Golden Spikes Award 2012 Candidates

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- Kevin Gausman
- Pitcher, LSU
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Kevin Gausman
- Pitcher, LSU
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 100.2 | W-L: 9-1 | ERA: 2.86 | BB: 23 | SO: 118
- Kevin Gausman finished the 2012 regular season with the third most strikeouts in the nation (101) and the most strikeouts in the SEC. He led the SEC in innings pitched (82 2/3) and finished second in the league in wins (7). He was named SEC Pitcher of the Week twice this year, the first time coming against Vanderbilt in a complete game five-hitter. He won Pitcher of the Week a second time after striking out 11 and working eight scoreless innings in a win over Michigan. Gausman set a new career high with 12 strikeouts in a victory over Arkansas.
- Andrew Heaney
- Pitcher, Oklahoma State
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Andrew Heaney
- Pitcher, Oklahoma State
- Bats/Throws: L/L | IP: 110.1 | W-L: 8-1 | ERA: 1.63 | BB: 21 | SO: 132
- Andrew Heaney finished the 2012 season second in the country and first in the Big 12 in strikeouts (132). Heaney led the Oklahoma State pitching staff with an 8-1 record and a 1.63 ERA in 110 1/3 innings of work. In six of his 14 starts this season, Heaney struck out at least 10 hitters, and of those 14 starts, three were shutouts. In three consecutive starts, Heaney went the distance. In the first two games, he shut out Alabama A&M and Houston, respectively, and in the third game beat Missouri, 3-2. Over that three-game stretch, Heaney had a 0.67 ERA with 34 strikeouts and no walks. Heaney was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and was a First Team All-Big 12 selection.
- Mike Zunino
- Catcher, Florida
- winner
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- winner
- 2012
- Mike Zunino
- Catcher, Florida
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .316 | H: 73 | R: 50 | HR: 18 | RBI: 60
- In 2012, Mike Zunino led the Florida offense with a .324 batting average and set a school single-season record with 24 doubles. Entering the SEC tournament, Zunino leads the conference in home runs (15), doubles, total bases (136) and slugging percentage (.657). For the second straight year, Zunino is a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award. In the regular season, he had a .993 fielding percentage and threw out 16 baserunners, good for third in the SEC. Zunino was selected third overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
- Carlos Rodon
- Pitcher, NC State
- finalist
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- finalist
- 2012
- Carlos Rodon
- Pitcher, NC State
- Bats/Throws: L/L | IP: 111.1 | W-L: 9-0 | ERA: 1.61 | BB: 41 | SO: 132
- Carlos Rodon broke onto the college baseball scene in 2012 by leading the ACC in ERA at 1.59 and finishing fifth in the nation with 114 strikeouts. He was one of five pitchers in the NCAA to go undefeated, racking up at least nine wins. Rodon captured both the ACC Pitcher of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year awards to become the first freshman in conference history to be named either the top pitcher (awarded since 2005) or top player (awarded since 1969).
- Kurt Heyer
- Pitcher, Arizona
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Kurt Heyer
- Pitcher, Arizona
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 119.2 | W-L: 11-2 | ERA: 2.03 | BB: 20 | SO: 91
- Kurt Heyer set a new career high with 11 wins this season while pitching for Arizona. He went the distance in six of his starts, including a stretch in April when he threw three consecutive complete games. Heyer was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week twice, and against Harvard he matched his career high with 14 strikeouts. In Heyer's eight Pac-12 starts, he was 6-1 with a 1.43 ERA. Heyer's 1.50 BB/9 IP ratio ranks No. 2 in single-season history at Arizona.
- Kris Bryant
- Infielder, San Diego
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Kris Bryant
- Infielder, San Diego
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .359 | H: 74 | R: 58 | HR: 14 | RBI: 57
- Kris Bryant was a three-time West Coast Conference Player of the Week honoree, helping San Diego to its third best season ever. Bryant had three multi-home run games and led San Diego with 14 home runs. He was second on the team in batting average (.359), led the team in RBIs (57) and finished third in hits (74) and second in doubles (16). With his high RBI and runs scored totals (58), Bryant was responsible for 34 percent of his team's total runs this year.
