May 26, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University junior pitcher Mike Leake and junior outfielder Jason Kipnis have been named semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, the award presented annually to the top player in college baseball, USA Baseball announced Tuesday.
Leake (Fallbrook, Calif.) is 14-1 with a 1.24 ERA and 128 strikeouts this season. He leads the Pac-10 Conference in wins, ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched (115.2), and he went 9-0 with six complete games, including two complete game shutouts, in nine starts during Pac-10 play. Leake was recently named one of five finalists for the national Pitcher of the Year Award, and he was selected as the Academic All-American of the Year on Monday.
Kipnis (Northbrook, Ill.) leads the team with a .380 batting average and 76 hits this season, and he ranks second with 14 home runs and 65 RBI. He is also the team leader with 21 stolen bases, 45 walks, 18 doubles and 36 extra-base hits, and he has yet to commit an error in the field all season.
Leake and Kipnis are two of 30 semifinalists for the award. The list will be trimmed to five finalists on June 2, with the winner announced on July 14. It is the second straight season that ASU has had two semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, with Ike Davis and Brett Wallace making the list last year. Arizona State has had three Golden Spikes Award winners, including Bob Horner, who won the first award in 1978.