.
"Once again the voting committee was faced with a difficult task in narrowing the list of Golden Spikes Award candidates from 50 players to five," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "That said, Gordon Beckham, Aaron Crow, Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, and Brett Wallace are all deserving finalists, and USA Baseball would be honored to award any one of them with the 2008 trophy."
In 2007, USA Baseball instituted a new selection and balloting procedure for the most prestigious award in amateur baseball, and it is following the same model again in 2008. After accepting nominations from sports information directors across the country, a committee voted to determine 50 semifinalists. The names of the 50 semifinalists were forwarded to a voting body of 125 who selected the five finalists, and the committee will now determine the eventual 2008 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award winner.
For the past 30 years, 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 Bob Horner of Arizona State in 1978, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2007 Golden Spikes Award winner was David Price of Vanderbilt University. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Tim Lincecum ('06), Alex Gordon ('05), Jered Weaver ('04), Rickie Weeks ('03), Khalil Greene ('02), Jason Jennings ('00), Pat Burrell (`98), J.D. Drew ('97), Mark Kotsay ('95), and Jason Varitek ('94). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Robin Ventura ('88), Jim Abbott ('87), Will Clark ('85), Dave Magadan ('83), Terry Francona ('80), Tim Wallach ('79), and Bob Horner ('78).