- Marco Gonzales
- Pitcher, Gonzaga
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Marco Gonzales
- Pitcher, Gonzaga
- Bats/Throws: L/L | IP: 92.2 | W-L: 8-2 | ERA: 1.55 | BB: 23 | SO: 92
- Marco Gonzales is the only two-way player in this year's crop of Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. He was named West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance on April 28 against Loyola Marymount. Gonzales received a no-decision after throwing 11 shutout innings and striking out 15 batters. Gonzales finished the season with an 8-2 and a 1.55 ERA. At the plate, Gonzales was third on the team with a .325 batting average, and he also added two home runs and 29 RBIs. When he wasn't pitching, Gonzales had a .0971 fielding percentage as the team's first baseman.
- Jayce Boyd
- Infielder, Florida State
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Jayce Boyd
- Infielder, Florida State
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .399 | H: 83 | R: 39 | HR: 3 | RBI: 54
- In 2012, Jayce Boyd was named First Team All-ACC at first base after finishing the regular season as the overall conference leader in average with a .399 mark. He ranks in the top 10 in the ACC in seven offensive categories -- first in average, first in hits (83), second in RBIs (54), fourth in doubles (20), fourth in on-base percentage (.467), eighth in total bases (112) and 10th in slugging percentage (.538). Against Rhode Island, Boyd tied a career-high with five hits (three singles, double and home run) and finished the game a triple shy of the cycle.
- Jeff Gelalich
- Outfielder, UCLA
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Jeff Gelalich
- Outfielder, UCLA
- Bats/Throws: L/R | Avg: .367 | H: 79 | R: 50 | HR: 9 | RBI: 39
- So far this season, Jeff Gelalich leads the Pac-12 with a .376 batting average and ranks third with a .460 on-base percentage. He opened the season by reaching base safely in UCLA's first 25 games, and of the 52 games UCLA has played this year, Gelalich has reached via hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in 49 contests. He also leads the team in home runs (9) and stolen bases (15).
- Trenton Moses
- Infielder, Southeast Missouri
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Trenton Moses
- Infielder, Southeast Missouri
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .426 | H: 84 | R: 58 | HR: 19 | RBI: 59
- Trenton Moses was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2012, after falling just two RBIs short of winning the league's Triple Crown. Dating back to last season, Moses has compiled a streak of 75 games in which he has reached base safely. During that streak, Moses had hitting streaks of 19 and 22 games. Moses finished the season at the top of the NCAA Division I leaderboard in major offensive categories as he was fifth in average (.426), third in home runs (19) and tied for 13th in RBIs (59).
- Mark Appel
- Pitcher, Stanford
- finalist
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- finalist
- 2012
- Mark Appel
- Pitcher, Stanford
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 119 | W-L: 10-1 | ERA: 2.27 | BB: 26 | SO: 127
- Mark Appel finished the 2012 season as the Pac-12 leader in strikeouts with 108, and in seven starts this year, he struck out at least 10 hitters. Four of those performances came against top-10 opponents (Rice, Texas, Oregon, UCLA). Appel also exhibited great stamina this year, pitching into the seventh inning in all but one start. He was the winning pitcher in big games against No. 10 Vandy, No. 7 Texas, No. 20 ASU and No. 10 UCLA. Appel was selected No. 8 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
- Alex Keudell
- Pitcher, Oregon
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Alex Keudell
- Pitcher, Oregon
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 110.1 | W-L: 10-4 | ERA: 2.12 | BB: 26 | SO: 65
- With a 10-4 record in 2012, Alex Keudell set the new Oregon single-season wins record. In the Pac-12, Keudell's 2.13 ERA ranked fourth in the league, and his 10 wins tied for second. In conference games, Keudell led all pitchers with an 8-2 record and his 2.14 ERA was fourth best. Against top-25 competition, Keudell is 5-1 with a 1.75 ERA after allowing nine earned runs in 46 1/3 innings. Between March 23 and May 18, Keudell won nine consecutive starts. Keudell was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weekends after tossing seven shutout innings at UCLA, scattering eight hits and striking out two in a 6-2 win on April 5. The following weekend, he allowed just one run on five hits while walking no one and striking out a season-best seven in a 4-2 win at No. 6 Stanford.
