July 18, 2011

Bauer wins Golden Spikes Award

Junior right-hander Trevor Bauer (left) of UCLA is the recipient of the 2011 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the nation.

Junior left-hander Danny Hultzen of Virginia and junior right-hander Taylor Jungmann of Texas were the other award finalists. It was the first time in the 34-year history of the award that all the finalists were pitchers.

Bauer was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Hultzen went No. 2 to the Seattle Mariners and Jungmann went No. 12 to the Milwaukee Brewers.

This season, Bauer posted a record of 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA. Bauer tossed complete games in 10 of his 16 starts, including his final nine. He allowed 73 hits in 136.2 innings with 36 walks. Bauer led the nation with 203 strikeouts, a single-season record in the Pac-10.

Bauer is the fifth pitcher in the past eight years to win the Golden Spikes Award, joining 2011 Major League All-Stars Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels (Long Beach State, 2004), Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants (Washington, 2006) and David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays (Vanderbilt, 2007). Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State) of the Washington Nationals won the honor in 2009.

Bryce Harper of Southern Nevada was the 2010 winner of the Golden Spikes Award.

(photo courtesy of UCLA Media Relations Office)