Blake Burke, Christian Moore named semifinalists for Golden Spikes Award   

To go along with earning All-Southeastern Conference recognition Monday afternoon, Tennessee’s dynamic duo of Christian Moore and Blake Burke reeled in more praise as both were named semifinalists for the prestigious Golden Spokes Award.

The Golden Spikes Award, presented by USA Baseball, is an honor bestowed annually on the best amateur baseball player in the country. A Preseason Watch List for the award was published before the season on February 9 while a 45-player Midseason watch List was updated on April 4.  

Both Moore and Burke, along with Billy Amick were listed on the various watch lists throughout the year but it’s the first two who are earning recognition now that the regular season has concluded.

Moore’s historic season for the Orange & White has brought on national attention and his Major League Baseball Draft stock has risen drastically in the process as well. He was named First-Team All-SEC earlier on Monday. 

The second baseman earned the distinctive Triple Crown award inside SEC play this season, leading the conference in 30 league bouts with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs and 41 runs batted in. Worth mentioning, Georgia’s Charlie Condon tied Moore with 41 RBI in SEC games this season, but the middle infielder finished ahead in the other two categories as the SEC Player of the Year (Condon) tapped out with a .412 batting average and 19 homers in conference games.

Moore finished the 2024 regular season hitting at a .388 clip with an outstanding 27 home runs and 60 RBI. The junior led the Vols in all three categories, as well with 87 hits, 64 runs scored, 181 total bases, .808 slugging percentage and .454 on-base percentage. He was a two-time SEC Player of the Week receipt and was recently named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy – the award given annually to the national college baseball player of the year.

The Brooklyn, N.Y. native was tabbed the NCBWA Dick Howser National Player of the Month for April – as well as National Player of the Month (April) by perfect Game. Moore was on the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List and was also named a D1 Baseball Player of the Week receipt earlier this season.

Moore is the current home run leader for the Vols, both for career and single season. The slugger has belted 54 career long balls and is currently at 27 on the season – while hitting from the leadoff spot in the order. 

Burke’s bounce back junior campaign was nothing short of impressive as the first baseman finished second on the squad with a .359 batting average while hitting .341 in SEC play. He was among the national leaders with 23 doubles on the season while belting 16 home runs and driving in 50 runs in the process. Burke scored 56 runs, totaled 151 bases and stole eight bases on nine attempts. One of the greatest improvements for Burke in 2024 was that of his glove as the first baseman registered just five errors on 378 put outs.

The Brentwood, Calif. native was named to both the D1 Baseball and Perfect Game Midseason All-American teams and was also announced as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy – the award given annually to the national college baseball player of the year.

Burke, who was named Second-Team All-SEC on Monday, broke the Tennessee program record for career home runs earlier this season, passing his predecessor Luc Lipcius with 41 home runs, but he current sits second in the category now with 46 career long balls. Teammate Christian Moore has stormed ahead with 54 homers in his career. 

Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 20 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.

• May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins
•  June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
•  June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, and fan voting begins
•  June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists’ fan voting ends
•  June 22: Golden Spikes Award winner announced

Tennessee concluded the 2024 regular season with a 46-10 overall record and 22-8 tally in conference play, finishing with a share of the SEC regular season crown. The Vols won their last nine conference series in-a-row and have only lost games in back-to-back fashion one time this season, back on March 16-17 at Alabama.

Top-seeded UT will await the winner of Tuesday’s (8) Vanderbilt and (9) Florida bout and begin its journey through the SEC Tournament on Wednesday at 5:30 pm eastern time.