- Goose Kallunki
- Infielder, Utah Valley
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Goose Kallunki
- Infielder, Utah Valley
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .433 | H: 94 | R: 60 | HR: 17 | RBI: 81
- In 2012, Goose Kallunki led Utah Valley to its first ever ranking as a Division I program. Kallunki was named Great West Conference Player of the Year and conference Player of the Week three times. He hit a school-record 17 home runs. Kallunki finished the year fifth in the country in batting average (.429), tied for eighth in home runs (17) and first in RBIs (81).
- Daniel Kassouf
- Infielder, Appalachian State
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Daniel Kassouf
- Infielder, Appalachian State
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .344 | H: 72 | R: 49 | HR: 17 | RBI: 58
- In 2012, Daniel Kassouf belted a school record 17 home runs and was named First Team All-Southern Conference. Kassouf finished the year seventh in the conference in batting average (.344), second in home runs and tied for the lead for RBIs (58). He helped lead Appalachian State to its first conference championship since 1987, and to a national ranking on five occasions this year. On Feb. 25, Kassouf hit a solo home run that accounted for the only Appalachian State run in a 1-0 win over LSU. His school-record-tying home run was a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat UNC-Greensboro, 5-4.
- Sean Bignall
- Outfielder, Arkansas-Little Rock
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Sean Bignall
- Outfielder, Arkansas-Little Rock
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .346 | H: 74 | R: 60 | HR: 18 | RBI: 64
- At the end of the 2012 regular season, Sean Bignall ranked fourth in the nation in home runs (18), fifth in slugging percentage (.696), fifth in total bases (149) and sixth in RBIs (64). His season totals for home runs and total bases were new school records for Arkansas-Little Rock, and he became the first player in school history to score 60 runs and pile up 60 RBIs. Bignall was named Sun Belt Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks during the season and was a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection.
- James Ramsey
- Outfielder, Florida State
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- James Ramsey
- Outfielder, Florida State
- Bats/Throws: L/R | Avg: .380 | H: 71 | R: 67 | HR: 11 | RBI: 45
- James Ramsey became the fifth Seminole in school history to win ACC Player of the Year. Ramsey also earned first team All-ACC honors as he led the conference in runs (67), on-base percentage (.520) and slugging percentage (.674). Ramsey is the only player in the country to rank in the top 10 in walks, on-base percentage, runs and runs per game. He has started 188 consecutive games at Florida State, including all 55 games in center field for the Seminoles in 2012. This year, he posted a perfect fielding percentage in 129 chances, and he led the team with four outfield assists.
- Danny Poma
- Outfielder, Hofstra
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Danny Poma
- Outfielder, Hofstra
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .435 | H: 97 | R: 76 | HR: 7 | RBI: 47
- In 2012, Danny Poma was named CAA Player of the Year and was a First Team All-CAA selection. Poma led the team with a .435 average, 97 hits, 31 doubles, 26 stolen bases and 76 runs. His single season totals for hits, doubles and runs were all new school records. Poma recorded 29 multiple hit games this year, and in a game against NYIT, he went 6-for-6 with two home runs, four runs and four RBIs.
