2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List revealed

The Golden Spikes Award is annually given to the best amateur baseball player in America. The award was created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1978. The preseason list has 55 players across college and high school baseball.

The list has four players on it that were named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists in 2024: Jamie Arnold of Florida State, Brooks Bryan of Troy, Drew Burress of Georgia Tech, and Jace LaViolette of Texas A&M.

LaViolette and a number of others are making an appearance on the Golden Spikes preseason list for their second consecutive year, including: Wehiwa Aloy of Arkansas, Cam Cannarella of Clemson, Ethan Petry of South Carolina, Nolan Schubart of Oklahoma State, and Devin Taylor of Indiana.

Arizona State, Texas A&M, and Virginia all lead the list with three players each. The Sun Devils have Brandon Compton, Ben Jacobs, and Kyle Walker. The Aggies have Gavin Grahovac, LaViolette, and Ryan Prager. And the Cavaliers have Evan Blanco, Harrison Didawick, and Henry Ford.

There are several schools with two players on the list: Arkansas, Duke, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Texas, and Wake Forest.

There are also five players on this year’s list that will look to join Alex Fernadez (1990) and Bryce Harper (2010) as the only players from a non-NCAA Division I school to win the Golden Spikes Award.

Overall, 41 schools and 12 conferences are represented on the preseason watch list. The SEC leads all conferences with 17 players, followed by the ACC with 14, and the Big 12 with six.

2025 USA Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

Name–School–Position

• Ben Abeldt–TCU–LHP
• Wehiwa Aloy–Arkansas–SS
• Jamie Arnold–Florida State–LHP
• Aiva Arquette–Oregon State–SS
• RJ Austin–Vanderbilt–UTL
• Max Belyeu–Texas–OF
• Evan Blanco–Virginia–LHP
• Caden Bodine–Coastal Carolina–C
• Tyler Bremner–UC Santa Barbara–RHP
• Brooks Bryan–Troy–C
• Drew Burress–Georgia Tech–OF
• Easton Carmichael–Oklahoma–C
• Eric Colaco–Denison (DIII)–OF
• Brandon Compton–Arizona State–OF
• Cam Cannarella–Clemson–OF
• Ethan Conrad–Wake Forest–OF
• Kayson Cunningham–Johnson HS (Texas)–SS
• Dean Curley–Tennessee–SS
• Daniel Cuvet–Miami–3B
• Jason DeCaro–North Carolina–RHP
• Harrison Didawick–Virginia–OF
• Nick Dumesnil–Cal Baptist–OF
• Jalin Flores–Texas–INF
• Henry Ford–Virginia–1B
• Gabe Gaeckle–Arkansas–RHP
• AJ Gracia–Duke–OF
• Gavin Gravohac–Texas A&M–UTL
• Grayson Grinsell–Oregon–LHP
• Seth Hernandez–Corona HS (CA)–RHP/INF
• Ethan Holliday–Stillwater HS (OK)–INF
• Marek Houston–Wake Forest–SS
• Ike Irish–Auburn–C
• Ben Jacobs–Arizona State–LHP
• Kyle Johnson–Duke–UTL
• Jared Jones–LSU–1B
• Alex Lane–Northeastern–1B/OF
• Jace LaViolette–Texas A&M–OF
• Justin Lebron–Alabama–SS
• Anthony Martinez–UC Irvine–1B
• Mason McConnaughey–Nebraska–RHP
• Ethan Petry–South Carolina–OF
• Tre Phelps–Georgia–INF
• Dennis Pierce–East Stroudsberg (DII)–UTL
• Ryan Prager–Texas A&M–LHP
• Zion Rose–Louisville–OF
• Nolan Schubart–Oklahoma State–OF
• Austin Smith–San Diego–LHP/OF/DH
• Kolten Smith–Georgia–RHP
• Luke Stevenson–North Carolina–C
• Brendan Summerhill–Arizona–OF
• Devin Taylor–Indiana–OF
• Tanner Thach–UNCW–1B
• Gavin Turley–Oregon State–OF
• Kyle Walker-Arizona State–2B
• Kyson Witherspoon–Oklahoma–RHP

To stay up to date on the 2025 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com.