CARY, N.C. – Tennessee was one of just five schools to have multiple players named semifinalists for the 2022 Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Senior third baseman Trey Lipscomb and freshman pitcher Chase Burns were both named to the 31-man list of semifinalists for the 44th Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top amateur baseball player.
Burns was on the award’s midseason watch list while Lipscomb played his way on to the list of semifinalists with an incredible regular season in which he proved to be one of the top players in the Southeastern Conference.
Lipscomb, a first-team All-SEC selection and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, shattered his career highs in every offensive category while leading the conference with 74 RBIs and 158 total bases during the regular season. He also finished tied for the SEC lead with 21 home runs and ranked among the league leaders in runs scored (t-2nd – 61), slugging percentage (2nd – .749) and hits (t-7th – 74).
The Frederick, Maryland, native also ranks among the national leaders in a handful of offensive categories, boasting top-15 marks in RBIs (4th), total bases (10th), home runs (14th) and slugging percentage (14th).
Burns has lived up to his lofty preseason expectations and then some with a stellar freshman campaign, serving as Tennessee’s Friday-night starter for the majority of the season. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native posted a 7-1 record and a 2.53 ERA in 14 appearances, 13 of which were weekend starts. His ERA ranks second in the SEC while his 88 strikeouts rank second on the team and fourth in the league. Burns was named an All-SEC second team selection and also earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team earlier this week.
Per USA Baseball’s Release:
The list of semifinalists 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 150 voters. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list of semifinalists. On June 8, 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 2022. 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 44th Golden Spikes Award will be named on Friday, June 24, on ESPN. To stay up-to-date on the 2022 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.
The 2022 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
- May 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, voting begins
- June 6: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
- June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
- June 14: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
- June 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
-UT Athletics