- Michael Roth
- Pitcher, South Carolina
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Michael Roth
- Pitcher, South Carolina
- Bats/Throws: L/L | IP: 94.2 | W-L: 5-1 | ERA: 2.66 | BB: 31 | SO: 70
- Michael Roth was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week early in the year after working seven innings of no-hit baseball in an 8-1 win over Elon. Against Georgia, Roth allowed no runs on three hits in seven innings in a 3-0 victory. Roth finished the season with a 5-1 record and a 2.66 ERA in 94 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed a .206 batting average against him, and he finished tied for the team lead with 70 strikeouts.
- Richie Shaffer
- Infielder, Clemson
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Richie Shaffer
- Infielder, Clemson
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .344 | H: 73 | R: 44 | HR: 10 | RBI: 45
- Richie Shaffer was named ACC Player of the Week three times in 2012 for his play at Clemson. From February to March, he recorded seven consecutive multi-hit games, and in April, Shaffer had eight consecutive multi-hit games. From March to May, Shaffer reached base safely in 32 consecutive games. In Clemson's series against rival South Carolina, Shaffer went 6-for-9 with two homers, two doubles, four RBIs, six runs and six walks to earn the Bob Bradley Award and ACC Player of the Week honors.
- Nick Petree
- Pitcher, Missouri State
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Nick Petree
- Pitcher, Missouri State
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 99.1 | W-L: 10-3 | ERA: 0.91 | BB: 33 | SO: 102
- Nick Petree was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week three times this year, and was a First Team All MVC and All-Defensive team selection. From March 2 to May 17, Petree pitched 73 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. In the regular season, Petree led the nation in ERA (0.91), ranked fourth in wins (10) and 19th in strikeouts (102). He became the seventh pitcher in school history to surpass the 100-strikeout plateau in a season.
- Kevin Plawecki
- Catcher, Purdue
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Kevin Plawecki
- Catcher, Purdue
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .361 | H: 73 | R: 48 | HR: 5 | RBI: 40
- Along with being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, Kevin Plawecki is also in the running for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given to the nation's best catcher. Plawecki batted cleanup in every game this season and helped lead Purdue to its first Big Ten title since 1909. In 202 at-bats this year, Plawecki struck out just eight times, and entering the Big Ten Tournament, he leads the league in doubles (20). As a catcher, Plawecki calls his own game behind the plate, and he helped the pitching staff compile a 3.15 team ERA this season. Defensively, he has committed only one error and thrown out 16 of 38 would-be base stealers (.421).
- Raph Rhymes
- Outfielder, LSU
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Raph Rhymes
- Outfielder, LSU
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .469 | H: 92 | R: 41 | HR: 3 | RBI: 49
- Raph Rhymes is the nation's leading hitter with a .476 batting average. He finished the regular season ranked first in the SEC in batting average, hits (88) and on-base percentage (.522) and third in the league with 48 RBIs. In the Tigers' series at No. 2 Kentucky, he hit .667 (8-for-12) with two doubles, one homer, four RBIs and three runs. Rhymes was named SEC Player of the Week on April 2 after enjoying a phenomenal week at the plate, batting .588 (10-for-17) with one homer, six RBIs and three runs scored.
- Tyler Naquin
- Outfielder, Texas A&M
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Tyler Naquin
- Outfielder, Texas A&M
- Bats/Throws: L/R | Avg: .373 | H: 81 | R: 47 | HR: 3 | RBI: 46
- Tyler Naquin was a First Team All-Big 12 selection this season after leading the team in batting average (.373), hits (81), doubles (15) and triples (6). Naquin recorded 25 multi-hit games and had multiple RBIs in 13 games. With his .373 batting average, Naquin just missed the Big 12 batting title, finishing second in that category.
- D.J. Peterson
- Infielder, New Mexico
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- D.J. Peterson
- Infielder, New Mexico
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .422 | H: 94 | R: 51 | HR: 14 | RBI: 68
- D.J. Peterson was named the Mountain West Player of the Week three times this season. He notched 27 multi-hit games, 18 multi-RBI games (three of 5+) and four multi-home run games. From April 1 to May 5, Peterson had a 22-game hitting streak, during which he was 38-for-93 (.409) with eight homers, 31 RBIs, and 21 runs. In a March 16 game against San Diego State, Peterson went 5-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs, three runs and had 11 total bases.
