J.B. Bukauskas, a sophomore pitcher for the UNC baseball team, has been named to the 2016 Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list.

The Golden Spikes Award is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.  Sixty college and high school players were added to the list.

“These athletes have proven themselves worthy of consideration for this prestigious award through the eyes of the advisory board and from the overwhelming fan support through our first-ever nomination process,” Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO at USA Baseball, said in a release.

Bukauskas is 6-1 with a 2.91 ERA after nine starts.  He leads all starters nationally with 13.50 strikeouts per nine innings.  He has 79 strikeouts in 52.2 innings of work.

There are 13 players from the Atlantic Coast Conference on the mid-season watchlist.  The Southeastern Conference lead all conferences with 14 players on the list.  Louisville, Vanderbilt and Virginia led the way with three athletes on the midseason watch list. Clemson, Florida, Miami, South Carolina and TCU each posted a pair of representatives on the list.

Semifinalists for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award will be announced on June 1.  In addition to votes cast by coaches, members of the media, and select professional baseball personnel, fans will have a say in choosing which players will advance past the semifinal round.  From June 1-8, fans will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at goldenspikesaward.com.

The UNC baseball team is currently 26-12 after a 17-2 win over William & Mary Wednesday night.  The Diamond Heels will return to action on Friday with a three-game series in Winston-Salem with Wake Forest.

 

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