McCarthy Named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List

Feb. 9, 2018

USA Baseball Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – USA Baseball announced that Virginia outfielder Jake McCarthy (Scranton, Pa.) is on its preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list. The award is annually bestowed on the nation’s top amateur baseball player.

The award is sponsored by Major League Baseball and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation. It is presented each year to the player who best exhibits exceptional on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship.

McCarthy is a unanimous preseason All-American, receiving First Team honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and D1Baseball.com. Baseball America tabbed McCarthy as a Second Team honoree and also listed him as the “fastest runner” on its list of players across the country with the best tools.

The junior outfielder headlines a talented crop of returners leftover from last year’s 43-win team. McCarthy racked up 80 hits and batted .338 with five home runs and 36 RBI as a sophomore last season. He led the ACC and ranked ninth in the nation after being successful on 27 of his 29 stolen bases attempts.

A total of eight student-athletes from ACC schools were included on the initial 55-player list.

Former teammate and current Philadelphia Phillies prospect Adam Haseley was one of four finalists for the Golden Spikes Award last season. The Cavaliers have placed a player on the preseason watch list every year except for two since 2009.

Virginia will begin its season next Friday (Feb. 16) at UCF. The Cavaliers play neutral site contests next weekend against Samford (Feb. 17) and Rice (Feb. 18) in Orlando before returning to Davenport Field for a 10-game home stand beginning Tuesday, Feb. 20 against VMI.