- Chris Stratton
- Pitcher, Mississippi State
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Chris Stratton
- Pitcher, Mississippi State
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 95.2 | W-L: 10-1 | ERA: 2.16 | BB: 19 | SO: 115
- Chris Stratton finished the 2012 season with a 10-1 record and a 2.16 ERA. His 115 strikeouts ranked him second in the SEC and fourth in the country. He was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week twice, with the first time coming after he struck out 17 against LSU. Stratton led all SEC starting pitchers in ERA and was the first pitcher in the conference to record 10 wins this season.
- Ross Stripling
- Pitcher, Texas A&M
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Ross Stripling
- Pitcher, Texas A&M
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 110 | W-L: 10-2 | ERA: 2.70 | BB: 15 | SO: 104
- Ross Stripling was a First Team All-Big 12 selection this year after going 10-2 with a 2.70 ERA and a team-leading 110 innings pitched. The highlight of Stripling's season came against San Diego State, when he threw the school's 11th no-hitter in a 1-0 victory. Stripling's 10 wins ranked him tied for the league lead, and his 104 strikeouts ranked him second in the conference.
- Marcus Stroman
- Pitcher, Duke
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Marcus Stroman
- Pitcher, Duke
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 98 | W-L: 6-5 | ERA: 2.39 | BB: 26 | SO: 136
- Marcus Stroman was a First Team All-ACC selection in 2012 after going 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA in 14 starts. He led all pitchers in the country this season with 136 strikeouts, and his 12.49 strikeouts per nine innings was second best in the NCAA. In conference play this year, Stroman ranked first in innings pitched (76), first in strikeouts (99) and 10th in ERA (2.49). He recorded six double-digit strikeout games, highlighted by the 17 hitters he fanned against George Washington. Four of his other double-digit strikeout games came against conference opponents Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech and NC State.
- Alex Yarbrough
- Infielder, Mississippi
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Alex Yarbrough
- Infielder, Mississippi
- Bats/Throws: R/R | Avg: .386 | H: 86 | R: 39 | HR: 3 | RBI: 41
- Alex Yarbrough finished the 2012 regular season with the second-best batting average (.386) and second-most hits (86) in the SEC. Defensively, the second baseman had a .992 fielding percentage and made only two errors. After making his first error of the season in the second game of the year, he went 456 consecutive innings without committing another error. He was third on the team with 41 RBIs and second with a .439 on-base percentage.
- Josh Turley
- Pitcher, Baylor
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Josh Turley
- Pitcher, Baylor
- Bats/Throws: L/L | IP: 86.1 | W-L: 8-0 | ERA: 1.67 | BB: 16 | SO: 66
- Josh Turley was a First Team All-Big 12 player this year after he started the first game of every Baylor weekend series and won 13 of his 14 starts. Baylor's only loss when he was on the mound came when Turley pitched seven scoreless in a 1-0 extra-inning loss to Oklahoma. In 10 of Turley's 14 starts, he allowed one or fewer earned runs, and in Big 12 conference play, he led the league with a 6-0 record and a 1.92 ERA. Against New Mexico State on April 27, Turley took a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
- Michael Wacha
- Pitcher, Texas A&M
- 2012
- 2012 Candidates
  GSA Winners
- 2012
- Michael Wacha
- Pitcher, Texas A&M
- Bats/Throws: R/R | IP: 99 | W-L: 8-0 | ERA: 2.09 | BB: 16 | SO: 99
- Michael Wacha finished the 2012 regular season with a perfect 8-0 record and was a First Team All-Big 12 selection. He racked up 99 strikeouts and had a 2.09 ERA over 99 innings. He walked only 16 hitters and held his opponents to a .225 batting average. Against Texas Tech this season, Wacha became one of only four Texas A&M pitchers to record more than 300 strikeouts in a career.