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| OMAHA, Neb. – LSU’s Dylan Crews was named the 45th winner of the Golden Spikes Award today during a live presentation on ESPN. Created in 1978, the Golden Spikes Award honors the top amateur baseball player in the United States based on their athletic ability, sportsmanship, character, and overall contribution to the sport. Crews becomes the second LSU player in program history to earn the award, joining 1989 winner Ben McDonald as the only two Tigers to win. He is the 10th winner from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which surpasses the Pac-12 for the most all-time Golden Spikes Award winners. Prior to Crews, the most recent award winner from the SEC was Kevin Kopps (Arkansas) in 2021. “Dylan Crews has been one of the nation’s best college baseball players since he arrived at LSU in 2021,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. “His extraordinary 2023 season, in addition to his generous charitable work off the baseball field, make him an extremely worthy winner of this award. We are so proud to welcome Dylan into the Golden Spikes Award brotherhood and celebrate all of his achievements this season.” Crews has been one of college baseball’s biggest stars in 2023, leading the Tigers to the College World Series Finals while sitting near the top of the national leaderboard in most offensive categories. The junior has reached base in all 69 games in 2023 and leads the country in runs scored with 95. He owns a .562 on-base percentage, good for second in the nation, while his 104 hits rank fifth and his .418 batting average is sixth-best in the country. Crews–who has drawn a second-most 70 walks–also had a 26-game hitting streak spanning from February 19 to April 25. In addition to the national leaderboard, Crews led many offensive statistical categories in the SEC en route to earning the conference’s Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive season. His statistics in conference play were just as impressive as his regular-season numbers, as he batted .405 with a .545 on-base percentage to rank first in the conference in both categories. Crews drew a conference-leading 27 walks in SEC games and tied for the league lead in hits with 45. Additionally, he ranked in the top ten in conference slugging percentage (.685) and total bases (76). Crews took home several conference awards in addition to being honored as the SEC Player of the Year, as he was named to the All-SEC First Team and earned a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team thanks to his performance in center field. Crews, a three-time SEC Player of the Week, was also placed on the SEC Community Service Team for his work with Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge, a non-profit resource center organized and directed by family members of individuals with disabilities. Crews joins a group of past winners that includes Ivan Melendez (2022), Kopps (2021), 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). Golden Spikes Award winners have had tremendous success in the Major Leagues. Of the 44 previous winners, six have earned Rookie of the Year honors, including Lewis in 2020. Additionally, three have won the Cy Young Award, three were named MVP, and 11 have won a World Series championship as a player or manager, combining for 18 championships. Twenty previous winners have also been named to at least one All-Star Game roster as a player or manager, combining for 61 total selections. The award winner was selected through the distribution of ballots to a voting body consisting of national baseball media, select professional baseball personnel and USA Baseball staff, and the previous winners of the award, totaling a group of more than 150 voters. Fan voting continued to be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2023 and contributed to the voting total. Golden Spikes Award Winners: 2023: Dylan Crews – LSU 2022: Ivan Melendez – Texas 2021: Kevin Kopps – Arkansas 2019: Adley Rutschman – Oregon State 2018: Andrew Vaughn – California 2017: Brendan McKay – Louisville 2016: Kyle Lewis – Mercer 2015: Andrew Benintendi – Arkansas 2014: A.J. Reed – Kentucky 2013: Kris Bryant – San Diego 2012: Mike Zunino – Florida 2011: Trevor Bauer – UCLA 2010: Bryce Harper – Southern Nevada 2009: Stephen Strasburg – San Diego State 2008: Buster Posey – Florida State 2007: David Price – Vanderbilt 2006: Tim Lincecum – Washington 2005: Alex Gordon – Nebraska 2004: Jered Weaver – Long Beach State 2003: Rickie Weeks – Southern 2002: Khalil Greene – Clemson 2001: Mark Prior – Southern California 2000: Kip Bouknight – South Carolina 1999: Jason Jennings – Baylor 1998: Pat Burrell – Miami 1997: J.D. Drew – Florida State 1996: Travis Lee – San Diego State 1995: Mark Kotsay – Cal State Fullerton 1994: Jason Varitek – Georgia Tech 1993: Darren Dreifort – Wichita State 1992: Phil Nevin – Cal State Fullerton 1991: Mike Kelly – Arizona State 1990: Alex Fernandez – Miami Dade CC 1989: Ben McDonald – LSU 1988: Robin Ventura – Oklahoma State 1987: Jim Abbott – Michigan 1986: Mike Loynd – Florida State 1985: Will Clark – Mississippi State 1984: Oddibe McDowell – Arizona State 1983: Dave Magadan – Alabama 1982: Augie Schmidt – New Orleans 1981: Mike Fuentes – Florida State 1980: Terry Francona – Arizona 1979: Tim Wallach – Cal State Fullerton 1978: Bob Horner – Arizona State |
| About Golden Spikes AwardSince 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 Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2022 Golden Spikes Award winner was Ivan Melendez from the University of Texas. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Adley Rutschman (’19), Andrew Vaughn (’18), Kyle Lewis (’16), Andrew Benintendi (’15), Kris Bryant (’13), Mike Zunino (’12), Bryce Harper (’10), and Stephen Strasburg (’09). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Buster Posey (’08), David Price (’07), Tim Lincecum (’06), Alex Gordon (’05), Jered Weaver (’04), Rickie Weeks (’03), Pat Burrell (’98), J.D. Drew (’97), Mark Kotsay (’95), Jason Varitek (’94), Ben McDonald (’89), Robin Ventura (’88), Jim Abbott (’87), Will Clark (’85), Dave Magadan (’83), Terry Francona (’80), Tim Wallach (’79), and Horner (’78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.About USA BaseballUSA Baseball is the national governing body for baseball in the United States and is committed to serving, protecting, and supporting the game of baseball and its 15.6 million participants. Founded in 1978, USA Baseball fields six national teams annually and is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). On the diamond, USA Baseball is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and its national teams have won 67 gold medals in international competition. Off the field, the organization is dedicated to the proliferation and health of the sport through the creation and management of numerous development initiatives including BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL and the Prospect Development Pipeline. For more information on the organization, its national teams, and development-driven initiatives, visit the official website USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com. |
