PROVIDENCE, R.I. – ECU starter Chris Holba, USF starter Shane McClanahan and Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm were named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list as announced by USA Baseball on Tuesday. Presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the 41st Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 28 in Los Angeles.
The midseason watch list features 40 of the nation's top amateur players from the college ranks. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue to maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before announcing the semifinalists on May 21.
Holba, a St. Louis, Mo. Native, started eight games posting a 7-0 record with 44 strikeouts in 47.1 innings. He has allowed seven runs on 40 hits while sporting a 1.33 ERA and combined on a pair of shutouts. His ERA ranks sixth in the nation. Holba’s performance on the hill has helped ECU achieve four straight weeks in five national polls and a 24-7 overall record. He has two conference Honor Roll accolades this year, six or more strikeouts in five outings, has walked one or fewer batters five times and has not allowed more than one earned run in six contests including a stretch of three-straight games.
McClanahan, a sophomore from Cape Coral, Fla., is second in the nation with 81 strikeouts and leads the NCAA with 15.40 strikeouts per nine innings. The southpaw holds a 2.28 ERA with four wins through 47.1 innings pitched and eight appearances. A preseason All-America selection, McClanahan has been named conference Pitcher of the Week twice this year and has reached double-digit strikeouts four times. He threw a combined no-hitter and fanned a career-high 15 batters on March 16, in a series opener against Army West Point, tying The American single game strikeouts record.
Bohm, a junior from Omaha, Neb., is hitting .355 with 32 runs, nine doubles, eight home runs and 32 RBIs through 29 games this season. He has hit three grand slams this year and has helped the Shockers to a 22-7 overall record, ranking in four national polls for the past three weeks. Bohm was named preseason All-America by four publications and earned preseason all-conference honors. This season, he has been named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week and National Player of the Week once and has also been named to The American Honor Roll three times.
On Monday, May 21, USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists for the 2018 Golden Spikes Award. The list of semifinalists will then be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 40 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 6, 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 2018. Beginning with the semifinalist announcement and continuing through the finalist round voting deadline, fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
The winner of the 41st Golden Spikes Award will be named on Thursday, June 28, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Award Dinner that evening at Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.