Paul Skenes Named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
6/8/2021 1:03:00 PM | Baseball
He is one of 25 nominees for the top amateur baseball player of the year
CARY, N.C. -- Air Force Academy baseball freshman utility player Paul Skenes was named one of 25 semifinalists for the 43rd annual Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced Tuesday, June 8. Skenes is the first AF baseball player ever to be named a semifinalist for the award that honors the top amateur baseball player of the year.
Skenes is one of just three true freshman to be named to the list in 2021. He is also the first Mountain West player to be named a semifinalist since UNLV's Bryson Stott in 2019.
Oregon State's Adley Rutschman took home the prestigious award most recently in 2019, joining a group of recent winners that include Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay (2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
The Lake Forest, Calif. product put together one of the greatest freshman seasons in program history, while ranking near the top of numerous categories nationally most of the season as a two-way threat. He started all 48 games, 28 at DH, 18 at catcher, and twice at first base. He also made 18 relief appearances on the mound, all coming in games in which he started in the batting lineup.
Overall on the season on offense, Skenes slashed .410/.486/.697 with 77 hits, 21 doubles, 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and 49 runs scored. He led the team with 21 multi-hit games, including two five-hit games, while also notching 12 multi-RBI games. He finished the season on a 35-game reached base streak, while also recording a hit in all but eight games on the season. The .410 batting average is tied for the highest in a single-season for AF since 2003.
On the mound, Skenes tossed 26.2 innings, and accumulated a 2.70 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over that span with 30 strikeouts to just nine walks. He went a perfect 11-for-11 in save attempts, while holding his opponents to a .208 batting average. In his 18 appearances, Skenes allowed an earned run in just seven of them, and more than one only once, while recording at least one strikeout in all but two.
Nationally, Skenes finished the regular season ranked ninth in saves, 10th in doubles, 12th in doubles per game (0.44), 14th in batting average, 17th in hits per game (1.60), 27th in slugging, 28th in total hits, 38th in total bases (131), 44th in OBP, 87th in runs scored per game (1.02), 113th in total runs scored, and 143rd in home runs. He was the only player in NCAA Division I baseball to have double-digit home runs and saves.
The freshman had a huge hand in guiding Air Force to one of its best seasons in program history. The 26-22 overall record in the best for the program since 1993, while the 18-16 Mountain West record in the best conference record in program history. AF knocked off two top-15 teams for the first time since 2010 (#7 LSU & #13 Arizona), and was ranked in the top-50 of the NCAA RPI for a majority of the season. AF went 10-7 against teams who made the 2021 NCAA Tournament, while also notching four wins over three teams who are in a Super Regional (LSU, Arizona, Dallas Baptist).
Beginning with the announcement of the semifinalists, a ballot will be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list of semifinalists. On June 24, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting for the winner will begin that same day.
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2021. Beginning with the semifinalist announcement and continuing through the finalist round voting deadline on Tuesday, June 15, fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
The winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be named in July. To stay up-to-date on the 2021 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.
The 2021 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
• June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting begins
• June 15: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
• June 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
• July 2: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
• July: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
A complete list of the 2021 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists is as follows:
Name, Position, School, Conference
Andrew Abbott; LHP; Virginia; Atlantic Coast
Tanner Allen; OF; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Jacob Berry; INF; Arizona; Pac-12
Colton Cowser; OF; Sam Houston; Southland
Henry Davis; C; Louisville; Atlantic Coast
Sal Frelick; UTL; Boston College; Atlantic Coast
Tyler Hardman; INF; Oklahoma; Big 12
Jace Jung; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Niko Kavadas; INF; Notre Dame; Atlantic Coast
Austin Knight; INF; Charlotte; C-USA
Kevin Kopps; RHP; Arkansas; Southeastern
Jack Leiter; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Ethan Long; INF; Arizona State; Pac-12
Ty Madden; RHP; Texas; Big 12
Matt Mikulski; LHP; Fordham; Atlantic 10
Matheu Nelson; C; Florida State; Atlantic Coast
Doug Nikhazy; RHP; Ole Miss; Southeastern
Connor Norby; INF; ECU; American
Kumar Rocker; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Spencer Schwellenbach; INF/RHP; Nebraska; Big Ten
Landon Sims; RHP; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Paul Skenes; C/RHP; Air Force; Mountain West
Trey Sweeney; 3B; Eastern Illinois; Ohio Valley
Gavin Williams; RHP; ECU; American
Aaron Zavala; OF; Oregon; Pac-12
About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2019 Golden Spikes Award winner was Adley Rutschman from Oregon State Unviersity. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Andrew Vaughn ('18), Brendan McKay ('17), Kyle Lewis ('16), Andrew Benintendi ('15), Kris Bryant ('13), Mike Zunino ('12), Trevor Bauer ('11), Bryce Harper ('10), Stephen Strasburg ('09), Buster Posey ('08), David Price ('07) and Alex Gordon ('05). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Tim Lincecum ('06), Pat Burrell ('98), Mark Kotsay ('95), Robin Ventura ('88), Jim Abbott ('87), Will Clark ('85), Dave Magadan ('83), Terry Francona ('80), Tim Wallach ('79), and Horner ('78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.
