Jung named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List

CARY, N.C. -- USA Baseball announced Texas Tech sophomore infielder Jace Jung to its preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list on Tuesday, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2022 season.

The 2022 preseason watch list features 55 of the nation's top amateur players from high school and college baseball. 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.

Jung headlines a group of six 2021 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, joined by Landon Sims (Mississippi State), Jacob Berry (LSU), Austin Knight (Charlotte), Ethan Long (Arizona State), and Paul Skenes (Air Force). Berry, Jung, Knight, and Sims were also named to the midseason watch list in 2021.

"We could not be more excited to kick off the amateur baseball season with the announcement of the 55-player Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list," said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. "The athletes on this year's initial watch list represent a tremendous amount of talent and character. We are looking forward to watching their journeys unfold during what is sure to be one of the most thrilling and competitive seasons of amateur baseball to date."

Sixteen different collegiate athletic conferences are represented on the 2022 preseason watch list with six of those conferences boasting multiple selections, including the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big West, Colonial Athletic Association, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conferences. The 2022 preseason watch list features the highest number of high school baseball players ever with four. The 2014 and 2018 preseason watch lists each featured three high school athletes.

Arkansas' Kevin Kopps took home the prestigious award most recently in 2021, joining a group of recent winners that includes Adley Rutschman (2019), Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay (2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008) and David Price (2007).

Fan voting will once again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2022. Amateur baseball fans will be able to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, starting on May 24 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 8 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com concurrently, remaining open through June 12.

The 2022 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
April 5: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced
May 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, fan voting begins May 29: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, fan voting begins June 12: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists fan voting ends

To view the complete 55-player 2022 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list, visit: www.usabaseball.com

To stay up-to-date on the 2022 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.

Jung tabbed to Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List
The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award (BBCSA) presented by SR Bats announced Jace Jung as part of its watch list for the 2022 college baseball season. The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in the country. The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.

Jung was one of four finalists for the award in 2021. Josh Jung won the award in 2019 and Hunter Hargrove in 2017.

This year's watch list consists of 44 players representing 18 conferences around the country, including all five power conferences. The list includes 13 seniors, 17 juniors and 14 sophomores.

The BBCSA originally started out in 2017 as an honor going to the top college hitter in Texas. In 2019, the BBCSA expanded becoming a regional award covering Division I programs in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The BBCSA became a national award in 2020; however, no winner was announced due to the Covid-19 virus which cut the 2020 college baseball season short.

The winner of the BBCSA will be announced in June and honored at a gala in the fall at the Fort Worth Club. Texas Tech's Hunter Hargrove won the initial BBCSA in 2017. Dallas Baptist's Devlin Granberg took home the honor in 2018 with Texas Tech's Josh Jung winning the award in 2019. Last year's winner was Connor Norby from East Carolina University.

Jung named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List

Players Mentioned

Jace Jung

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