About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization's official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.
Skenes is one of just three true freshman to be named to the list in 2021. He is also the first Mountain West player to be named a semifinalist since UNLV's Bryson Stott in 2019.
Oregon State's Adley Rutschman took home the prestigious award most recently in 2019, joining a group of recent winners that include Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay (2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
The Lake Forest, Calif. product put together one of the greatest freshman seasons in program history, while ranking near the top of numerous categories nationally most of the season as a two-way threat. He started all 48 games, 28 at DH, 18 at catcher, and twice at first base. He also made 18 relief appearances on the mound, all coming in games in which he started in the batting lineup.
Overall on the season on offense, Skenes slashed .410/.486/.697 with 77 hits, 21 doubles, 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and 49 runs scored. He led the team with 21 multi-hit games, including two five-hit games, while also notching 12 multi-RBI games. He finished the season on a 35-game reached base streak, while also recording a hit in all but eight games on the season. The .410 batting average is tied for the highest in a single-season for AF since 2003.
On the mound, Skenes tossed 26.2 innings, and accumulated a 2.70 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over that span with 30 strikeouts to just nine walks. He went a perfect 11-for-11 in save attempts, while holding his opponents to a .208 batting average. In his 18 appearances, Skenes allowed an earned run in just seven of them, and more than one only once, while recording at least one strikeout in all but two.
Nationally, Skenes finished the regular season ranked ninth in saves, 10th in doubles, 12th in doubles per game (0.44), 14th in batting average, 17th in hits per game (1.60), 27th in slugging, 28th in total hits, 38th in total bases (131), 44th in OBP, 87th in runs scored per game (1.02), 113th in total runs scored, and 143rd in home runs. He was the only player in NCAA Division I baseball to have double-digit home runs and saves.
The freshman had a huge hand in guiding Air Force to one of its best seasons in program history. The 26-22 overall record in the best for the program since 1993, while the 18-16 Mountain West record in the best conference record in program history. AF knocked off two top-15 teams for the first time since 2010 (#7 LSU & #13 Arizona), and was ranked in the top-50 of the NCAA RPI for a majority of the season. AF went 10-7 against teams who made the 2021 NCAA Tournament, while also notching four wins over three teams who are in a Super Regional (LSU, Arizona, Dallas Baptist).
Beginning with the announcement of the semifinalists, a ballot will be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list of semifinalists. On June 24, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting for the winner will begin that same day.
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2021. Beginning with the semifinalist announcement and continuing through the finalist round voting deadline on Tuesday, June 15, fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
The winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be named in July. To stay up-to-date on the 2021 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.
The 2021 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
• June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting begins
• June 15: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
• June 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
• July 2: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
• July: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
A complete list of the 2021 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists is as follows:
Name, Position, School, Conference
Andrew Abbott; LHP; Virginia; Atlantic Coast
Tanner Allen; OF; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Jacob Berry; INF; Arizona; Pac-12
Colton Cowser; OF; Sam Houston; Southland
Henry Davis; C; Louisville; Atlantic Coast
Sal Frelick; UTL; Boston College; Atlantic Coast
Tyler Hardman; INF; Oklahoma; Big 12
Jace Jung; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Niko Kavadas; INF; Notre Dame; Atlantic Coast
Austin Knight; INF; Charlotte; C-USA
Kevin Kopps; RHP; Arkansas; Southeastern
Jack Leiter; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Ethan Long; INF; Arizona State; Pac-12
Ty Madden; RHP; Texas; Big 12
Matt Mikulski; LHP; Fordham; Atlantic 10
Matheu Nelson; C; Florida State; Atlantic Coast
Doug Nikhazy; RHP; Ole Miss; Southeastern
Connor Norby; INF; ECU; American
Kumar Rocker; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Spencer Schwellenbach; INF/RHP; Nebraska; Big Ten
Landon Sims; RHP; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Paul Skenes; C/RHP; Air Force; Mountain West
Trey Sweeney; 3B; Eastern Illinois; Ohio Valley
Gavin Williams; RHP; ECU; American
Aaron Zavala; OF; Oregon; Pac-12
About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2019 Golden Spikes Award winner was Adley Rutschman from Oregon State Unviersity. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Andrew Vaughn ('18), Brendan McKay ('17), Kyle Lewis ('16), Andrew Benintendi ('15), Kris Bryant ('13), Mike Zunino ('12), Trevor Bauer ('11), Bryce Harper ('10), Stephen Strasburg ('09), Buster Posey ('08), David Price ('07) and Alex Gordon ('05). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Tim Lincecum ('06), Pat Burrell ('98), Mark Kotsay ('95), Robin Ventura ('88), Jim Abbott ('87), Will Clark ('85), Dave Magadan ('83), Terry Francona ('80), Tim Wallach ('79), and Horner ('78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.
About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization's official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.
Players Mentioned
C/RHP
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